Real, the Hindi general entertainment channel (GEC) launched six months back by Real Global Broadcasting Pvt Ltd (RGBPL), has hit a rough patch.
The channel, which is a 50:50 joint venture between Alva Brothers Entertainment and Turner International, has not had a single new show on air since July and there are no new productions under way.
A company spokesperson confirmed that the channel has been ?airing repeats of old shows since July and doesn?t plan to launch any new programme in the near future?. As a consequence, the channel has not had any advertiser either in the past few months. ?The repeat shows are with the old ads,? said the spokesperson.
The repeat shows had led to speculations that the channel was planning to close down. The buzz was further strengthened on Monday after RGBPL issued a statement saying it was downsizing its operations.
The statement said, ?The joint venture partners, Turner and Alva Brothers Entertainment, are reassessing RGBPL?s business plans. These plans will be announced as soon as they are confirmed.? The current employee strength of RGBPL is over 50.
According to industry observers, it is for the first time that the going has been so tough for a GEC that it has had to halt operations.
?The broadcasting industry, especially the GEC space, has been extremely competitive and many players have found the going tough at different stages of their business cycle. But this is probably the first time a channel has not aired a single new show in two months and is relying only on repeat telecasts,? said a Mumbai-based media expert, who did not want to be identified.
Real was launched with a lot of fanfare on March 2 this year. The channel took a different positioning against its rivals, saying it will only target the ?outward looking, neo Indians.?
The shows on the channel were, indeed, different from the average family dramas on most GECs, which cater to a mass audience.
Despite being promoted by Nikhil Alva and Niret Alva, who have more than 15 years experience in television content production, and Turner International, which has had a successful run in India with channels such as Cartoon Network and Pogo, Real largely remained a non-starter ever since its launch.
In terms of its viewership share, the channel remained at the bottom in the GEC segment for the past six months, according to data from TAM Media Research.
The data show Real TV?s share failed to pick up beyond 1% in the past six months except in May when it touched 2%.The Hindi GEC category is led by Star Plus (22% share in August), followed by Colors (22%) and Zee TV (20%).
Anshuman Misra, managing director, Turner International India Pvt Ltd, said there could be a lot of things that may not have worked for Real TV along with the time of the launch that coincided with the economic downturn.
?When we entered this market, we knew what we were up against. We knew this space was crowded with players. Yet we decided to venture into this market, with a definite plan in mind, knowing that this market is very vibrant at the moment and over the next few weeks we are going to reassess our plans,? he said.
