(16 May 2007 7:00 pm)

MUMBAI: While distribution channels are similar for product brands and media brands, a product price notion for television content needs to be built. This is especially important as conditional access takes hold in the metros.

Tam's Pradeep Hejmadi made this point while speaking at Nielsen's annual client conference. He noted that a lot of ground has to be covered to enable consumers to understand what the Cas implementation is about.

A Tam study done earlier this year showed that people in Delhi and Mumbai felt that Cas was mandated for their entire cities.

"In a changing media environment, subscription revenues need to be pushed seriously. The consumer needs to understand what it is he is paying for. Also, the number of channels that account for 80 per cent of the viewership has grown astronomically over the last four years. Now there are 307 channels on DTH and cable versus 148 channels in 2002.

"Broadcasters have to do a balancing act. This is to maintain loyalty while hooking new entrants. They also have the challenge of the higher SEC homes exploring the content frontiers. 65,168 spots air daily on these channels. How does one balance commerical time and programme time in this environment? One key is to identify non standard advertising which is what cricket has done. Also brands need to monitor programme integration options."