Hen hotshot designer Sabyasachi Mukherjee spins his magic on the girl next door in Band, Baajaa, Bride currently airing on NDTV Good Times and transforms her into a vintage diva, many a viewer dreams of becoming that perfect runway bride. For those who want to know about an India that lives away from the arclights and where history comes alive in the most unexpected ways, It Happens Only In India on Fox Traveller is the answer. If you want a sneak peek into the power of destructive forces, Destroyed in Seconds on Discovery will bring you the most shocking catastrophes captured on film. And if you want to know about the mysteries and myths of different cultures that are tagged too dangerous, cursed or sacred for our everyday sensibilities, then Taboo on National Geographic Channel (NGC) is the show to watch.
?Factual entertainment is emerging as the new preferred choice across the world and the genre has the potential to become relatively mainstream in India as well. It is the only genre that has seen a year-on-year growth from 2008,? says Sangeetha Aiyer, general manager (marketing), A+E Networks/TV18 JV, which owns History TV18.
The Indian television audience is certainly eager for alternative entertainment formats. The cosmopolitan, urbane global Indian forms a big segment of the television audience and with her growing purchasing power, this viewer?s search for content which caters to her entertainment needs and aspirations has led to the launch of lifestyle and infotainment channels. Discovery was the first channel to be launched in this genre followed by NGC, NDTV Good Times, BBC Entertainment, Fox Traveller and finally History TV18.
According to television audience measurement firm TAM Media Research, the genre share of infotainment and factual entertainment channels has increased from 1.10% in 2010 to 1.51% in 2012.
?There has been a marked increase in viewership on these channels owing to the specialized content being shown. The increase has been slow but for a genre of its kind one needs to weigh it against the time spent rather than the quantum of people reached,? says Anwesh Bose, senior vice-president, DDB MudraMax, Media.
In this genre, Discovery channel has the first mover advantage with a channel share of 40.5% during April 1-21, 2012 followed by National Geographic Channel with a share of 23.8% and History TV 18?s 22.5% share. TAM data indicates that in the month of January 2012, Man VS Wild on Discovery garnered a television viewership rating (TVR) of 0.29 followed by various other shows of Discovery and the only show from NGC that featured among the top ten was Breakout- The Escapist with a TVR of 0.15. A similar trend was seen in February 2012 with Discovery?s shows topping the list with the exception of NGC?s IC 814 Hijack at the eight slot with a TVR of 0.16.
However, in the month of March 2012, Discovery?s Tatoo Hunter had the maximum TVR of 0.24 and NGC?s Bang- Heroin Sting occupied the fifth slot with a TVR of 0.15 and History TV 18?s Super Human on the ninth slot with a TVR of 0.14. In the first three weeks of April, Discovery?s I Shouldn?t Be Alive garnered maximum eye balls with a TVR of 0.18 followed by NGC?s Save the Titanic with Bob Ballard at the fifth slot with a TVR of 0.14 and Animal Planet?s Wildwives of Savannah Lane at the tenth slot with TVR of 0.12.
?Our programming has always been in sync with the viewers? preferences. Diversified content in the market is the leader of the flock.
Discovery started with a lot of wildlife shows and then broke the wildlife syndrome with fresh content and shifted to history and technology but now people want to know Discovery?s vision for the future. There have been initiatives that have proved to be catalysts for growth. In 2001, we had the time band strategy that worked well and about 4-5 years back we went regional which was a big booster,? says Rahul Johri, senior vice-president and general manager-South Asia, Discovery Networks Asia Pacific.
Discovery added Discovery Science and Discovery Turbo in January 2010 and Discovery Tamil in August 2011 to its programming and in March 2012, it also launched a new network in India called Discovery Kids. Sharing details on the launch of Discovery Kids, Mark Hollinger, president and chief executive officer, Discovery Networks International stated, ?Discovery Kids will offer Indian children the ideal combination of learning and entertainment. A unique network in the kids? genre, Discovery Kids will offer children a fun and entertaining way to satisfy their natural curiosity with stimulating and imaginative programming. In light of the massive digitisation drive in India, we believe viewers will express their demand for such distinct television networks. I cannot think of any other country more poised for the launch of such a remarkable network.?
