Vh1, the Viacom 18 channel, believes in constantly reinventing itself. The channel is available across 148 million households in over 124 countries and territories and is now trying to woo a larger chunk of the Indian society as well. With a line up of new shows and a fresher look in place, Vh1 India Associate General Manager Ferzad Palia, speaks to Sagorika Dasgupta about the channel?s new look, innovation in programming and the importance of Indian content on the channel. Excerpts:

Tell us about the recent repositioning of your channel in India.

When the channel was launched in 2005, we experimented with shows such as Pimp My Ride, Cribs, Big Brother, which became quite popular. We felt the need to experiment in the international music space and so we have carried out a repositioning and re-branding exercise for Vh1 this month. Our focus is to offer new content with clutter-breaking concepts. English entertainment in India is usually guilty of repeating the same stuff. We are planning to bridge that gap by bringing shows and infotainment on real time. We will be getting shows that will be aired in the West and in India at the same time.

What will be your programming strategy?

As far as programming is concerned, music, lifestyle and entertainment are the three pillars that Vh1 stands on, music being the most important category. Lifestyle and fashion is the second block of Vh1?s programming. We will focus on shows with information on Hollywood, fashion, cars, gizmos and gadgets. We have a new graphics package, where we will be introducing real time breaking news about what?s hot, Hollywood and so on. Lastly, on the entertainment front, we will be having more reality shows.

What are the new shows that will be aired?

The Emmy award winning animated television comedy series South Park is already on air, Paris Hilton?s My New BFF, From G?s to Gents, Ashton Kutcher?s horror series ROOM 401 and international rapper P Diddy?s Making the band 4 are some of the shows that we will be offering. A reality talent show, looking for seeking Indian talent and take them to the international space will also be aired. The show will propel those artistes who had no concrete platform to showcase their talent.

What kind of a marketing campaign are you planning for these new shows?

We have not launched a campaign yet but will soon roll out a 360-degree promotion soon. We did a lot of below-the-line activities for South Park across almost 50 gyms and salons, night clubs and coffee shops. But we have narrowed down a slow phased approach with new graphics for the next few days.

What kind of censorship has the show South Park undergone to be tailored for the Indian audience?

I agree that the show is quite controversial. We had to beep out the profanities as we know that there are a lot of impressionable minds watching the show. The viewers of the show are a bit upset about the editing that the show has undergone as there were some controversial religious remarks in some of the episodes as well. But the feedback on the show so far is quite good. People are still watching the show despite the editing.

What is the target audience for the channel?

We have a broad category of viewers ranging from the age group of 15 to 45 years and beyond. We have different programming for different time of the day. We air classics in the morning and other youth-centric shows as per the TV viewing pattern of the youth ? that is mainly early morning and late in the night. Our target audience is the premium section of the society who has the money and spends willingly .

What kind of ratings has Vh1 enjoyed in the past?

We do not monitor ratings and the numbers to determine the audience preference. Our channel falls in the same category as a premium niche specialty channel and so we gauge our audience reactions through more rudimentary and interactive platforms like mobiles or websites. Advertisers see us as a unique content channel in the English entertainment space.

What about Indian content on the channel? Doesn?t it ensure more eyeballs?

Yes, since only 6-7% of our population speaks English, factors like viewers? linguistic familiarity with the content always help. We had experienced the requirement of Indian content when we launched Big Brother and realised that Bigg Boss (the Hindi version) was a bigger hit. Currently, there is no Indian face except the Vh1 Playlist, where Indian audiences send song requests. But we did have a special show during the Independence Day. We are planning to come up with Indian content in the form of a reality show by the end of this year that will have Indian content but will be executed and produced on an international level.