Poll of the month

Kalaignar Network to launch new channels, new shows

The coming months will see DMK backed Kalaignar TV Network adding two more channels – Kalaignar Asia and Chithram; to its existing bouquet of four channels – Kalaignar TV (entertainment channel), Isai Aruvi (music channel), Seithigal (news channel) and Sirrippoli (comedy channel).

Kalaignar Asia will cater to the entertainment demands of the Tamil people in Southeast Asian countries. The channel will be broadcast through THAICOM-5 satellite and will be operated from the Kalaignar TV premises in Chennai. The 24 hour entertainment channel will focus on daily soaps and films for entertainment.

Kids channel Chithram, which will compete with Sun TV Network’s kids channel Chutti TV, would go on air before the end of this year. The Network has already obtained the license for the kids’ channel.

The coming weeks will also mark the launch of four new shows on Kalaignar TV, the Tamil GEC. The shows scheduled to go on air in August are Karuthu Yutham, Poova? Thalaya?, Aval Oru Minsaram and Idhu Rose Neram.

Karuthu Yutham is an hour long offering in the format of a debate. The first episode will be aired on August 2 at 1:30 pm and will see participants debating the emerging nightlife culture in Tamil Nadu, with both men and women frequenting night clubs.

Tamil celebrity artists Kushboo and Sripriya will play host in the weekly talk show, titled Poova? Thalaya? (meaning head or tail). The two Tamil movie actors will lock horns on various welfare issues concerning women. They will represent two diverse views on any given topic.

The daily soap, Aval Oru Minsaram, will be aired from Monday to Thursday and has been slotted at 9:30 pm.

Saturdays will see a new programme, titled Idhu Rose Neram, which is being produced and anchored by a transgender, Rose, who holds a PhD in psychology. The show will see her raise topics of relevance for women.

Star Plus’ ‘Moment of Truth’ arrives to take on Colors

Take Colors head on. That seems to be Star Plus’ programming plan after ‘The Moment of Truth’ (Sach Ka Saamna) has arrived.

Showing signs of aggression, after being put on the defensive for some time, Star Plus is getting back the Kiran Bedi-hosted Aap Ki Kachehri to fight against Colors’ top-rated show Balika Vadhu. The television reality-justice show, which had a successful first run, is returning from 5 August at the 8 pm slot as its original position is taken away by the polygraph-tested reality show
Sach Ka Saamna.

“Star Plus is getting on the offensive as they will have two daily prime time reality shows. This could change the game. And we were not expecting Aap Ki Kachehri to occupy the 8 pm slot,” says the programming head of a leading Hindi general entertainment chann

Moving Aap Ki Kachehri into a new time zone could test the strength of the show. When it was launched at the 10.30 pm slot, it had a male skew viewership. “The 8 pm slot in Hindi GECs is female dominated. The contest with Balika Vadhu will also be interesting as both are non-conventional in approach,” says a media analyst.

Aap Ki Kachehri drew in more audiences from the northern region and in smaller towns, similar to the viewing base of Balika Vadhu. “We expect Aap Ki Kacheri to expand the market. It could also take away some audiences from Balika Vadhu. We expect it to do a bit of both,” says Star India EVP marketing and communications Anupam Vasudev.

Vasudev also expects Aap Ki Kachehri to garner audiences from the non-GEC channels. “There is a significant male viewing population in the non-GEC channels at 8 pm. The show tends to draw in viewership from these channels,” he says.

Star Plus’ relatively weaker show, Kis Desh Mein Hai Meraa Dil, at 8.30 pm is being refreshed with Sajan Ghar Jaana Hai. The channel hopes the new show would have a lead-in advantage from Aap Ki Kachehri.

“Star Plus is creating an 8-9 pm band. And it is the right time to be aggressive and get in Aap Ki Kachehri as Zee TV’s new shows are also picking up. If they would have waited for Sach Ka Saamna to complete its run before getting in Aap Ki Kachehri, it would, perhaps, have been a bit late. This is the right time to strike when Sach Ka Saamna is creating a ripple,” says a media observer.

Star Plus is also strategically pushing the two prime time shows Kis Desh Mein Hain Mera Dil and Raja Ki Aayegi Baarat to the afternoon band. “They have enough steam left in them to do well in the afternoon band,” says Vasudev.

Star Plus, Colors and Zee TV are in fierce battle to stay as No. 1 in the Hindi GEC space.

Zeel to transfer shares abroad to promoters for non-news channel

Zee Entertainment Enterprises Ltd. has been allowed by the Finance Ministry to transfer fully paid equity shares to an overseas entity belonging to the promoters Group for uplinking a non-news and current Affairs TV channel.

However, a Finance Ministry release said this does not involve any fresh inflow of foreign direct investment (FDI).

