Why did you leave Sony? How did you land the new job?
I was looking for a change. I got a call from Channel Nine. After a five-minute meeting, I was offered the job. The CEO of a media company in India normally has a finance background. So I told them they had made a mistake: perhaps, they were looking for my boss in Sony. But they were very clear: they wanted a head who would understand audiences and be from the content side. I realised my worth. If you build audiences, money follows.

But why has Kerry Packer made an entry into the country through a three-hour slot on Doordarshan Metro? Will he be getting Channel Nine here?
Doordarshan with its huge reach is a perfect platform to start off operations. We wanted all of prime time and have got it. The 7-10 pm slot will provide us enough leverage to change the way people buy or view television in the country.

How exactly will you do that?
We will have the advantage of distributing to a mass audience our quality content. DD Metro will have a reach of 350 million in six weeks. For the first time, advertisers will be able to get quantity and quality at the same time. It provides them with a cohesive base to target their products.

You have paid Rs 121 crore for just three hours on DD Metro. Isn't the price for the slot too steep? Or is this just a beachhead?
At the moment, the business is built around DD. We are comfortable with that arrangement. DD is making improvements in distribution and quality of transmission. We will bring in good content, promote and market our products well. By auctioning the slots, DD Metro will become a channel within a channel. National reach television is bound to redouble its strength. The company is also looking at making a wide range of investments including title ownership of media and communications sector businesses in the country.

But satellite television is taking advertising away from Doordarshan.Sure. When I was at Sony, our first target was DD Metro. After some time, we did not even look at the ratings of the programmes in Metro. But that will change now. We are out to do that. We will make programming relevant for the mass audiences, improve production values, and bring in contemporary packaging. The imaginary line between DD and satellite type of audiences will go. The attitude towards national television has to change. It is a mammoth task. But it is a strong motivation force for me.

Packer had earlier made attempts to get into satellite television in India. Why is he getting into national television when he has Channel Nine?
Packer thought targetted television was getting too fragmented and saturated. He was waiting for an opportunity in national reach television. He has found that opportunity now. He believes in mass consumer broadcasting.

Packer and Himachal Futuristic Communications have formed a joint venture company, HFCL-Nine Broadcasting India. How does Packer plan to build his entertainment business in India?
The model is as followed by Packer elsewhere: Enter into strategic alliances, make investments, and speed up the businesses with good partnerships. Hire the best, produce the best, and get the best. It is a young and dynamic approach to business. James Packer has already made it clear that he wants to soon be among the top five of the media and entertainment companies in the country.

What will your focus be in terms of programming for DD Metro?
We will start with broadbased family shows. I don't want to give a jolt to the conventional Metro channel viewer. Slowly, we will bring in changes. We are starting with 28 slots in the 7-9 pm band from September 11. According to the tender requirement, we will have to be on air at the 9-10 pm slot from October 16. Packer has got the rights to Greed.

Are you in talks with Amitabh Bachchan for the game show?
We are not in talks. First, I do not know whether I should launch a big ticket game show now. Star Plus has the first mover advantage and it is difficult to crack them at that. We have to wait and see how the market evolves for such shows. Yes, we have rights to Greed and that has led to speculation. Amitabh, anyway, must be having a non-compete clause with Star TV.

What are the big shows you are planning?
We will have a national talent hunt show for film stars called Superstars on Saturdays. Amitabh Bachchan will be involved in the first show. We will have big weekly dramas, soaps and sitcoms. We have commissioned shows to the big production houses like BR Films, Balaji Telefilms, Cinevista and Shadow Films.

Will Kaun Banega Crorepati affect you?
We are lucky that we are launching our shows now rather than a couple of months back. We know how the market has changed. And KBC has forced channels to expand the prime time from 7 pm onwards. That will be to our advantage.