Budget 2001: Full Coverage

In an exclusive interview with Nivedita Mookerji,he doodles on the future. Excerpts:

How has the first year fared?
We're extremely happy with the response from the Indian audience. We've alsodone well in distributing the channel. In just one year, 10 million cableand satellite homes are receiving the channel in India. Now with DTH comingin, we are exploring another distribution avenue.

Are you planning any change in programming strategy?
As the four largest Hollywood studios-Columbia Tristar, Paramount, Universaland Warner Brothers-have equal stakes in HBO Asia, we get quality moviesexclusively for the Indian audience. So, on the programming front, we havegiven to the audience what they wanted: quality films. The March line-up has25 Oscar movies! But yes, we're looking at offering a mix of movies,serials, concerts and documentaries on the channel. The four concerts thatwe're going to show from April this year include those of Bon Jovi, BritneySpears, Robin Williams and Mid Jo Black. Movies, will, however, continue tobe the main thrust of the channel.

What makes the Indian television market challenging for you?
First of all, the Indian market is huge. That makes it a bit complicated.Then there's a very involved cable industry which makes the market veryinteresting. Then there are so many channels offering a lot of choice to theconsumers. On the whole, India is very competitive.

So, how is HBO dealing with competition in India?
I don't want to sound arrogant, but, we don't like to dwell on any onechannel or competition. We want to continue to do what we do best. At HBO,we live and breathe movies. We're very focussed about it.

Are you happy with your first year report card?
There have been no major setbacks. We came in with our eyes wide open. Ourexpectations have been realistic too. But then anything can happen anytimeand we should never be surprised by anything.

In revenue terms, have you achieved what you had expected fromIndia?
As I said earlier, our expectations were realistic. But sorry, I can'tgive you any figures. What is HBO's target for the coming years?
Again, no numbers. But we are targeting a respectable growth rate in India.I should say that it's a long-term proposition. That is, we may takeanything from five to 10 years to do great business in India.

What would you like to achieve second year onwards?
There are three mandates that we are looking at. First, we want to increasedistribution of our channel throughout India. From metros, we aim to go tothe interiors of the country. Second, we want to drive the ratings of ourchannel through fresh programming and greater advertising revenues. Andthird, we want to continue with the brand awareness campaigns for HBO.

What are HBO's prospects in India?
That's a tough one. Though we are bullish, India is too big a country. LikeChina, even India was a difficult country to start with. But now, India hasopened up. Although India offers opportunities, it's also very tough here.

Why is it tough in India?
The low subscription rates and under-declaration of the number ofsubscribers by cable operators make it tough for channels in India.