Not obsessed with one another, yet focused...

GROUND ZERO

A NEW BEGINNING

Both the top players in the GEC sweepstakes - Star Plus and Colors -claim that they are not obsessed with one another. They will also tellyou that their strategic imperatives for the genre are independent ofthe other's battle plans. But surely it cannot be that simple. Afterall, in a water tight genre where no quarter is given and none askedfor, neither can be oblivious of the other. For Star Plus, it is thatmuch more important for they ruled the satellite waves for nine longyears. But since the end of the saas bahu marathons, and the entry ofnewbies like Colors and a rejuvenated Zee, the GEC landscape has changeddramatically. The viewer has become more discerning and with channelswaking up to the fact that audience tastes are constantly evolving,the business is on a knife’s edge.
The tipping point has been achieved by Star India after CEO Uday Shankarrealised that at the very kernel of the new programming strategyneeded to be marketers. What he did was bring Sanjay Gupta fromAirtel, appointed him COO for Star India and added some more ballastby roping in SC Johnson US's Anupam Vasudev as EVP MarketingCommunication. Ironically, both Gupta and Vasudev are alumnus of theHindustan Lever school of management. Yes, both worked together atHLL, once India's premier management training ground. What both Guptaand Vasudev have done is bring a marketing criticality to thebusiness, understanding the audience perception and tastes anddelivering a programming mix which seems to be working. Everythingmight not be paying in spades - Mahamuqabala lukewarm and Mahayatra adamp squib, but good old food and drink shows Bidaai and Yeh Rishtaare providing the much needed succor for Star Plus. Actually, theturning point was the hasty closure of gangbuster show Sach Ka Samnaunder pressure from the moral brigade. Somehow or the other, Star wasnot able to come to grips with the reality of the winding down Sach.But sooner than later pieces are picked up, recalibration completedand new battleplans put in place.
On your face, both channels will claim that they are not splurgingmoney to buy TRPs, but the cost of programming is going up and notdown, contrary to stated positions. Rajesh Kamat, in many waysinstrumental in making newbie Colors a success in such a short span oftime even as other wannabes - NDTV Imagine, Real and 9x - collapsedunder the weight of their individual contradictions reckons thatColors dominated for 22 weeks because of the programming mix. He says,"Both Star and Zee were bound to catch up. There will be a see sawlike situation in GEC. Others will make comebacks, just as we will, itis nothing short of a psychological battle. Advertisers buy ratings ofthe shows. My understanding is that we will see another year of suchwafer thin margins as everyone puts his best foot forward. Also, it isa ‘seasonal market’ and a three player game."
Interestingly, it is believed that Colors has already broken even,which is staggering given that it has been up and running for merely15 to 17 months.Yes, over the last two weeks, Star Plus has made astrong comeback, displacing Colors after 22 consecutive weeks of bluesky leadership. The introduction of marketing mindsets in Star Plus isone of the reasons for this change. For week 10 of the new year, StarPlus ledwith GRPs of 316, marginally ahead of Colors with 311. The previousweek saw Star Plus emerging as the leader after a 22 week hiatus with300 vs Colors 286 GRPs. What is pertinent here is that in week 10, Zeewasn't too far behind with 301. Tells you something about the cutthroat competitive set that Hindi GEC is turning into. I decided tofind out more about this turnaround. Anupam Vasudev, executive vicepresident Star India says, "We aren't chasing weekly ratings, we wouldinstead like concentrate on building and focusing onour core shows Bidaai and Yeh Rishta. Our strategy is clearly to focuslong term, weekly fluctuations will occur and we will choose todisregard that. The key for us is to focus on the viewer and not onthe competition. We are not in any way responding to our rivals Colorsor Zee. This seesaw battle might not end, it will remain in the shortterm, but if it evolves into a permanent leadership role over time,then we will be happier."