Speaking on the new properties to be launched in 2012, Deepak Shourie, director, South Asia, BBC Worldwide Channels says, ?This year is a big one for Britain with all eyes on the London Olympics and the Queen?s Jubilee celebrations. BBC Entertainment has a host of exclusive programming to celebrate both the events and new seasons of famed series like Sherlock and Luther which will launch during the year.?
While foreign content has been the staple for these infotainment channels, increasingly programmes made in India are finding appeal among audiences eager to know more about their own country and culture. While 90% of content on NGC is of foreign origin, Fox Traveller has 25% Indian content and 75% global content. Discovery spends a billion dollars globally on new content every year. ?The cost of content is pretty steep. However, the cost gets offset from an Indian scenario as most of the content produced is used by the channels globally, the exception being Indian produced content which is not too much. On a channel like NDTV Good Times the cost of producing content is high but as a channel they repeat the content for long to meet the cost,? says Bose.
Home-grown channel NDTV Good Times intends to focus on the food, travel, home and wedding genres across formats and delivery streams. Smeeta Chakrabarti, CEO, NDTV Lifestyle says ?Our intent is to drive the consumer up the differentiation and value curve, and monetize this from direct revenue streams in the long term. In the short term, we have the ability to charge premiums from advertisers based on content brand fits.?
History TV 18 has begun the year with the announcement of History Har Din, a user generated content programme where viewers are invited to share instances from their life when they too have made history. Through this initiative, viewers are invited to share images or videos that capture their life?s biggest successes or turning points which they believe were points in time when they truly created History. The best of the ?history making? stories will be telecast on History TV18 in the coming months.
While History Har Din is about regular everyday people, History TV 18?s first joint production with CNN IBN The Greatest Indian features India?s best known faces. This is a big ticket local programme initiative which is set to trigger a national debate on the one question: Who is the greatest Indian after Independence?
Says Shubha George, COO, South Asia, MEC, ? These channels are trying to create a new genre that is regional niche, which is a good growth strategy and has a long way to go. Micro segmenting of niche channels can also bring a new wave of growth in this genre.? These channels have used a multi-pronged strategy to drive the numbers. In order to make the programming accessible to more people, these channels have dubbed their programmes in local languages to reach out to a wider set of audiences, penetrate SECs and cover geographies better. For instance, the channel share of Discovery Tamil went up by 157% since its launch in August 2011.
?To make people understand and know about the world, you need to give it to them in the language that they can understand. We use this strategy in more than 120 countries and bring the best of the world to you in your language,? says Keertan Adyanthaya, managing director, NGC Network India and Fox International Channels.
At the same time, a high-decibel marketing campaign has been used with the channels realising that targeted marketing is more effective instead of mass, across-the-board bombardment in this genre.
The idea is to conceptualise creative properties and execute them in an innovative way. For instance, History TV 18 has a comprehensive partnership with the Central Board of Secondary Education (CBSE) and its 10,000 affiliated schools on on-ground events, activities and quizzes. The channel has debuted on the mobile platform and is now available across major operators on live streaming and video on demand.
?When Discovery Channel launched its time band ?Ultimate Discovery at 9? with a host of programmes in the last quarter of 2011, it carried out an ad campaign that was seen on all genres of channels, from general entertainment channels (GECs) to news channels targeting audiences from all across the country. The outdoor campaign for Oh My Gold! on TLC held in different metros saw great response from the viewers in terms of recall and affinity,? says Johri.
With an all-new look, theme and shows, NGC rolled out its ?This is who we are? campaign in December 2011 that promises to give young India a television experience that is larger than life and experimentative. ?It caters to a vibrant young India?s love for all that is larger than life, colourful, fascinating and uninhibited,? says Adyanthaya. The campaign was promoted across Star Network?s channels and other key GECs, and through outdoor and on-ground initiatives.
Along with this, NGC started promoting flavour of the month in December 2011, in which the entire prime time programming switches to a certain theme or flavour. The outdoor campaign for its special programming line-up, Mega February had 3D hoardings of massive bricks, trowels, nuts and screws that bring to life unimaginable constructions at key locations in Delhi and Mumbai. This April, Nat Geo amplifies the action on cricket by giving exciting content, before and after the viewers cheer for their favorite teams in cricket.
