The immediate future is a see saw market

POWER INTERVIEW - RAJESH KAMAT

Rajesh Kamat is the savvy and understated COO of Viacom 18 Group whichowns India's top GEC channels Colors. After 22 weeks at the top,Colors has slipped to number two for the last two weeks behind StarPlus in the GEC sweepstakes. But as always, it has somethinginnovative up its sleeve. By inking a deal with IPL for IPL relatedprogramming, it hopes to use the rump of an eclectic mix of cricketand Bollywood to redefine the prime band matrix. In an extensiveconversation with Sandeep Bamzai, Kamath who has broken even in theSeptember-December quarter barely 15-17 months after launch is readyto rumble.
*What are the imperatives behind this deal with IPL for cricketentertainment?
We have used a clear cut strategy of two kinds of shows to get aheadof the curve - staple fiction and a combination of buzz and impactshows. Let us understand that IPL has altered the media landscapeunequivocally both in terms of ratings and revenues. It is a formatthat is here to stay, make no mistake. From a perception standpoint,IPL is a 44 day brand, by working in conjunction with IPL, we intendtaking it beyond that, essentially stretching it over 52 weeks. Whatwe have here is a potent mix of Bollywood and cricket and our job wasto build formats around this.
*What is the scope and size of this deal, many reckon that you havepaid a rather stiff amount for these rights?
It is a three year deal and while I am not at liberty to disclose theamount paid, let me add that we believe it was the right amount forthis kind of access card. We will kickstart our operations with IPLRockstar which is very much on the lines of the Super Bowl. We want toplug and play into the carnival like atmosphere that exists at IPLvenues. We have given the formatting considerable study and reckonthat in the hour and a half that spectators spend inside the stadiumbefore the 8 pm game, one has access to a large captive audience. Mostpeople come in early and so just sit there awaiting the game’s start.We have planned to create entertainment for these people. Basicallybuild a good show with a concert feel.
So, winners of various talent shows will come together on thisplatform, Hard Kaur is the anchor while Kailash Kher and Sukhwinderare the judges. The programme will be aired on Saturday and Sundayonly. From a brand and channel standpoint, we reckon that we canactivate new markets for the channel. For instance if the game is inAhmedabad, the Rockstar show will be a buzz driver for the channel. Wewill use this programming bulwark to connect with audiences on theground.
*What else is on the anvil?
On our sister channel MTV, we will have IPL Nights, half hour moduleswhich bring to the viewer the glitz and glamour of the IPL mix fromdifferent venues. Similarly we will have a mega programme IPL Awards;again a combination of Bollywood and cricketers to be aired on April23, just before the grand finale.
But the biggest driver will be the next Fear Factor IPL edition to belaunched this September. This time round we will have 13 cricketers –Indian and international instead of models and actresses. Theprogramme will be shot in Brazil and we are tying with variouscricketers for a 15-20 day shooting window. We believe this will be anovel show with top ranked cricketers going head to head with oneanother in a show hosted by the Khiladi himself – Akshay Kumar.
*There has been much speculation that you are transgressing intoSony’s territory…
No, we are very clear about this. We are partnering them in OneAlliance and there is no question of eating into their crickettelecast rights. I think between youtube, Colors and Sony, IPL has winwin deals which only deepen and widen the market for IPL. Thesealignments and associations change the contours of brand IPL fromhereon. I don’t want to get into the good, bad and ugly of our dealwith Sony, but I can assure you that lalit Modi has created spankingnew mediums for IPL. As long we understand the mechanics of the newIPL, it is a brand new beginning. This fragmentation of the pie willhelp the brand IPL in the long run. By carving new things, it willburnish the brand.
*After domination for 22 weeks, you have come up short over the lasttwo weeks with Star Plus displacing you at the top…
I believe that we dominated for 22 weeks because of our programmingmix, but both Star and Zee were bound to catch up. There will be a seesaw like situation in GEC. Others will make comebacks, just as wewill, it is nothing short of a psychological battle. Advertisers buyratings of the shows. My understanding is that we will see anotheryear of such wafer thin margins as everyone p0uts his best footforward. Also, it is a ‘seasonal market’ and a three player game.
By offering a mix of food and drink fiction and stellar propertieswhich kicked off dinner table discussion like Akshay Kumar’s FearFactor or Amitabh Bachchan’s Bigg Boss, our products offered usimagery of the kind hitherto not seen on a new channel. The 300 to 310GRP band will see a lot of activity going forward. Our staple showsare delivering, the top 2 provide TRPs of 5 while the next three showsdeliver TRPs of about 3. We are happy with our performance, the IPLshows will now take us to the next level. Rockstar over the weekendshould be a killer application.
*What is next then?
Our first four shows are locked, there is a lot more that we areconceptualizing, the IPL franchise gets a year round extension. FearFactor will get a twist and it is certainly worth the money that wehave spent. We are not spending money to buy TRPs, that is not alogical thing to do. Over 52 weeks we have unlimited access tocricketers and Bollywood stars who are involved in IPL. Theprofitability on each and every show will be different, we are lookingat the aggregate of the imagery that this tie up provides in the firstyear.