Cricket and Bollywood never goes out of fashion in India. And when it comes to making money, these two always keep the cash register ringing. UTV, one of the leading media conglomerates in India, which is in the broadcast business with channels such as Bindaas, UTV Action, UTV Movies and UTV World Movies, has launched a new Bollywood entertainment channel christened UTV Stars.
?Having revolutionised the movie production space, it was a logical decision to foray into a Bollywood channel. With strong Bollywood content of the stars, about the stars and with the stars, we would get as close to them as possible,? says MK Anand, CEO – Broadcast, UTV Global Broadcasting.
The content of the channel has been segregated into three categories — original programming, new formats and music. To begin with, the channel will have three hours of original programming and the rest will be Bollywood news, music and movie reviews. The channel has been promoting two of its primary properties ? Up Close and Personal with Preity Zinta, and Live My Life. The first is a chat show where the Bollywood actor will get celebrities to answer on personal quizzes, career maps, their favourites in Bollywood, dark secrets, hidden talents and impromptu tests of their acting and dancing skills, while the second programme is a reality show where every week a Bollywood star handpicks a fan and give him or her an opportunity to enjoy the glamorous life for a day. The channel went live on August 21.
Says Nikhil Gandhi, business head, UTV Stars, ?We launched a 360-degree marketing on various platforms such as TV, web, mobile, outdoor and on-ground. Roadshows will also take place. The channel will be particularly marketed in the Hindi speaking markets (HSM).? The channel will also foray into the UK, US, Europe and UAE markets shortly.
A series of 13 short films, conceptualised and created by Taproot India, the creative agency for UTV Stars, are being aired on the UTV bouquet, showcasing Bollywood stars in their real avatars, in sync with the overall brand promise of the channel. The channel’s diamond-studded UTV Stars logo has been specially done by Thank You, a Denmark-based agency. The packaging of the channel has been inspired by the glitz and glamour, the hallmark of Bollywood.
The Bollywood entertainment genre in the country is extremely niche and the only other channel that somewhat reports on this sector is Bennett, Coleman and Co. Ltd’s Zoom TV. In fact, none of the research reports on Indian media and entertainment study this genre separately. As Gandhi says, ?For us there are no challenges in the genre. This channel arises from the need to have innovative Bollywood-centric content.?
But media planners say, Bollywood content is not exclusive and therefore the need for such a channel isn’t there. ?It’s a foot-in-the-door situation. However, the problem is Bollywood is everywhere. It is in print, online, on television, in reality shows, Hindi movie channels, and even in on-ground events. So there is no exclusivity in terms of appeal or the content. Therefore we do not understand the need for another new channel talking about Bollywood. I believe because UTV has a range of capabilities, a studio, movies, television entertainment and a lot of content which is unused, they want to put it out as a channel,? says a senior media planner who did not want to be named.
UTV Stars is also the first Indian channel that was launched simultaneously in India and UAE. Etisalat is the first operator in the region to offer UTV Stars to its customers in the UAE, as a part of eLife TV Basic Asian choice package.
Anand, says, ?UAE is a very important market as it has a large Indian diaspora which is crucial to tap and This will be the first time that an Indian channel will be simultaneously launched in India and UAE ensuring maximum reach from day one.?