Major television networks are fragmenting content with dedicated channels to respect the evolving taste of the audience and create inventories for advertisers, says Karan Bhardwaj
If pallu politics, scripted reality shows and repeated storylines have always irked you, get ready for a revolutionary experience on television. The ‘idiot box’ is undergoing a sort of makeover with segmentation of channels according to changing audience profiles. After launching &pictures for movies, Zee Entertainment Enterprises ltd (ZEEl) is gearing up for a new general entertainment channel (GEC) called Zindagi. Multi Screen Media (MSM) had a soft-launch of its second Hindi movie channel Max 2 and is looking forward to another GEC (name yet to be finalised) which will cater exclusively to fiction drama with the core channel retaining non-fiction and crime. While Viacom 18’s MTV Indies promises to provide a platform for independent sub cultures, Star India has pumped fresh energy into English viewership with Star World Premier HD airing shows at the same time as the US.
Business call
With the Telecom Regulatory Authority of India (TRAI) setting the ad cap of 12 minutes per hour, the attempt is to aggregate the audience and create more inventories for advertisers. The platforms and services like digital video recorders (DVRs), PayTV on-demand services and online video have opened diverse means of generating revenues. Industry experts peg the genre in the revenue range of Rs 1,000-1,100 crore, with a 10-15 per cent year-on-year growth. “The expansion is coming from the existing groups which have large base of advertisers. The subscription today paddles the business. So this could be another way to mint money since with more channels, your bargain capacity also rises,” says media analyst Simi Chandoke. “As a content company, we have to continuously endeavour to increase our market share. Fragmenting the market is one of the ways. Ad rates for the industry have not grown but content companies have seen value growth,” Punit Goenka, managing director and CEO of ZEEl, has said.
The new-age audience
One of the reasons why channels are indulging in niche segments is due to the evolving and varied taste of the audience, which is no longer interested in buying into the one-size-fits-all formula. With a glut of channels dishing out similar programmes in both fiction and non-fiction formats, the market is saturated with static TVTs. So channels are going all out to evolve separate brand identities to cater to a more targeted audience, hoping customised content would lead to sure hits and boost TVTs. Award-winning writer Gajra Kottary, who penned Zee’s Astitva...Ek Prem Kahani, Colors’ Balika Vadhu and several other hits, says the new platforms might earn the audience who has been disillusioned by TV so far. “The middle and upper classes have stopped watching TV because they couldn’t find relatable content. All the channels were quick to recognise this fact since they are the classes which are spenders and benefit the advertisers. So rather than shaking the present content and destabilising everything in one go, TV networks want to create separate platforms to earn the confidence of people. It might take time but it’s a healthy sign,” she says. With the audience now unequivocally decided about its genre, the demand for drama, thriller, comedy or reality show is fairly quantified. According to Ruchir Tiwari, deputy vice president, head of programming, ZEEl, there’s a huge market with varied tastes waiting to be tapped. “People now want their kind of programming and are rejecting the fluff. So we launched speciality channels like Zee Classic and &pictures. Having a vast library of over 1,500 films, most of our channels have independent films and content sharing amongst them is minimal. The content focus of each one of our channels is varied and hence is our acquisition strategy,” he tells us.
Nowhere is segmentation more discernible than the kids. The little ones are entering and exiting age groups at great speed and every age group comes with its own set of preferences. Nina Elavia Jaipuria, EVP & Business Head, Kids Cluster, Viacom18 Media Pvt ltd, says, “It is no surprise that kid focussed entertainment has multiplied and micro-segmentation of kids’ channels has become the order of the day. We understand the different needs of kids across target groups, be it age, gender or genre, and offer distinct and differentiated content custom-made for them. On one hand, Nick caters to kids seeking comedy and on the other hand, Sonic caters to the action and adventure loving boys. While Nick Junior caters to pre-schoolers and young moms, Teen Nick is for the whimsical tweens. Digitisation has also enabled us to micro segment our offerings.”
Content break up
Zee’s Zindagi has plans to televise home-grown theatre and feature syndicated content from Pakistan. Goenka has mentioned that the group is sourcing content from countries like Turkey, latin America and Egypt to widen the arc of the world cinema experience to one of world entertainment. Unlike Max, Max 2 will appeal to both the male and female audience. “Max airs dubbed South Indian films which tend to be more action-based. Max 2 might air Bengali or Marathi contemporary movies (dubbed in Hindi) once in a while, but no South Indian films,” says Neeraj Vyas, MSM EVP and business head of Max, Mix and Max 2.
In terms of library, Vyas says that the channel has already maintained a small library which is ‘enough to start’. “We have digitally enhanced prints of films and we will give lot of trivia about the films, which will be unlike Extra Shots on Max. Max 2 will be a pure-play movie channel,” he informs. While Sony will continue with crime and reality shows, MSM’s new GEC channel will feature youth-oriented and romantic dramas.
Success awaited
In the age of digitisation where anything can be downloaded, the success rate of niche segment on TV, however, looks unimpressive. Experts say a boutique approach may alter perception than bottomlines. Existing channels like Romedy Now, Zee Anmol, Star World Premier HD among others have failed to pick up with time. “We are far from niche channels becoming a huge success. Even in the West, where we have dedicated channels to hobbies and lesser-known sports, there’s hardly any taker. Who’s going to spend Rs 60 per month for one channel when the same stuff is available onlineIJ” asks Chandoke.
One of the reasons why niche channels fail to click is the inability to live up to expectations. “They just put out old English shows which we saw years ago. I can go to Fountain and buy the whole series. Why would I pay for thatIJ” she adds.
Saurrabh Tiwari of Tequila Shots Telefilms, who is producing couple of shows for Zee’s new channel, says, “This kind of expansion happens in every five years. Some time back, 9X, Imagine, Colors, Zee Next were all launched simultaneously but only Colors could survive the competition. It all depends on the quality of the content. Overall, it’s a good situation for the industry as there will be more employment and shows. The shakeout will show up the standards.”