UTV Software Communications Ltd. has been permitted to increase its share holding from 75 per cent to 85 per cent by purchase of equity shares and to amend the FC approval letter.

This will not involve any fresh FDI inflow.
Following the recommendations of the Foreign Investment Promotion Board (FIPB) in its meeting held on 10 July, the Government has permitted Interpublic Mauritius Ltd, Mauritius, to make investment of 50 per cent equity by way of subscribing to equity shares, involving foreign investment of Rs 7.5 million.

The Ministry deferred a proposal by Dish TV India Ltd. to issue convertible bonds, convertible into equity shares at a ‘conversion price’ as specified in an offering circular in relation thereto and on terms and conditions mentioned thereunder, to such persons resident outside India, as may be permissible under the applicable laws.

Sun Pictures pumps in Rs 2 bn towards movies in FY’09

Sun TV Network Ltd. has pumped in Rs 2 billion towards movies, upping its investments at a time when many players are crowding the market in the southern region.
Movie acquisition for telecast rights makes up the bulk of the investments for Sun TV Network which runs a clutch of highly successful channels in Tamil, Telugu, Kannada and Malayalam languages.
“We have invested Rs 2 billion towards movies in FY’09. We have a library of 8500 films,” says a source in the company.

On the film production front, Sun TV has an investment plan of Rs 700-800 million for 10-12 movies a year. “We have a pipeline plan and the strategy is to produce small and medium budget movies,” adds the source.

Sun grossed a revenue of Rs 280 million from the few movies that it released last fiscal. “We had a 15-20 per cent RoI (return on investments) from the movies that we released in the fiscal,” says the source.

Sun is producing Endhiran on a budget of Rs 700 million. “The movie will come up by the end of this year or erly next year,” says the source.

Sun TV, which has Rs 3.30 billion of cash on its books, has a capex requirement of between Rs 750 million and Rs 1 billion in FY’10.

Decision 09: Aaj Tak, CNN-IBN shine on counting day

A clean victory for the Congress led United Progressive Alliance (UPA) in the 15th Lok Sabha elections may have been unexpected for everyone, but not so the viewer turnout for television channels on May 16, the day the results were declared.

According to data provided by TAM Media Research, among all the Indian channels, Hindi news channels showed a 15.6 per cent channel share as compared to the 5.02 per cent share of the same day of the previous week. Even the English news channels had an 1.2 per cent English news genre share over the same day of the previous week, when it was 0.37 per cent.

Hindi news channel Aaj Tak emerged as the leader in its genre, with a channel share of 27 per cent, followed by Star News with 19 per cent and India TV with 13 per cent. IBN-7 remained fourth in the viewership ladder with a 10 per cent share, while Zee News took a share of 9 per cent and NDTV India had a 7 per cent share on May 16. 

Among the English news channels, CNN-IBN had the highest relative share of 38 per cent followed by Times Now with 27 per cent and NDTV 24X7 with 26 per cent relative share.

Dilip Venkatraman, chief marketing officer, IBN18 Network, says, “CNN-IBN’s victory was possible as we delivered a complete 360 degree experience by enabling multi-media touch points, be it on TV, Internet, mobile or other media.”

Arnab Goswami, editor-in-chief, Times Now, says, “Our focus was more on news, than numbers. And that’s the reason why we took a considered decision not to do an exit poll, and focus on breaking stories, which is our forte.”

Comparable viewership data for the counting day for the 14th Lok Sabha elections in 2004 are different from the present results. Data by TAM, showed a five-fold increase in the viewership of Hindi news channels on May 13, 2004, the day the results were declared.

The television numbers for 14th Lok Sabha numbers are significantly higher than 15th Lok Sabha elections and even from previous news events that channels covered around that time, like the terrorist attack on Parliament in 2002 or the September 11 terror attacks in New York.

Hollywood brings great TRPs for Tamil channels

Guess what’s pulling eyeballs and bringing in the bucks on telly these days ? No, it’s not the reality shows or Tamil movies. It is, in fact, the dubbed Hollywood films that are bringing in great TRPs. Surprised, right ?

The phenomenon of dubbed films has always existed in Kollywood. Films from Telugu were regularly dubbed into Tamil and movies like Jaganmohini, Vyjayanthi IPS and Idhu Dhaandaa Police enjoyed a glorious run in theatres across Tamil Nadu.

However, it was The Mummy, released in 1999, that kick-started the trend of dubbed Hollywood films raking in the moolah at the box office, says Mohan Kumar, who owns a dubbing studio which provides content for Vijay TV.

In fact, it was Vijay TV that started this trend of showing dubbed Hollywood films on TV. What was it that prompted the channel to go in this direction ?

K Sriram, general manager, Vijay TV, said, “We had this three-hour slot for which we needed alternative content. We opted for dubbed flicks as we had a few titles with us and movies are movies, whether dubbed or otherwise. The first film to be shown was Titanic in 2003.”

