In terms of advertising, do channels such as NGC, Star Vijay and Star News benefit on account of their being part of the Star Network? Has there been any change in the profile of top advertisers for these channels?
Joint packages don't make sense because every channel targets the individual requirements of clients. Even when combined network deals are conducted, every channel's strength is considered and appropriate rates are calculated. This holds true of large clients such as Reliance, HLL and the soft drink majors who do network deals.

For the channels that I handle, the categories that show immense promise include services, automobiles, FMCGs, consumer soft, telecom and corporate.

We get ads from all the ad agencies and some of the regulars include top agencies such as MindShare, The MediaEdge, Situations, Carat, Initiative Media, Lodestar, Mudra, Starcom, Madison, Maximise, Grey and Zenith Media.

The transition of Star News into a Hindi channel has been a very big advantage for marketing the channels. We have set standards in terms of reducing clutter and improving quality of advertising on the news channel.

With the transformation of Star news to a completely Hindi news channel, we have retained all our existing clients such as Raymonds, General Motors, Hyundai, LG, Samsung, Hitachi, MRF, Apollo to name a few. Apart from this retention, the new accounts bagged include Amul (a big gain), Jyothy Laboratories, Bajaj Sevashram, Paras, Dabur and Lux Hoisery to name a few. Most of the clients have only increased their commitment to Star News.

What about Star Vijay and NGC?
In the case of Star Vijay, we have national clients such as Asian paints, Standard Chartered Bank, Bajaj Auto and Parle Products. We have also bagged south-based clients such as MTR Foods and Suvarna, amongst others.

For NGC, we have the entire gamut of categories such as automobiles, telecom and even pharmaceuticals amongst others. We are building long-term partnerships and are offering advertisers event related propositions. NGC, the channel, is an institution by itself and has a lot of existing brand equity in India because of the magazine.

We have launched the Mission Everest programme in an attempt to do something which was more specific to India. We wanted to rope in the common masses and get them hooked on to the channel. We forged an alliance with the Indian army and ensured added credibility to the entire project. We wanted to expand the base of viewers and move down the socio-economical levels. The show has been a great success and the viewing has increased dramatically. Right now NGC is reaching out to more than 4.5 million households.

Is there an extra effort made for selling slots/properties on 'special content' channels? Is more customisation required?
Extra effort is needed in educating the client about the difference between audience delivery and budgets. Using ratings as a parameter and calling a channel mass or niche is incorrect.

One should look at parameters like psychographic and demographics to determine which channel is more suited to advertisers. As each client has got different requirement of channel mix, we always go with specific solutions to advertisers/agencies as we have the environment for all genres.

In-programming placements could be a possible way of increasing revenue but it has to be done in a subtle way so that credibility doesn't get affected.

Also, it is impossible to do it in the case of channels such as NGC where we get international feed. This reiterates the need for customised feed.

What do you feel about the consolidation of media buying and planning agencies?
It doesn't affect our business dynamics. For us, all packages are client-specific as each client has different requirements. Any which way, we don't do agency deals but insist on doing client deals.

Will your deals be affected post 14 July 2003 when CAS comes into play?
Star India is going to announce its detailed strategy of tackling the post CAS scenario.

It is important to note that Star India deals are finalised in the month of July every year and are valid till June of the forthcoming year. As far as we are concerned, any which way, client deals will be re-negotiated in June-July 2003.

Here, I must mention that we have already clinched several deals and renewed contracts for the forthcoming year. There haven't been any reductions and to top it all we have managed to get better rates.

Is there a threshold level beyond which entertainment properties cannot be offered to advertisers and agencies?
Every business has a threshold level beyond which it cannot be conducted. In the absence of this, it becomes unviable to carry on business. We are widely respected for being a credible and solution-driven organisation.

We sell airtime solutions and nothing more. I am sure no client will appreciate if we try and teach him/her how to sell their products or services. Similarly, we are the best people to determine the rules of our business. We simply don't entertain unreasonable demands.

At the end of the day, each client has to see value while coming aboard and then repeatedly sample the channel.

What kind of training does Star provide to its sales force, if at all something of that sort is done?
Every sales person goes through an extensive induction programme which covers all aspects of business. We believe the best training is in the market place. However, we have programmes such as Executive Development, Leadership Training, Presentation Skills, Induction Programme that are conducted throughout the year.

Our HR cell also invites eminent people from abroad (including those from the News Corp networks) and gives us ample opportunities for interaction.

Our research cell provides us with incisive information on clients - their requirements, background, previous advertising amongst others. This helps the sales team to develop customised solutions.

What are the future plans and strategy for the portfolio that you handle? Any new programmes being launched ?
For Star News, we are in the process of gradually launching new programmes such as Star Report, Akbar ka Darbar, Vir Ke Teer to name a few.

In fact, we shall be soon tapping small and local advertisers after the uplinking issue gets resolved. However, we shall ensure that the brands we carry on the channel are in sync with the image/positioning of the channel.

At present, we are not doing sponsorship deals, but shall soon be creating special packages for the big ticket events (like the elections and annual budget) for the news channel.

As regards NGC, the Mission Everest show has been a great success with the masses and we intend doing more India specific programming in the near future. Also, the formula of integrated marketing efforts with ground events and online promotions have helped to deliver results to the sponsors of the show.

Star Vijay will exclusively air the Filmfare awards - south (to be held in Hyderabad) sometime in June end. The other forthcoming programmes include Jackie Chan film festival, a soap Salanam and an AR Rahman show "Unity of Light" to name a few.

For the AR Rahman show, we have managed to get sponsors such as Hero Honda, Maruti and United India Assurance. Our research indicates that the south Indian audience love action. The Jackie Chan film fest is a first of its kind experiment. We shall also be showing dubbed versions of Josh (Star Plus serial) on Star Vijay.

Unlike rivals, Star Vijay hasn't focussed on blockbuster films because we believe that the increased viewership is strongly linked to the "titles" being shown. Movies don't result in sustained viewership.

Star Vijay has some highly popular daily soaps such as Kavyanjali , Kalyani, Chamba, amongst others, during prime time and a varied mix of chat shows, soaps, serials and event-based programmes.

Where do you see yourself in five years time?
I have always delivered the best in any assignment that has been entrusted to me. In five years time, I see myself very much being part of media. I would love to handle greater responsibilities thrust upon me and would want to do justice to the challenging assignments given to me.

The best media company today is Star and I am sure that I shall get enough opportunities within the Star group itself.