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  • Emerging technologies are playing a big role in bringing about this shift from traditional TV (latent viewing) to active TV (active viewing), says Anil Garg

    The Anchor: Anil Garg on 10 reasons why specialty channels are the need of the hour

    By Anil Garg

     

    The television landscape in India has seen a paradigm shift in the last few years.  From a plethora of channels offering General Entertainment, News including Business & Market News, Music, Movies, Kids, Sports and so on, one is seeing the emergence of newer specialized genres such as Infotainment, Food, “Classroom” Education, Science and Technology, Specialty Sports (e.g. Golf), Home Shopping and Travel.  There are dozens of reasons for this (be it advances in technologies, affordability, availability, changing lifestyles and such) here are TEN reasons why specialty content will not only survive but thrive in the coming years:

     

    1. Consumer Awareness and Demand

    India, like most other countries, is fast realising that audiences are increasingly discerning especially with multiple TV households in Tier I, II and even III cities across all SEC groups.  Look at how Discovery has diversified from a single channel to Discovery Science and Discovery Turbo; or for that matter NatGeo. Infotainment content is entertaining and educative. Today people increasingly want to learn and know more about the world they live in. For instance, one would never stop a child watching a clip on the “Blue pottery of Jaipur” as opposed to watching cartoons on a kid’s channel.

     

    2. The Nature of Specialized Content

    Specialised content such as a cookery show or a travel show does not need to be in a 30 minute format, so typical of traditional television. Specialised content can be “snacky”; a five minute show on the “Fishing Nets of Kerala” or “48 hours in Cairo” can ignite the angst and aspiration in the mind of viewers who have or would love to experience this. Such content can be informative, educative and yet entertaining. Also such content appeals across all age groups four-adult. Plus, it is non-controversial as in there is no rape or murder or such.

     

    3. Passion

    People who want specialized content are passionate about it. So are the viewers! Take for instance Food or Travel. Specialised content has to be produced by people serious about the domain. As more and more people choose to work in their field of interest, so will they choose to talk about it in more and more creative ways. Likewise, an ever increasing consumer base aware about the affordable availability of such content will tune into what they are passionate about.

     

    4. Forever Content

    Most specialized content is forever in that it does not age. A show on the Taj Mahal or the Pushkar Mela is timeless. Unlike most soaps, reality shows or sporting events, most infotainment content is ageless and can be watched again and again for generations. We still love to watch a clip on what Mumbai looked like in the 50’s even though it is black and white; this will be the case even fifty years hence!

     

    5. Technology including New Media

    Affordable technology makes it possible to offer thousands of channels to viewers.  Technology trends, be it the downward cost of increasingly powerful Cameras, inexpensive video editing Software, dramatically reducing Storage cost, affordable and increased Bandwidth, ever increasing Connectivity, Interactive and Mobile devices and increasing use of innovative Applications – all this makes it possible for a specialized channels to stream to their audiences, anytime, everywhere. As rich content moves from Beta tapes to digital video formats, from huge physical libraries to compact server scale storage in a box, growing a business around this new realisation that the concept of space has changed will help new age entrepreneurs build organisations and brand architectures with specialized content.

     

    6. Portable Content

    The very nature of specialised content is interesting. There is a growing need and demand for on the move infotainment and on demand infotainment (e.g. what to see and do inSingapore), as opposed to a two-three hour movie. As consumer attention spans get shorter, information they seek has to be at their finger tips “here and now”.  Thanks to technology, this is made possible. Specialised content is easy to port for on-demand viewing.

     

    7. Going Digital – Growth of Television and the Net

    As India moves to digitization with the possibility of a 500-1000 channels though fibre and cable to the home, multiple TV households, increased Internet bandwidth and technologies such as 3 and 4G for the masses, affordable yet powerful handheld devices, access to specialized content will be easier and affordable for consumers.  Also for aggregators and distributors of such content, it will be imperative to reach out to every single viewer with a rich and varied offering.

     

    8. Education

    As the Indian population comes to grips with evolving technologies, the nature of content, applications and their usage will explode. From ten years ago when not many people used an ATM machine or a cell phone, the scenario is changing rapidly and dramatically. As people learn how to use a phone for purposes other than talking, to using the net for purposes other than checking emails or making a railway booking, we will see people searching for informative content and entertainment.