Sriram also reveals that it is action flicks and movies involving animals, like Babe, that are usually dubbed as they appeal to kids, who form a major part of the audience.

Although other channels like Sun TV, Kalaignar TV and Raj TV have started cashing in on this trend only recently, the response they’ve been receiving is tremendous. That Sun TV , which has the rights of many popular Tamil films (reportedly over 3,000 titles), has created two prime-time slots (11.30 am and 7.30 pm) for these dubbed films from last Sunday should prove the lucrative nature of these films.

Today, a Hollywood flick is sold to the regional TV channels non-exclusively for a sum ranging anywhere between Rs 1 and Rs 3 lakh. Films of action stars like Jackie Chan, Arnold Schwarzenegger and Sylvester Stallone and films with special-effects like Underworld, The Mummy and X-Men are hot in the trade. 

The dubbing costs for a film vary between Rs 1 and Rs 1.5 lakh. Most channels outsource the dubbing to private dubbing studios. So, how do these studios go about the process ?

Says Mohan Kumar, “First, we go through the dialogues of the film and translate them. Then, we select the dubbing artistes whose voices we think will suit the characters and dub the film.We preview the film and once we’re satisfied, we do the mixing and hand over the film to the studio.”

The Tamil dialogues are perhaps the biggest attraction for many viewers, especially teenagers. “Watching Jackie Chan talk in Chennai slang or Arnold mouthing Rajinikanth’s punch dialogues certainly provides a different experience,” says Praveen Kumar, a college student.

However, Mohan Kumar feels that going overboard with such gimmicks will alienate viewers from the movie. “Viewers should for get that they’re watching a dubbed film. They should only feel that they’re watching an English film,” he says. 

His principle, he says, is to retain the essence of the English dialogue and ensure that the concept doesn’t change during translation.

Now, even mythological serials are being dubbed in order to reach a wider audience. Sun TV’s Ramayanam, a dubbed version of the Hindi original, and Raj TV’s Jai Sri Krishna have been garnering impressive TRPs.

Raj TV Q4 net loss at Rs 30.76 million

Chennai-based Raj Television Network (RTN) has posted a net loss of Rs 30.76 million for the quarter ended 31 March 2009, as against a net loss of Rs 3.42 million a year ago. During the period, the company has recorded a 84.45 per cent growth in revenue to Rs 204.05 million (from Rs 110.625 million). The income from operations and net sales stood at Rs 194.94 million, as compared to Rs 86.44 million in the prior year.
On the expenditure front, there was a steep rise of 102.81 per cent to Rs 229.93 million in the fourth quarter (from Rs 113.37 million). The operational cost of the network has doubled in the quarter at Rs 83.30 million (from Rs 37.71 million) in the corresponding quarter. Meanwhile, other expenditure also surged to Rs 127.28 million (from Rs 61.52 million). The company launched a Kannada music channel Raj Musix Kannada on 6 March. It is also acquiring content for upcoming Kannada GEC, while a Kannada news channel is also in pipeline.

Sun Direct launches HD services in India

Sun Direct Pvt Ltd, the leading direct-to-home (DTH) service provider is all set to redefine the television viewing in the country. Sun Direct today created history by launching the first ever High Definition (HD) broadcast on DTH platform in India.

Speaking on the occasion, Tony D’Silva, COO of Sun Direct said, “We believe that in the constantly changing viewer-ship dynamics and taste, to keep the viewer continuously happy and engaged we need to offer them new and exciting options and HD is another first from the Sun Direct stable. HD is a visual delight and we are extremely happy to launch the world class services for our audience in India.”

Adding another feather to the cap Sun Direct has crossed the three million subscriber base since its launch in December 2007. Sun Direct caters to every segment of the viewer ship through its innovative content packaging.

“Another landmark achievement for us is crossing the three million mark subscriber base by March 2009, as committed earlier; this achievement qualifies us to be the No 2 service DTH provider. In the coming fiscal year we look forward to occupy the pole position. We have added more customers than any other DTH player in the last one year and in the coming days we will be adding more innovative features, services and channels in our offerings,” added D’Silva.

HDTV is considered as one of the world’s best digital broadcast platforms with a higher resolution than traditional television system. The images and pictures appear more clear and sharp and sound quality is also enhanced. HDTV will improve the viewer experience by about five times over a regular television.

The Commonwealth Games next year will unveil this next generation of television viewing in India as the same will be telecast in HD and it will be a viewer’s delight. Various international channels and content providers have been queued up for obtaining mandatory statuary compliance for broadcasting HD in India.

Sun Direct offers the biggest spread of 41 add-on packages ranging from Rs 6 to Rs 300 per month of the most viewed channels. Sun Direct offers a basic package of over 130+ channels in digital clarity with DVD quality pictures and sound for a introductory offer of Rs 499*(five months subscription at just Rs 99/-* month) – (*Taxes Extra),along with free Dish and Set top box, excluding installation charges.

