Sony Entertainment Television is planning to roll out a fresh marketing campaign during the Indian Premier League (IPL) matches. According to sources, the size of the marketing campaign, that will be spread over a period of three months starting from the first day of the IPL till June, is estimated at Rs 15 crore to Rs 20 crore. The channel, that currently enjoys a market share of 6% (4 week relative channel share), is planning an extensive campaign aiming to burn 1,200 odd group rating points (GRPs) across all the channels that are a part of its network (Sony, SAB, Max, PIX, AXN and Animax). The brand campaign is a precursor to the new set of programming that will be aired from May 25 which is post IPL.
Danish Khan, head of marketing, Sony Entertainment Television, said, ?We are planning to strengthen our weekday prime time slots and are gearing up to roll out a 360 degree marketing campaign, with a brand film that will be displayed on media vehicles like TV, cinema and digital signage. We are buying airtime on 20 odd channels in the news, music, movies and regional genre to air the brand film. We are spreading extensively to reach a large number of people.?
Recently, Colors surpassed the GRPs of Star Plus to attain the top slot amongst Hindi general entertainment channels (GECs). According to media analysts, Sony?s move in a bid to ramp up its programming and marketing could be the result of the severe competition between GECs. Timmy S Kandhari, leader entertainment & media practice, PricewaterhouseCoopers said, ?Sony?s ranking has been hit badly by newer entrants. The channel does not rank in the top three GECs. This is the ideal time for Sony to roll out this campaign since the IPL will give them maximum eyeballs and to sustain its viewership, they will need fresh programmes.?
Sony plans to air the second season of the of its reality game show Dus Ka Dum (DKD), which was hosted by Salman Khan last year.
According to television rating agency aMap, the first season of the show garnered 27 million viewers within the first two weeks of its launch last year.