MxMIndia

Tag: History Channel

  • Niche channel History TV18 completes a year of redefining the factual entertainment genre

    History TV18 @ 1: Factual, eclectic, successful

     

    By Meghna Sharma

     

    A year ago, it may have seen like yet another big bang launch of an all-new channel crowding the Indian satellite space. The niche offering, History TV18, a joint venture between TV18 and A+E Networks, aimed to redefine the factual entertainment genre through an eclectic mix of local and international shows.

     

    Ajay Chacko

    “As we stand at this first anniversary milestone, I believe we have challenged some of the established rules of the game in this genre. Our consistent leadership in time spent per viewer and our phenomenal contribution to the genre growth is a testament of our success,” CEO Ajay Chacko told MxMIndia. “This is just the beginning. Now that we’ve carved a niche for ourselves in the genre, we look forward to replicating our global leadership in the factual entertainment space in India.”

     

    As the channel broadens its horizons and carves a niche for itself with its edgy and differentiated programming mix featuring shows with greater emphasis on creating fact-based entertainment, thrill and action formats that appeal to a much wider audience, Sangeetha Aiyer, the Channel’s General Manager (Marketing) says, “The journey has been quite interesting so far. When we launched our intent was to make a distinct change in the factual entertainment genre and after one year of completion, we are honoured to have achieved this. Immediately after the launch, History TV18 accelerated growth for the entire genre from 2 percent and 15 percent in ’10 and ’11 to a whopping 29 percent post-launch.”

     

    Sangeetha Aiyer

    The channel boasts of delivering content which is vividly different. “Our content is contemporary; full of action and adventure. It has lot to do with achievement. It is about people making history every day. Also our objective has been to grow the factual entertainment genre and not just compete within the genre. We also got overwhelming response for our The Greatest Indian initiative. It was History TV18’s first local production in India and successfully garnered amazing response over the three month period with over 2 crore votes coming through missed calls and online. The campaign also sustained a healthy engagement on social media platforms reaching over 20 lakh Facebook users through viral content,” adds Ms Aiyer.

     

    The channel differentiates itself from the rest in the genre and claims that History TV18 is a factual entertainment channel, emphasizing that its content is based on ‘facts’ and has a heavy dose of ‘entertainment’, whereas other channels in this genre are more of factual knowledge. The USP of the channel lies in its programming mix and the target audience of the channel is CS 15+ AB market. However, another reason what makes it different from the rest is the fact that it is available in six languages (English, Hindi, Tamil, Telugu, Bengali & Marathi) in full HD across all major markets in India. “This has helped us enormously to broad-base and grows the entire genre,” says Ms Aiyer.

     

    The marketing budgets in the launch year of the channel was in the range of Rs 8-10 crore, but in the subsequent years the channel plans to consolidated and leverage network synergies.

     

    Dhruv Jha

    In terms of ratings, the channel accelerated growth for the entire genre from 2 percent and 15 percent in ’10 and ’11 to a generous 29 percent post-launch. But how is the genre doing?

     

    According to Dhruv Jha, business head, Lodestar UM Content and Experiences, there is definitely a market and audience for the genre, but it will always remain a niche. “Viewers of such channels are a sub-set of a larger audience which are very loyal to it and seek more and more of it. And as time progresses, we’ll see an increase in the number of viewers too but it will never to able to attain the appeal/popularity of a mass-consumed channel.”

     

    Janardhan Pandey

    Agreeing with Mr Jha, Janardhan Pandey, associate VP, DDB Mudra expands, “I see this genre picking up audience consistently with increased mass appeal. The channels have done quite well in attracting audiences. I see a good amount of viewership addition to this segment in coming years and I am sure these players have been doing exactly what the audiences want to experience, ie the right mix of world-class programming aligned locally.”