     

    9. Targeted appeal

    For advertisers, sponsors and the like, specialized channels offer a focused, targeted audience. Also, technology is fast reducing the costs for reaching out to the customer and getting a better handle of behavioural and psychometric testing – e.g. social media and viral.

     

    10. Business Sense

    Businesses understand the reasons above.  Channels like a GEC, Movies, or Sports are very expensive to setup and operate; in India we have seen many such channels go down.  For the cost of a single show on a channel in these traditional genres, it is possible to setup and operate a specialized channel and also to make it profitable. Ten years ago not many people thought that a channel like Discovery made any business sense! Also, specialized infotainment channels have multiple revenue streams; the touch-points for consumers sourcing information of interest are multiple.  The same content can be sampled on TV, researched in print and enabled/fulfilled via the web as an example – all thanks to technology.

     

    In a nutshell, emerging technologies are playing a big role in bringing about this shift from traditional TV (latent viewing) to active TV (active viewing).  For instance in a specialized genre such as Travel, television can provide excellent programming backed up by a supporting interactive mechanism either through a website or an interactive mobile gadget which can create lead generation for travel booking, with applications that can provide ‘here and now’ information while at home or office or on the go. This increases the opportunity base and revenue potential for all possible trade partners – traditional travel operators, tourism boards, hotels and airlines, fleet operators and more – with the help of emerging new media technologies which help link up all possible interactions.

     

    As all trends point to specialized content, such content will become the trend!

     

    Anil Garg is Chairman & Managing Director, Explore Travel Channel

     

  • The Consumer Complaints Council (CCC) of ASCI upheld complaints made against 17 advertisements, from various sectors like agro products, deos, and Home Shopping Networks

    ASCI upholds complaints against 17 of 31 ads

    By A Correspondent

     

    The Consumer Complaints Council (CCC) of Advertising Standards Council of India (ASCI) received a complaint against Bollgard, which had made claims of boosting cotton farmers’ income by Rs31,500 crore, reducing usage of insecticides, containing in-built plant protection and increasing yields. The CCC concluded that the claims made in the advertisement and cited in the complaint, were not substantiated. The advertisement contravened Chapter I.1 of the ASCI Code.

     

    The complaint was upheld.

    PassPortDeodorant’s TVC, which focuses on a woman’s body and lewd expressions on the face of the male actor, was pulled up by the CCC. It was concluded, that the advertisement was obscene and that, in the light of generally prevailing standards of decency and propriety, the TVC was likely to cause grave or widespread offence.

     

    The complaint was upheld.

    Telemart Shopping Network Pvt Ltd’s advertisement of Sandhi Sudha was under scanner as the TVC made claims of curing arthritis and spondylitis and of a ‘Money Back Guarantee’, if the product was ineffective. The CCC concluded that in the absence of scientific substantiation, the claim “Sandhi Sudha cures the disease of arthritis and spondylitis” was not substantiated and was misleading. The complaint regarding “money back guarantee” was misleading as the terms and conditions for the refund were not mentioned in the TVC.

     

    The complaint was upheld.

    Association of Mutual Funds inIndia’s booklet states that “Every Mutual Fund is managed by a fund manager, who, by using his investment management skills and necessary research work, ensures better returns than what an investor can manage on his own”. The objection is to the word “ensures” as it could be misleading.

     

    Hence it was upheld.

    Dr. Ayurveda Power Prash and Body Growth’s advertisement for ‘enhancement of sexual power’ was questioned for its claims stating “increasing sperm count, helping people suffering from infertility to have kids.” The CCC remarked that these claims were not substantiated. The advertiser should provide clinical data in substantiation of these claims. The CCC concluded that the TVC contravened The Drugs & Magic Remedies Act.

     

    Hence, the complaint was upheld.

    The advertisement of Glen Appliances Pvt. Ltd’s print advertisement states “Do you know cooking in aluminium can be harmful?” while the website states “Do you know aluminium cookware is not safe?” These claims are not truthful, and have not been substantiated by any reputed international organization such as the World Health Organization (WHO) or by any country noted for a high standard of vigilance in consumer protection. The claims are not based on facts, and incapable of reasonable substantiation. It also unfairly denigrates attacks and discredits all aluminium cookware directly. The CCC concluded that the print ad’s and the website’s claim that cooking in aluminium is not safe were misleading.

