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TAM to release news channels’ data from 9 January
MUMBAI: Viewership data for individual news channels from 7 October 2012 will be available on 9 January when TAM Media Research, the television ratings service provider, begins releasing ratings data as it used to before digitisation in the four metros.
The decision was made Monday as the industry bodies – Advertising Agencies Association of India (AAAI), the Indian Society of Advertisers (ISA) and the Indian Broadcasting Foundation (IBF) – came to an agreement on this. Earlier, as reported in Indiantelevision.com, the News Broadcasters Association (NBA) had agreed for a release of TAM data on viewership of their individual channels for the suspended period from 7 October on 9 January.
Meanwhile, TAM today released data for weeks 41-50 but without individual ratings for news channels. The news genre viewership data was clubbed with the ‘Others‘ category, which includes genres like shopping and religious.
TAM will release data for week 51 on 27 December and for week 52 on 3 January, again without ratings for individual news channels. The news genre will continue to come under the ‘Others‘ category till 9 October.
TAM had suspended data release from 7 October as was agreed by IBF, AAAI and ISA, as digitisation was under way in the metros of Mumbai, Delhi, Kolkatta and Chennai.
TAM had to delay release of ratings data for the suspended period on 19 December on a request from the Information and Broadcasting Ministry and the NBA, in concurrence with IBF, AAAI and ISA. NBA wanted temporary suppression of viewership data for individual news channels.
The decision by TAM to release ratings for individual news channels on 9 January is in accordance with the decision of the News Broadcasters Association (NBA) on Friday.
TAM said the suppression of ratings data on news channels “is purely a temporary request from the industry.” The retrospective data for the period (weeks 41-52), for all the news channels, will be de-suppressed and released normally (individually) on 9 January with the data release of week 1 of the year 2013.
TAM has released data for weeks 41-52 for digital homes in the three cities of Mumbai, Delhi and Kolkata, where digitisation has nearly happened. Chennai, which was the fourth city mandated to have gone digital from 1 November, is not included. Digitisation in Chennai, according to a TAM survey, is stuck at around 26 per cent, with the Madras High Court hearing a petition by cable operators against digitisation.
MAM
Microdrama Specialist COL Group International Builds Out With Narativ, Rock Networks & BlingWood Deals
MUMBAI: Microdrama powerhouse COL Group International is building out its distribution network, with its CEO saying vertical video is about to enter its “next competitive chapter.”
The microdrama arm of publicly-listed Chinese company COL Group appointed Narativ Media as its official distributor in the Middle East and North Africa (MENA) and CIS regions and Africa, and a struck new content deal with a new Dubai-based microdrama platform.
The deals were unveiled this morning at MIP London, and also included Rock Networks as its exclusive Southeast Asia telco distribution partner for its app, FlareFlow. MIP London is now into its second day at the Savoy Hotel and adjoining IET London complex.
The deals come soon after COL appointed Harbour Rights to represent its titles in Europe and Latin America, as we reported yesterday in our extended feature on microdrama distribution.
COL’s Singapore-based microdrama unit says its “coordinated global distribution architecture and significantly expanded international content slate” would help to scale its catalogue to more than 1,700 microdrama titles worldwide. These hail from South Korea, Japan, Africa, the Middle East, Southeast Asia and the UK and roll out across Sereal+, FlareFlow and 17K.
A deal with Dubai-based BlingWood, which recently launched as an OTT platform, will expand COL’s access to Middle Eastern and Indian microdramas, and includes a broader pipeline of Indian series from storytelling platform Pratilipi, Korean titles from BeLive Studios and British reality-led formats from Tattle TV — the UK’s first dedicated microdrama app, including titles such as Dog Dates.
“Microdrama is entering its next competitive chapter, where quality, retention and monetization standards are increasingly shaped by data and operational discipline,” said Timothy Oh, General Manager of COL Group International.
“As pioneers in both China and the U.S., scaling some of the world’s leading platforms in this space, we understand what it truly takes to win sustainably. Our role is not simply to offer catalogue volume, but to help partners select, position and scale the right content for their platform and audience. By bringing together a broad, constantly refreshed slate from across regions, we enable smarter curation, clearer differentiation and long-term growth for serious industry players.”
Narativ deal
COL and UAE-based Narativ described their deal as a “strategic expansion of premium vertical content distribution across high-growth emerging markets,” and comes as the microdrama continues to boom financially. The growth of the medium will be among the key topics of conversation today at MIP London, where COL chief Oh will be speaking.
The pact extends beyond content representation and is being billed as part of a more “structured micro-drama distribution infrastructure.”
Narativ will spearhead market development, platform alliances, broadcaster relationships and digital monetization frameworks across the MENA and CIS regions and Africa, where they have identified “rapid mobile-first consumption growth and strong demand for short-form, high-engagement storytelling formats.”
“Micro-dramas are reshaping global viewing habits, particularly across mobile-first markets like MENA, Africa and CIS,” said Manjyot Sandhu, CEO and co-founder of Narativ. “Our appointment as official distributor for COL Group in these territories reflects Narativ’s strategy to build sustainable distribution architecture.
“A key pillar of the collaboration includes integration with FlareFlow, enabling strategic telco partnerships, bundled carrier offerings, and alternative monetization pathways designed to accelerate scale across mobile ecosystems and OTT platforms.”
Oh added: “We are building more than a content slate – we are building the global infrastructure for microdrama. With hundreds of new titles launching every quarter, scale and regional strength are critical. Narativ with its deep foothold in MENA, Africa CIS and other key markets makes them a natural strategic partner as we expand FlareFlow and bring microdrama to new platforms, telcos and audiences.
Narativ, which is joint venture Sandhu operates with Copyright Capital, manages around 7,000 hours of content and has a digital network spanning 150 million subscribers across 21 language.
COL Group has emerged as one of the biggest microdrama platforms, running platforms such as FlareFow. It is also a part-owner of ReelShort.