     

    The channel promises to continue to push the envelope in terms of a differentiated, clutter-breaking, world-class programming mix; and thus grow the genre. “In the process we plan to consolidate our leadership in 6 metros, 1 mn+ towns and finally all India. One of our great successes this year was the phenomenal success of our first local production ‘The Greatest Indian’. We plan to replicate this through similar innovative, path-breaking concepts,” concludes Ms Aiyer.

     

  • History Channel has worked its way up to the No 1 position in the factual entertainment genre in the six metros.

    History soars to No 1 in genre

    By Rishi Vora

     

    History, the channel from Network 18 and A+E Networks joint venture, has worked its way up to the No 1 position in the factual entertainment genre if one looks at the six metros market cluster. The channel’s market share is 33 per cent as against Discovery’s 31 per cent and National Geographic’s 13 per cent share in the same market.

     

    What is seen as a significant achievement for the channel is the fact that it has reached this peak in a timeframe of three months after launch. As a result, the genre too has expanded, say officials from the company.

     

    Sangeetha Aiyer, General Manager-Marketing, A+E Networks and TV18 JV, said, “While we are happy about the leadership status in the 6 metros, I think the real big story is about the growth of the genre. And that was pretty much our objective – to see if we can expand the genre from the current 1.5 per cent that it is at, to maybe 3 to 4 per cent, or even five. Given the genre growth of 57 per cent, led by History, I think we will be in a position to be able to achieve this sooner than later. Also, the leadership status in the six metros is an indication that all our endeavours in programming and content, marketing and distribution is resulting in rewards as planned.”

     

    She added, “Going forward it will be our conscious and concerted effort to hold on to our leadership status in the six metros market and consolidate leadership in other market clusters (1mn+ and All India) as well. We believe that our differentiated programming line-up, innovative marketing and focus on distribution will propel us in the direction of widening the gap and consolidating our position as the leader in the factual entertainment space.”

     

    The channel, according to Ms Aiyer, garners the highest time spent per viewer (40 minutes) vis-a-vis Discovery (29 minutes) and National Geographic (16 minutes). “History’s success is a result of differentiated programming and the stickiness quotient of its content,” she said.

     

    History reaches out to 50 million homes and 40 million viewers across India on cable TV platforms such as Hathway, In Cable, Den Networks and DTH platforms such as Tata Sky, Dish TV and Airtel.

     

    Source: TAM, Week 49’11, CS AB 15+, 2400 hrs

  • History Channel is now available on Mobile TV across major operators and has drawn a strong positive response in social media.

    History being made on Digital platforms

    By A Correspondent

     

    History, the world’s leading factual entertainment channel, which debuted its India edition on October 9th, 2011 and reached out to 45 mn viewers within a month of its launch, is now available on the Mobile Platform. The channel has taken a step further to offer thrilling and action packed content from its channel to the viewers across the country.

     

    History will be available on both platforms – Live Streaming as well as Video On Demand on GPRS enabled mobile phones. To access the application, the user will have to send the keyword “HISTORY” as an SMS to 51818. The user can chose to either view the channel or key episodes from a particular show.

     

    This service is available via Mobile TV across all leading mobile operators on such as Vodafone, Airtel, Idea, Aircel, BSNL, MTNL, Reliance, Tata Docomo and Tata Indicom. There will be different subscription charges based on the package viz. daily (Rs. 7/-) or monthly (Rs. 150/-) based on the user’s choice. The service will soon be available in other Indian languages as well.

     

    Said Ajay Chacko, President, A+E Networks I TV18, “It is our endeavour to ensure that our innovative and cutting edge content reaches every possible audience with access to a screen – be it a TV screen, a computer screen or a mobile phone screen. By making HISTORY available on the mobile platform, we have once again taken a step in the direction of broad basing and growing this genre in India.”

  • With only a month after launch, the channel has grabbed the No 2 position in the Factual Entertainment space

    It’s a fact! Factual ent grows with History

    By Rishi Vora

     

    Factual Entertainment as a genre in India has been a niche segment for many years, dominated primarily by Discovery and National Geographic. The recent entry of History from the JV of TV 18 and US based A + E Networks, however, promises a lot of action. With only a month since its launch, the channel has already made an impact.