· First DTH player to launch MPEG 4 Technology
· First DTH service to launch HD (High Definition) TV.
· First DTH service to provide FREE customer premises equipments (set top box and dish)
· First DTH service to provide 41 add on packages
· First DTH player to achieve 3 million subscribers in approximately 1 year

Sun Direct offers a total of 200+ channels and has all the most viewed and new channels broadcasted in the country. The packages are customized in such a way that the subscriber pays only for what they watch. Sun Direct has also recently introduced International channels in all their basic packs.

Can Sony Max broadcast the IPL 2 ?

Lalit Modi, chairman and commissioner, Indian Premier League (IPL), has recently admitted that he constantly has to juggle his timings in order to get a few hours of rest.

No wonder then, the deal that the World Sports Group (WSG) signed with World Sports Group-Mauritius, with the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) as the third party, happened at 3 am, IST.

IPL shot off a letter to Sony Entertainment Television (now Multi Screen Media) at 10.44 pm (IST) on Saturday night, March 14, terminating its contract with the channel and five and half hours later, on early Sunday morning, sealed the deal with WSG-Mauritius for a whooping Rs 4,700 crore. WSG-Mauritius is a separate legal entity and isn’t directly related to WSG India Pvt Ltd.

Without the knowledge that BCCI had already inked the new deal, MSM India, on Sunday, sought an injunction in Bombay High Court anticipating that BCCI were in talks with other parties which they claimed wasn’t acceptable. When the case was brought for hearing on Monday afternoon, it then came to light that the deal had already been signed.

“The 3 o’clock agreement.” exclaimed Iqbal Chagla, the counsel representing MSM in the court, further arguing that the termination notice was served so late on Saturday keeping in mind that the court will reopen only on Monday.

The counsel said as per the January 2008 Media Rights License Agreement (MRLA), MSM had paid a bank guarantee of Rs 220 crore and another advance of Rs 90 crore to the BCCI-IPL which was accepted by the latter unconditionally.

To this, the BCCI counsel, V Tulzapurkar, replied saying that the termination clause, 10.1, according to the contract between the two parties, had to be evoked because of a series of breaches of contracts to which there had been no re medial procedures brought in place on MSM’s behalf.

V Tulzapurkar further added that “termination is always a unilateral act and not bilateral,” which in turn means that unlike signing of a contract, the termination of a contract does not require a reciprocal right or the acceptance of any receipt.

Thus, a fax was sent to MSM India on the night of March 14, which merely mentioned that the contract had been terminated. The BCCI, their counsel said in court, had sent notices to MSM 14 days before termination of the contract, citing eight issues pertaining to breach of contract to which they claim there was no reply from the latter.

“The licensee gets the rights back on termination of contract,” he appealed to the court. The court will hear both parties again on Tuesday.

Should the newly signed deal between IPL and WSG-Mauritius stay, the latter will have to look for a broadcaster in the country with more than a 60 per cent reach to further sub-lease its terrestrial rights. The deal between IPL and Sony being on a sticky wicket was first reported in on February 20.

For the record, WSG-India Pvt Ltd bought the telecast and production rights of IPL in 2007 for $ 918 million for a period of 10 years and had in turn leased it to Sony Max (from MSM India stable) for five years for a sum that neither party wants to disclose. Sony Max had signed a back-to-back agreement with WSG for the TV broadcast rights, while any new media right would remain with WSG.

In November 2008, BCCI blamed Sony for its Rs 137 crore on ground sponsorship deal with Reliance ADAG’s Big TV , which was being terminated. It is widely believed that it was after the fallout of the Big TV deal that the rift between BCCI and Sony widened.

BCCI had further asked MSM to convert Bharti Airtel’s exclusive on-air deal as a presenting sponsor for about Rs 30 crore to a consolidated ground and on-air deal for a further amount of about Rs 70 crore.

Big TV, which had picked up ground rights sponsorship with BCCI, had objected to the Sony-Bharti deal and later walked out of the deal citing discriminatory pricing by the broadcaster. Sony officials always maintained that they did follow BCCI rules by offering Big TV the first right of refusal for on-air sponsorship.

Also, it is believed that Kunal Dasgupta, CEO, MSM India quit on account of the fallout of the sponsorship deal between MSM and Big TV, though he has maintained that he quit for ‘personal reasons’.

For now, the possible new partners for BCCI include NDTV Group, state-owned Doordarshan, and ESPN Star Sports. Other prominent sports broadcasters, Ten Sports and Zee Sports, are out of the race since they form part of the rival Indian Cricket League (ICL), owned by the Essel Group. That leaves Nimbus Sports, which may not have the wherewithal to acquire IPL’s broadcasting rights.