Yeh Rishta Kya Kehlata Hai with a a TVR of 7.1, its highest rating in27 weeks and Bidaai with a TVR of 6.9, its highest rating in 49 weekshave been at the vanguard of this change. Contrary to popularperception Maha Muqabla and Mahayatra have not worked. Music KaMahamuqabla managed only 2.2 while Mahayatra did only a tepid 0.6. Good oldfiction continues to pump prime this segment effectively. For Colors,Balika Vadhu and Uttaran remain the bulwark of their programmingthrust. Kamat's response is, "By offering a mix of food and drinkfiction and stellar properties which kicked off dinner tablediscussion like Akshay Kumar’s Fear Factor or Amitabh Bachchan’s BiggBoss, our products offered us imagery of the kind hitherto not seen ona new channel. The 300 to 310 GRP band will see a lot of activitygoing forward. Our staple shows are delivering, the top 2 provide TVRsof 5 while the next three shows deliver TVRs of about 3. We are happywith our performance, the IPL shows like IPL Rockstar will now take usto the next level. Rockstar over the weekend should be a killerapplication."
Many analysts offer an analogous relationship with the FMCG categorywhere leadership of products is threatened almost on a daily basisresulting in turmoil and constant brand upgradation, repositioning andreorientation.Vasudev reckons that Star Plus successfully and almost unobtrusivelymanaged to refresh its portfolio by keeping in mind the core of itsviewership. Once again Vasudev is at pains to negate the me toohypothesis. As he explains, "New shows need to be differentiated, sowe are very careful to carve our own path and not follow anyone oranybody." So, while the high performance show Mahamuqabla got decentratings, Mahayatra floundered. Now Star has a new show Sasural GandePhool on the anvil. It is also in the process of unveiling a new highprofile Bollywood show over the next six weeks with two hours weekly on theStar Cintaa (Cine & TV Artiste Association) platform called calledStar Cintaa Sitaron Ke Saath. These shows could provide the muchneeded breakthrough benefit to Star. The show promises to have thewhole galaxy of stars literally coming together to celebrate 50thanniversary of Indian Cinema and its progression. Watch out for theveterans, legends & the new generation of Bollywood coming together tonarrate their experiences, special moments, give anecdotes, and sharetheir journey down the year. The show promises to be the biggestcelebration of Cinema and Television as never seen before with faceswho have never come together before for one purpose, one event, onecelebration. While Shahrukh Khan, Amitabh Bachchan, AvbbhishekBachchan, Salman Khan, Shahid Kapoor, the piece de rsisitance is thereclusive Aamir Khan who has agreed to perform for the first time inyears.
Star’s Sitaron Ke Saath will go head to head with Colors three yeartie up with IPL. But let Kamat take up the narrative, "Our first fourshows are locked, there is a lot more that we are conceptualizing, theIPL franchise gets a year round extension.Fear Factor will get a twist and it is certainly worth the money thatwe have 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.
“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.”
Against this backdrop, the Colors-IPL deal is most dynamic. As Kamatsays, “It is a three year deal and while I am not at liberty todisclose the amount paid, let me add that we believe it was the rightamount for this kind of access card. We will kickstart our operationswith IPL Rockstar which is very much on the lines of the Super Bowl.We want to plug and play into the carnival like atmosphere that existsat IPL venues. We have given the formatting considerable study andreckon that in the hour and a half that spectators spend inside thestadium before the 8 pm game, one has access to a large captiveaudience. Most people come in early and so just sit there awaiting thegame’s start. We have planned to create entertainment for thesepeople. Basically build 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 while Bollywood celebs linked to IPL will visit thesevenues and the Rockstar platform will be richer from their presence.The programme will be aired on Saturday and Sunday only. From a brandand channel standpoint, we reckon that we can activate new markets forthe channel. For instance if the game is in Ahmedabad, the Rockstarshow will be a buzz driver for the channel. We will use thisprogramming bulwark to connect with audiences on the ground.”
Interestingly, while Colors and Star Plus may not be obsessed with oneanother, one cannot ignore the possibility of the third entity in thistroika – Zee – blindsiding both and sneaking though. All, in allinteresting times for no show is willing to take the viewer forgranted. Everyone reckons that audience evolution is the singlebiggest determinant. In fact, Sony or Multi Screen Media CEO ManjitSingh said as much to me when he agreed that Sony had ignored theemergence of new urban agglomerates with different taste buds. So,while Sony’s gambit of Yashraj telly may have failed, expect theunexpected from the GEC telly wallahs in the next year or so.
(IMPACT)