    According to TAM Media Research, it is now placed at No 2 in the line-up of factual entertainment channels with a market share of 28 per cent in the metros; and it garners the highest time spent per viewer in the genre (35 minutes against Discovery’s 23 and National Geographic’s 16 minutes). And by all means, the channel has expanded the genre by 30 per cent, all India, reaching out to 45 million viewers, in the CS 4+ market.

     

    What’s the success mantra?
    There is no denying that the Network 18 clout and the reputation of the US major A + E Networks, helped in the successful launch of the channel. But, as the company officials state, the success story has a lot to do with good programming, distribution and marketing.

     

    The channel embarked on a 360-degree campaign with Salman Khan, urging viewers to switch to a different kind of programming within the factual entertainment arena. Sangeetha Aiyer, General Manager – Marketing, shared her thoughts on the campaign. “All the research we’d done showed that there is a huge market in India for the type of content we had and that there is a lot of inherent weariness for existing content. This is the reason for our positioning as watching something fresh and new. Also, all our efforts during the launch campaign were primarily to broad-base the genre, whether it is the 360-degree marketing thrust, the 5 language feeds, huge distribution thrust, or using Salman as brand ambassador.”

     

    On why Salman as the brand ambassador, she explained, “Salman has a phenomenal appeal across demographics, psychographics, regions; he is inherently ‘cool’ and brings with him an element of unexpectedness. A combination which is impossible to resist. There was never anyone else we even considered. Also he’s not just our brand ambassador; we’ve also cleverly integrated him in our programming and packaging and have more plans with him in the pipeline.

    Cell 18, a division of Network 18 has worked extensively on the look and feel of the channel, the on-air promotions and packaging.   Zubin Driver, Group Creative Director, Network 18 and CEO, Cell 18 added to Aiyers point on having Khan on the channel as the brand ambassador. “The idea to go with Salman Khan was completely out-of-the-box, primarily because one doesn’t expect Salman to be the brand ambassador of a factual entertainment channel. And what he does on History and what the viewers are accustomed to see him as, is very different.  So that’s very clutter breaking and interesting.”

    Driver further added that the challenge was to match up to the international standards of A + E channels, as far as the packaging and the creative look and feel of the channel was concerned. Elaborating on the kind of work that has happened on the channel, Driver said, “There is a great amount of detailing which has gone into the campaign. Show specific designs, using mnemonics and graphics and to integrate that with Salman, was a huge challenge. And I’m glad at the end of it we’ve done a pretty good job.”

    Sudheer KG, VP and Programming Head shared the early apprehensions that the team share prior to launch. “We were very cautious right from the beginning, because History as the name suggest—immediately what first comes to mind is the boring sort of a channel with an old look and style, with no fun element in it. So our immediate task was to see how we could make one, the genre more interesting and second, to make our channel more entertaining. The idea of dubbed content helped us maintain the Indian flavour in every show.”

     

    The programming strategy the channel has adopted is pretty simple. To look at the huge library of shows that History channel in the US has, and pick up shows from there that could suit the Indian viewers. And of course, the customisation which follows to make shows more relevant and meaningful for Indian audiences. In the times to come, the channel will look at different formats and if need be, acquire international content as well.

     

    Passage Through India with Caroline Quentin, currently on air, is one of the popular shows, where the host travels all over India and introduce many aspects of Indian culture. Another show that is likely to be launched in the near future is Freddy Versus the World, featuring Cricketer Andrew Flintoff in trying some of the most extreme sports and challenges on offer.

     

    As it seems from here, the challenge is to keep the momentum going. And that could be achieved by doing innovative yet relevant content. Being a niche segment, factual entertainment as an industry was observed to be stagnant for a while. Now that History has announced its arrival, there will be a lot to watch out for in this small yet growing industry.

  • History channel has made its mark in the very first week itself, with 19.8 million viewers across India tuning in.

