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2011: Destroying myths in the English movie channel space: Times Television Network CEO, English Entertainment Channels Ajay Trigunayat
The television industry in 2011 has seen a very positive growth curve, as English entertainment witnessed robust augmentation. Times Television Network decided to foray into the English movie channel category with the launch of Movies Now, in line with its commitment of bringing the best in entertainment to the urban affluent audience.
In the year 2011, the players have faced and overcome a number of challenges which have been hampering the overall growth of the category. The first challenge was to set right the perceived notions about the category which are actually contrary to reality!
One myth was that English movie channels viewership is driven by new titles. 89 per cent of viewership was library led in the English Movie channel category. The same has risen to 94 per cent now.
English movie channels is a niche category. 56 million people watch English Movie channels week on week. This number is actually larger than the population of a few countries, thus making this genre an extremely popular and lucrative offering.
English movie channels are dependent on the DTH availability for viewership. 88 per cent of English movie channels viewership emanates from cable households (HHs). India is not ready for High Definition (HD). More than four million HHs have HD/HD ready TV sets.
While Movies Now has been a pioneer in the broadcast industry, setting up a 24-hour HD channel posed a host of problems. Times Television Network has no HD experience, unlike an MNC network which has extensive experience in many other countries! it involved extensive research, analysis, planning and implementation of the technology. Additionally, upgradation of current skill sets was done for all professionals.
Unreasonably high carriage fee is a malaise that has spread like cancer and is impeding the growth potential of the TV industry in India. There is up to 90 per cent of underdeclaration on the number of HHs by the local cable operators (LCOs).
While broadcasters should be earning subscription revenue, they end up paying humungous carriage fee which is highly detrimental to the business. However, the government mandate to digitise cable networks across India will bring a significant transformation in the industry.
Challenging the genre leader: For the past two decades, two players, Star Movies and HBO, have duopolised the category with no other player even being able to get close to their performance.
Movies Now launched with the aim to challenge the status quo and demolished the dominance of Star Movies & HBO.
Movies Now changed the rules for the category, being the only English movie channel to provide homogeneous presence and reach across all eight metros as against 5/7 metros being provided by other channels. This marked the end of an era where Star Movies and HBO ruled the roost for over a decade.
In a reverse of the accepted norm, the success of Movies Now has now prompted competition to drive programming on library led content instead of the new titles. As a result the viewership contribution of the library led movies has increased from 89 per cent to 94 per cent.
The English movie channel category is riding on a robust TV growth in 2011. The TV industry in general has grown in both C&S and Digital HHs. Total Television HHs have now reached 142 million, C&S homes are at 116 million and Digital HHs have grown to 26 million. This is further expected to grow to 42 million by the end of 2012.
Opportunities in 2012: All one million+ towns is the next big opportunity. There is a substantial growth in the reach of DTH and digital TV in rural India and we strongly believe that the way-forward for the television industry is capturing the audience attention in the 1 million+ towns.
Since the time of launch, Movies Now has strengthened its viewer base and has been homogenously present across the eight metros unlike other players who spoke about 5/7 metros. In 2012, the focus is clearly going to be on the 1 million+ towns.
The 2011 census shows that there are 53 towns with 1 million+ population from 35 towns in 2001.
Digitisation: The government mandate to digitise cable networks across India will bring a significant transformation in the industry. Currently, the digital viewership contribution is 27 per cent to the English movie channels which will go up to 50 per cent by the end of 2012.
The increased digital penetration will result in raising the bar of audio-visual reception and experience. Consequently, channels placed on high unwanted frequencies will also be clearly visible creating parity in reception quality and in turn result in enhanced viewership.
With CAS being mandated soon, the carriage fee should go down and subscription revenues should take a leap, resulting in healthier margins for broadcasters.
Digital & Social Media: The digital and social media space is growing by a whopping 140 per cent and there is a whole new host of avenue for the TV channels to engage directly and regularly with viewer beyond TV.
Being a cost effective medium, we will see a major refocus in allocation of the marketing budgets towards digital and social media space.
Electronic Programme Guide (EPG) Marketing: While this is currently non-existent in India, it is an important focus area and has the potential to considerably enhance user experience.
The EPG allows television viewers to navigate scheduling information and can be made available through television (on set top boxes), mobile phones, and on the web. While this is being overlooked currently, a strategic focus and implementation is imminent with the right message in terms of text & design needed for aiding channel navigation.
All in all, this is an exciting time to be in the English movie channel category and one can look forward to an action-packed 2012 with the players revving up for hot competition.
NEW DELHI: Hamdard Laboratories gathered a cross-section of India’s achievers in New Delhi on Friday, handing out the Hakeem Abdul Hameed Excellence Awards to figures who have left their mark across healthcare, education, sport, public service and the arts.
The ceremony, attended by minister of state for defence Sanjay Seth and senior officials from the ministry of Ayush, celebrated individuals whose work blends professional success with a sense of public purpose. It was as much a roll call of achievement as it was a reminder that influence is not measured only in profits or podiums, but in people reached and lives improved.
Among the headline awardees was Alakh Pandey, founder and chief executive of PhysicsWallah, recognised for turning affordable digital learning into a mass movement. On the sporting front, Arjuna Awardee and kabaddi player Sakshi Puniya was honoured for her contribution to the game and for pushing women’s participation onto bigger stages.
The cultural spotlight fell on veteran lyricist and poet Santosh Anand, whose songs have echoed across generations of Hindi cinema. At 97, Anand accepted the honour with characteristic humility, reflecting on a life shaped by perseverance and hope.
Healthcare honours spanned both modern and traditional systems. Manoj N. Nesari was recognised for strengthening Ayurveda’s place in national and global health frameworks. Padma shri Mohammed Abdul Waheed was honoured for his research-backed work in Unani medicine, while padma shri Mohsin Wali received recognition for his long-standing contribution to patient-centred care.
Education and social development also featured prominently. Padma shri Zahir Ishaq Kazi was honoured for decades of work in education, while former Meghalaya superintendent of Police T. C. Chacko was recognised for public service. Goonj founder Anshu Gupta received an award for his dignity-centred rural development initiatives, and the Hunar Shakti Foundation was honoured for empowering women and young girls through skill development.
The Lifetime Achievement Award went to former IAS officer Shailaja Chandra for her long career in public healthcare and governance, particularly in the traditional systems under Ayush.
Speaking at the event, Hamdard chairman Abdul Majeed said the awards were a tribute to those who combine excellence with empathy. “These awardees reflect Hakeem Sahib’s belief that healthcare, education and public service must ultimately serve humanity,” he said.
Minister Seth struck a forward-looking note, saying India’s young population gives the country a unique opportunity to become a global destination for learning, health and wellness by 2047.
The ceremony also featured the trailer launch of Unani Ki Kahaani, an upcoming documentary starring actor Jim Sarbh, set to premiere on Discovery on 11 February.
Instituted in memory of Unani scholar and educationist Hakeem Abdul Hameed, the awards have grown into a national platform that celebrates those building a more inclusive and resilient India. For one evening at least, the spotlight was not just on success, but on service with substance.
