English Entertainment
Sony Picture Networks India rebrands AXN
MUMBAI: Sony Pictures Networks (SPN) India’s english entertainment channel AXN, known for its action heavy shows, has been re-branded to give it a more edgier look.
The changes include a new logo, packaging and tag line. Playing on their original palate of red, the channel urges viewers to live ‘R.E.D,’ which stands for Reality, Entertainment and Drama.
The channel, which is home to some of the most iconic characters, hopes to increase its viewership with this re-branding exercise.
The change will come into effect from 24 January, 2016 with the premiere of the drama series Billions, which will be aired at 11 pm every Sunday.
The re-branding was undertaken by Leo Burnett India.
“With the new logo, we want to cater to the young evolving mindsets. It’s time the brand goes to the next level with a more contemporary positioning and a fresh, new look, to appeal to the discerning audience segments, who seek intelligent action. More than just an adrenaline rush, they seek a mind rush while watching their favourite shows and characters. To cater to this mind-set, we have re-calibrated our positioning, brought alive through LIVE R.E.D. for the entire brand universe in a seamless manner,” says SPN India executive vice president and business head – English entertainment cluster Saurabh Yagnik.
With this transformation, AXN seeks to diversify its portfolio away from its action genre by airing ‘intelligent’ action shows with more intense, smart and unexpected characters.
The channel has retained its trademark representation with the colour red. He further adds, “Red because it leverages to bring alive what AXN as a brand stands for. The channel’s new look and feel showcases the content diversity of the channel, builds association with shows and characters and articulates what consumer gratification is. It is the channel, product and consumers’ truth that we have brought alive.”
The new logo is accentuated by a 3-D pyramid with elements of mystery and convergence and will bring alive the channel’s diverse content offering Reality, Entertainment, Drama, and the consumer gratification of Rush, Excitement, Dream through its characters and shows.
AXN’s content offering includes a mixture of reality shows like The Voice, Top Gear, Fear Factor, entertainment shows like Minute to Win, and dramatic shows like Sherlock, Hannibal, Ray Donovan, Billions, Elementary and Dexter, amongst others.
As of now, the channel has no plans to change or tweak its content strategy, though it will keep bringing new American shows. The channel will continue to cater to the premium target audience in India.
AXN seeks to cater to both types of consumers that exist in society: the influencer as well as the adopter. While the former includes tech-savvy people who want to watch shows with the US, the latter are not very active in the space and seek help from the influencer about which shows to watch. “The adopters are adopting and soaking into the genre. We want to bridge this gap between both the viewers’ cluster. We bring shows, which serves both of them,” asserts Yagnik.
The channel claims to have a market share of 28 per cent in the entire English entertainment genre and has set a task to build shows and characters associations with the channel.
AXN’s new look will roll out across the channel’s on-air and online platforms as well on various social media platforms.
Speaking about the imminent competition from the American OTT platform Netflix’s entry into India, Yagnik says, “It is good to have global competition in the space. It’s a good opportunity. The fact remains that all the networks have many hours of content – local as well as international. Everything that enters the market has its own plusses and minuses when it comes to content consumption. Ultimately it’s going to benefit the consumers.”
This new push towards evoking emotions as well as gaining viewers through gripping and diverse content strategy is what the edgy channel plans to do in 2016. The aim will also be to retain its position in the market by coming up with more credible and buzzy shows.
“With the rise in the Hollywood shows consumption in India, AXN will continue to get up to date shows for our fresh from the US slot,” concludes Yagnik.
English Entertainment
ZEE5 UK partners Narrative Entertainment to add UK channels
Six FAST channels added as platform sharpens hybrid play in Britain
LONDON: ZEE5 UK struck a first-of-its-kind deal with Narrative Entertainment, bringing mainstream UK television channels onto an Indian streaming platform as it pushes to deepen its footprint in a crowded, mature market.
The partnership adds six of Narrative’s FAST channels to the service, including Great! Movies, Great! Romance, Great! Mystery and kids brands POP, Tiny Pop and POP UP, widening ZEE5 UK’s appeal across genres and age groups.
The move reflects a clear shift in strategy. ZEE5 UK is betting on a hybrid model that blends on-demand content with curated, always-on channels to drive discovery and increase time spent on the platform.
“This partnership represents a meaningful evolution in how we serve audiences in mature markets like the UK, where viewers are defined by habits, convenience and choice rather than geography or language alone,” said Parul Goel, territory head, Europe, Zee Entertainment. “By bringing trusted mainstream UK channels together with our premium originals, movies and kids’ content, we are building a more consumer-centric platform that simplifies viewing while increasing depth and relevance.”
Fateha Begum, commercial director, Narrative Entertainment, said the tie-up would fuel growth for both sides. “Our portfolio of quality programming, with such wide and enduring appeal, is a perfect complement to ZEE5 UK. This is a strong partnership that will support growth for both parties, and we share Zee Entertainment’s vision of an increasingly partnership-led future for the industry.”
ZEE5’s global library spans over 4,000 films and more than 500 originals, with over 130 new titles added annually. The addition of Narrative’s channels strengthens its kids offering and introduces genre-led linear experiences alongside its on-demand catalogue.
The deal also gives Narrative access to ZEE5 UK’s fast-growing user base, extending reach without diluting brand identity, while reinforcing ZEE5 UK’s network of more than 40 live channels.
As streaming wars intensify, ZEE5 UK is widening its playbook, blending content, convenience and partnerships in a bid to win screen time in one of the world’s toughest markets.