    History chalks up high in 1st week

    By A Correspondent

    Making History from the launch week

    Factual entertainment channel History, which debuted its India edition on October 9, has made its mark in the very first week itself, with 19.8 million viewers across India tuning in. With a connectivity of 50 million households across on leading cable TV platforms, History cuts across segments and demographics, and took the Factual Entertainment Genre up by 24 percent in just the first week. History also garnered significant market share in the launch week across market clusters. In All India 1mn+ (including Metros), History ranks as a strong No 2 with 24 percent market share vis-à-vis Discovery (32 percent) and Nat Geo (18 percent) and ahead of the other factual entertainment channels. In 6 metros, History with 29 percent market share vis-à-vis Discovery (32 percent) and Nat Geo (14 percent) further reduces the gap between existing players and fortifies its entry into the genre.

    History also leads the factual entertainment pack in time spent per viewer with 32 mins vis-à-vis Discovery (20 mins) and Nat Geo (16 mins) which is an indication of differentiated programming and the stickiness quotient of History’s content.

    Source: TAM, Week 42’11, CS AB 15+, all India 1 Mn+, 0600-2400 hrs

  • History Channel plans to take factual entertainment mainstream with popular appeal and marketing strategies that grab the imagination.

    History launches with innovations blitz

    By Dhara Salla

    The History Channel launched its India edition on October 9 as part of a joint venture between TV18 and A+E Networks. The launch is a significant milestone in the Indian media space as it marks an alliance between dynamic television media conglomerate TV18 and factual entertainment biggie A&E Networks.

    Mr Raghav Bahl, Founder and Editor, TV18 said on the occasion of the launch, “We have always believed in making a difference in the domain that we work in and we believe that factual entertainment will emerge as one of the mainstays of the Indian television space.”

    Mr Haresh Chawla, Group CEO, Network18 said, “We believe that the Indian market is ripe for alternative formats and that is one of the reasons for us to bring in channels like History into this market. Factual entertainment is emerging as the new preferred choice across the world and the genre has the potential to become mainstream in India as well.”

    Ms Sangeetha Aiyer, General Manager Marketing, History, told MXM India, “By far this is one of the biggest media launches in the year and most definitely the biggest in the factual entertainment genre, in terms of impact, visibility, engagement, etc across traditional and new media.”

    As a channel, History has transformed itself by using very innovative formats that move away from the traditional concept of History being about dates, B&W footage, World War II etc. That DNA of innovation is being replicated everywhere including the marketing campaign. According to media reports, the marketing spend would be between Rs 150-170 million.

    The string of innovations began with the channel announcing its association with Bollywood star Salman Khan to be the face of the channel in an attempt to broad-base the appeal of History and the factual entertainment genre.

    In terms of Outdoor or Out of Home, innovative formats where the content seems to come alive and appear real will give passersby a first-hand taste of what History is all about. Some examples of engaging outdoor innovations are the Ice Road Trucker bridge replicated on a foot overbridge, Sliced where the anchor actually seems to ‘slice’ the hoarding, Swamp People, which has a brilliant life like cut-out of a crocodile/alligator, and Top Shot where smoke actually comes out of a gun which is part of the hoarding.

    On the programming and the content front, History channel has found out that Indian viewers across demographics are interested in experimenting with alternative forms of content, as far as the entertainment quotient is not compromised upon. The channel is being launched with universal themes that use the premise of history.

    Ms Aiyer said, “It will also announce a few big-ticket local productions that match international scale, very shortly.” The major chunk of the content is currently from the History US catalogue, with an appeal to viewer preferences in India. However, the channel is also experimenting with local production possibilities.

    How would this channel differ from the existing ones in this genre? Ms Aiyer said, “Firstly there is no other History channel in the country. History Made Everyday, the channel’s new positioning, encompasses the breadth of content and themes that History brings to Indian audiences. History here is not just about the past, it’s as much about people making History today.”

    AETN and Network 18 have come together as AETN 18 where Network 18 group holds 51 percent share and AETN holds 49 percent.