MxMIndia

Tag: English Movie Channels

  • From differentiated marketing to programming strategies, channels try their level best to capture maximum eyeballs

    Exclusivity is an attractive proposition to not only viewers but also sponsors: PIX

    By A Correspondent

     

    Over the past few years, competition in the English movie channels genre has intensified. However, the genre still enjoys a limited audience. Therefore, each channel has to out-do its competition to stand out in the crowd.

     

    From differentiated marketing to programming strategies, channels try their level best to capture maximum eyeballs. MxMIndia spoke to Amogh Dusad – Programming Head at PIX which showcases various festivals to find out how well has this mantra worked for the channel…

     

    PIX keeps coming up with ‘festivals’ like the 3 Legends. What is the rationale behind it?

    We at PIX strive to provide popular and interesting content to our viewers. 3 Legends is a new programming block we have created this month which will showcase movies of the three martial art legends – Bruce Lee, Jackie Chan and Jet Li. Similarly, Sunday Breakout, Awesome Saturdays, Hand PIX and Super PIX are blocks created to offer variety and meet the ever-growing appetite for Hollywood films. Also, festivals break the monotony on a channel as they always offer something interesting to look forward to for the viewers.

     

    Why is it important to have these festivals?

    Blocks and festivals create a sense of excitement and appointment amongst the viewers towards the slot, in specific, and the channel, in general. They also bring uniqueness to the channel, which simply means that at any given point of time you will not see more than one channel programming or treating a particular genre, cast, theme or local festival in the same fashion. This ‘exclusivity’ is an attractive proposition to not only the viewers, but also the sponsors.

     

    How has been the response on this from viewers?

    Our viewers often write to us about how unique they find PIX – whether it’s our titles, promotions or even hoardings. The response from the market too has been good, since sponsors know they will get a good response by choosing our programming festivals as a media vehicle for their brands. Our viewers between the ages of 15 to 25 years are most vocal about their feedback, which we often get to know through our Facebook community and our youth community called the PIX Movie Club.

     

    How do you chalk-out the plan for a year? And when?

    At the start of the fiscal, we set out goals for ourselves, but we are not rigid and are always open to making changes as per evolving viewer needs.

     

    Which has been the most successful festival package, so far? Why?

    Over the past few months, Sunday Breakout and Hot Summer Collection have performed very well in terms of numbers and viewer engagement. Sunday breakout is a slot programmed on Sundays from noon to early evening wherein two tiles with a single break are scheduled, targeting the entire family. Another successful slot has been Hot Summer Collection which was programmed during summer vocations and was directed toward school and college students.

     

    What else can we expect from the channel?

    We will be showcasing the biggest animation movie of the year next month for which we are all very thrilled! Going forward you will see many big ticket properties of the creme de la creme of Hollywood.

     

     

  • India's English speaking-population, urban and elsewhere, and the amendment to the Cable TV Networks (Regulation) Act make it a good time for an English movie channel, says Ajay Trigunayat.

    The Anchor: 5 reasons why it’s the best time to be in English movies

    By Ajay Trigunayat

     

    #1 India has the largest English speaking population.

    India has one of the largest English speaking populations in the world, and as a result has been a potential market for all things English! English enjoys the status of subsidiary official language but it is the most important language for national, political, and commercial communication. English speakers inIndiaoutnumber those in all of Western Europe, not counting theUnited Kingdom. And Indian English speakers are more than twice the UK’s population.

     

    #2 Amongst English channels, English Movie Channels have the maximum viewership.

    Amongst the English TV category, it is the English movie channels that comprises of 35 percent of the market share. This is the highest in this category. The English movie category also has a reach of around 27 percent of the total television viewers. These numbers definitely move the genre which was earlier seen as niche, to be highly influential.

     

    #3 English urban audiences.

    Yes, English is everywhere in India. Urban population: 33 percent of total population and 95 percent of all households have a TV. 2012 will also see Times Television Network launching new English channels in a bid to strengthen the overall channel bouquet. The timing could not be better at the pace which theEnglish Channelspace is growing.

     

    #4 Digitization.

    • Indiais riding on robust cable and satellite growth. The television household universe has grown from 134 million homes to 148 million homes over two years.
    • Within this cable and satellite has grown from 103 million to 126 million. The media and entertainment industry is at an inflexion point with digital being the buzzword. Rightly so, every segment within the media and entertainment ecosystem is getting impacted by digitization in a significant way.
    • Digitization, where the feed will be received through set-top boxes, is expected to be executed in phases and the four metros ofDelhi, Mumbai, Kolkata and Chennai have to shift to digital addressability by March 31, 2012.
    • Increased Digital penetration will lead to parity in audio-visual reception and experience. Thus, channels which are on hi-frequencies which has distorted channel reception will tend to gain in viewership.
    • With CAS being mandated soon, the carriage fee should go down and subscription revenues should take a leap.
    • Currently the digital viewership contribution to the English Movie Channels is 31 percent which will go up to 50 percent by the end of 2012.

     

    #5 Increasing footprint.

    Transition of viewership from 5 – 8 metros – 1 mn.+ markets: 35 markets as per 2001 census to 53 markets as per 2011 census

    • Having expanded the horizon from 5/7 metros to 8 metros: All 1mn.+ towns is the next big opportunity
    • With the perception change amongst the viewers’ mindsets and the recent news about Lok Sabha passing the second bill to amend the Cable TV Networks (Regulation) Act 1995 has opened newer avenues for the English movie channels.
    • With the target audience no longer residing only in the metros and moving into the Tier 2 and Tier 3 cities, there is an opportunity to penetrate into the smaller cities, thereby expanding the overall viewership.

     

    Ajay Trigunayat is the CEO, English Entertainment Channels, Times Television Network.