NGC has been recently creating a stir amongst its viewers for its new show Nat Geo Rush and its outdoor campaign. ?The youth today is on a constant lookout for excitement and adventure. At NGC, we bring programmes that stimulate young India?s love for all that is larger than life and also ensure that our marketing initiatives are equally innovative to fuel curiosity for the same,? said Debarpita Banerjee, vice president, marketing, for NGC Network India and Fox International Channels. ?Our first series under this initiative – Nat Geo Rush ? has been receiving a phenomenal response from our viewers. The on-ground installations in Mumbai and Delhi have been grabbing eye balls and as a result we are witnessing a spike in our viewership. In the near future, our viewers can expect more of such off-beat programming and marketing initiatives to keep them entertained,? she added.
As the last entrant in this genre, History TV18 took the help of a Bollywood hero to get the attention of this niche audience. Bollywood star Salman Khan was roped in as the brand ambassador for History TV18 and the Khan effect has added visibility to the channel. Ajay Chacko, president of A+E Networks-TV 18 JV says, ?Khan symbolises the brand personality of History perfectly. His persona and encompassing popularity makes him the perfect fit for our brand. Through this unique and exciting partnership with Khan, we hope to make this genre as popular in India as it is around the world.?
These niche channels have been successful in attracting deep-pocketed advertisers too. Advertisers are moving towards these channels as they are keen to maximise their target audience at minimal cost. Niche channels offer considerable reach, low spill and huge cost efficiencies. Shows on GECs being similar in nature advertisers find it difficult to identify the brand value but in niche channels they can pick and choose shows which sport the same brand value. Around 6% of ad spends on TV is accounted by niche channels, so it makes sense for advertisers to carve out one proportion of the budget on these niche channels based on qualitative parameters.
?The basic objective of advertisers is to gain a premium/ ?differential? image rub-off for their brands advertised. The niche channels have been trying to peg themselves on various things that they stand for but not much has changed in the advertisers perspective,? says DDB MudraMax?s Bose. According to the data collected by AdEx India, an arm of TAM Media Research, advertising volume on infotainment and factual entertainment channels grew by 11% from 2010 to 2011.
FMCG brands account for the bulk of advertising on these channels. Channels are getting new brands on board every day cutting across categories of auto, consumer durables, education, travel and tourism, government bodies and public sector units, banking and financial institutions, etc.
?Evolved audiences, and specifically male audiences, have a preference for genres such as news, sports and infotainment. The infotainment channels have excellent programming content that covers topics such as adventure, travel, lifestyle , technology and entertainment. Advertising on these niche channels is a qualitative call which is taken for our personal segment portfolio of brands ?XUV500, Scorpio, Xylo and Bolero. The objective is not to achieve reach but to ensure our presence on these channels,? says Vivek Nayer, senior vice president, marketing, automotive division, Mahindra and Mahindra.
For Shell Helix, niche channels do form a part of the strategy as there is a clear overlap between the target group and the audience profiles. ?The need for targeted/special interest content is at an all-time high in India and and that?s the need niche channels are catering to. If you look at viewership trends, you will see that special interest channels are rapidly gaining market share at the expense of mass channels. Advertisers will surely go where audiences are and niche channels offer the best opportunity to advertisers interested in such focused deliveries,? says Nitin Prasad, managing director, Shell Lubricants India.
According to industry estimates, for Discovery, the ad rates range between Rs 4,500 and Rs 6,000 for a 10-second slot while History TV 18 claims a prime time ad rate of Rs 3,000-4,000 per 10 seconds. For NGC, the ad rates are between Rs 2,000 and Rs 3,000.
Manmeet Ahluwalia, marketing head, Expedia India says, ?Our core target group is the experimental and experiential Indian consumer. This includes an evolving group of travellers who like more control over their itinerary, exercising the power of personalising their own trips. Our target groups can be tapped through these channels so advertising on these channels is a very important ingredient in the media mix. We have a plan to spend up to Rs 60 crore on marketing on Expedia this year.? He goes on to add that the future is bright specifically for the e-commerce segment because these channels attract the evolved consumers in India.
Advertisers funded programmes (AFPs), which aim to bring local relevance and connect in programming to viewers and at the same time provide a platform to brands to customize their messages to the target audience, are a new phenomenon here, though there aren?t too many takers.
?It is a good opportunity for travel companies to have AFPs on these channels but we don?t see too many relevant and engaging ones on the channels. They are not even crafted well,? says Sathyamurthy Namakkal, president and head-DDB MudraMax Media.
Agrees Nayer, ?We have explored AFP options in the past but long term. In the short term, we have the ability to charge premiums from advertisers based on content brand fits.?