     

    The complaint was upheld.

    Vanesa Inc’s advertisement of Denver Deodorant contains the tagline “play it cool”. However, the brand John Player’s has been using the same tagline since 2005. Since copying the slogan amounts to plagiarism, the advertisement contravened Chapter IV.3 of the ASCI Code.

     

    The complaint was upheld.

    In the personal hygiene segment, the CCC received a complaint against Stayfree All Night. As per the complaint, the advertisement claims that “Stayfree all night has the unique five guard. This in comparison to your Ultra is longer, wider, with more body coverage, more absorbent and drier too.”

     

    This claim means that the Stayfree All Night is better than all the pads in the market which use the word “Ultra”. But in reality this is not the case as has been admitted by the TVC itself in the form of a super which states, “When compared only with Ultra napkins of 280 mm length and 105 mm back width.” Making comparison against product in different segment is unfair and misleading. As the comparison was not made between products of a similar size, the TVC was considered misleading.

     

    The complaint was upheld.

    Health drink Complan’s advertisement was under the scanner this time around. The TVC claimed that “children who drink Complan grow 2 times faster than children who drink other health drinks”. This claim was substantiated through independent clinical research.

     

    This complaint was Not Upheld.

    However the comparison in the Chart between Complan and non-Complan drinkers is likely to mislead consumers that Complan is superior on the basis of its main ingredient (Milk Solids)

     

    Hence, this complaint was upheald.

    In the education sector, Noesis Education and Management Services was pulled up for their advertisement which made claims of being ‘Biggest in India, attended by 1200 students at a time’, ‘Do not miss out on being trained by the best subject experts from all over the country,’ ‘High quality contents from Bestselling authors, rank holders and subject matter experts.’ In the absence of comments from the Advertiser, the CCC concluded that the claims mentioned in the advertisement, and cited in the complaint, were not substantiated.

     

    Hence the complaint was upheld.

    In the healthcare and pharma sector, Pfizer’s advertisement on Gelusil Antacid was questioned. As per the complaint, the TVC shows “a boy running along a parked vehicle and using a sharp article scratching the vehicle, possibly scraping the paint and even denting the body”. The question asked: “Does this make your Heart burn” followed by “Gelusil be used to avoid heart burn and acidity”.

     

    The CCC concluded that the depiction of the young boy vandalizing a car is likely to encourage minors to emulate such acts, the careless use of which could lead to their suffering cuts or other injury.

     

    The complaint was, therefore, upheld.

    Eureka Forbes’ Aquasure water purifier’s TVC claimed that the product provides ‘World’s Safest Water’. The TVC does not provide any basis, facts or reference to any study or research work which substantiates this claim. The CCC concluded that, whilst the water from Aquasure water purifier is safe, the claim of the “World’s safest water”, is misleading. The complaint was upheld.

     

    The CCC also received a complaint against Eureka Forbes’ Aquasure Xtra water purifier’s leaflet which makes comparisons and propagates false statements about Pureit products, Classic and Compact. The tabular format compares the product features and puts a ‘?’ against Pureit products. The CCC concluded that, while Eureka Forbes has gained trust of the consumers, to say that Pureit products have not, is disparaging. By marking a ‘?’ against the Pureit brand is misleading and creates doubts in the minds of the consumer. It was thus concluded that the leaflet contravened the code.

     

    The complaint was upheld.

    During these two months, the CCC also received complaints against Cadbury- Bournville, Piramal Healthcare Ltd’s Supractiv Complete, Jockey, MetLife India Insurance Company Ltd, Ad promos of C.I.D., Fast Track watches, Killer Deodorant, Wild Stone Deodorant, TATA Docomo, Colgate Palmolive, Dulux Paints, and Santoor Soap amongst others. As these advertisements did not contravene ASCI’s codes or guidelines, the complaints were not upheld.

     

    Advertising Standards Council of India is a self regulatory voluntary organization of the advertising industry. The Role and Functioning of the ASCI & its Consumer Complaints Council (CCC) is dealing with complaints received from Consumers and Industry against advertisements which are considered as false, misleading, indecent, illegal, leading to unsafe practices, or unfair to competition, and consequently in contravention of the ASCI code for self-regulation in advertising.