News Broadcasting
Tele novellas-the new programming gambit?
MUMBAI: Melodrama-packed family sagas may still be ruling Indian television, but they better get set for some erosion in their popularity as some serious competition is around the corner.
With Sony all geared to launch a Spanish tele-novella adaptationHum 2 Hain Na and Star Plus’ two new shows also based on Spanish tele-novellas, it seems adaptations, especially the Spanish ones, are set to invade the tube.
They may not yet be perceived as strong enough to take on home grown soap sagas, but the impact of the success of the desi adaptation of Hispanic show Yo Soy Betty La Fea, aka Jassi Jaissi Koi Nahi is considerable enough to make one sit up and take note.
The next big show set to make a splash on Sony Entertainment Television is Spanish tele-novella adaptation Hum 2 Hain Na. Although the promos of H2HN have been on the airwaves for some time now, the channel is pretty tightlipped about the show. Industry sources say the show revolves around two 11-year-old twins Kareena and Koel, played by Hansika Motwani. A spoilt brat versus a sensitive and perceptive young girl story a la The Parent Trap, H2HN is a daily scheduled for the Monday through Thursday 8 pm slot.
Brought up in an elegant mansion, Kareena dreams of becoming a famous singer but lacks talent. At a town fair, she accidentally hears a voice she wishes she had. The singer not only turns out to be her age, but also happens to be her lookalike. Koel, hailing from a middle class family is sensitive and perceptive. Though Kareena and Koel are poles apart, they hit it off almost instantaneously when they meet. They decide to keep their friendship a secret. That is the basic premise of the story. The daily also stars small screen stars Shruti Ulfat and Cezanne Khan.
Star Plus’ next launch Dekho Magaar Pyar Se, set for, again, an 8 pm slot and slated for launch on 26 July, is also a Spanish tele-novella adaptation of My Sweet Fat Valentina and has an uncanny resemblance to the Jassi… format – ugly ducking turning into a beautiful swan.
The channel is also to launch another Spanish tele-novella in the 7:30 pm slot, to be produced by UTV. Both the channel and the production house acknowledge that they are launching a new show, but they aren’t as keen on divulging the storyline.
“The business objective is simple: ‘If it works, it sells’. And not necessarily in terms of ratings. Look at Jassi…, though the show hasn’t delivered much, it has amazing recall,” opines Optimum Media Solutions executive vice-president Amit Ray.
Carat India general manager Pratibha (Pat) Vinayak has a different take on it, “The soap trend is on the decline. Although it is not showing on the ratings, I think the audience is looking for some change. While it would be foolish to touch already working soaps, the smarter way is to bring on newer programming, so as to give the viewers a wider choice.”
Starcom Worldwide general manager – Investment and New Initiatives Manish Porwal offers, “I wouldn’t call Spanish tele-novella adaptations as a trend. It is rather like a variance. The saas-bahu sagas will continue to rule but since we as an audience aren’t really keen on originality, I think we will do fine with adaptations. We have adapted to quite a few cultures in our traditional practices. So the adaptations are likely to go well with our audiences.”
“The key word here is adaptation,” Ray emphasises. “A successful adaptation like Jassi… has been sufficiently spruced up to suit Indian sensibilities. If you look at the original version, the gay designer’s character has a lot more to do. In the Indian version, he is not even shown to be a gay, but is rather just an effeminate character,” he adds.
“(But) I don’t think that the viewer is so drastically different. Be it in Bihar or in LA, television is essentially just a time pass,” Ray concludes.
Vinayak opines, “It makes sense to adapt something that has been working well elsewhere. The programming might be a trial and error method, but here you already have a formula – essentially a family drama – which has been accepted by audiences elsewhere. So the smart thing to do is adapt it to the Indian context.”
Although, most planners just see it as a natural trend that has emerged after the critical acclaim of Jassi…, they don’t seem quite as confident of the genre’s long-term prospects.
“As soon as there is a hit in a genre, the enthusiasm to replicate it is high. It does not guarantee that the next experiment on the same line will also be successful,” cautions Lodestar and Interface Media’s national media director Nandini Dias.
“Soaps are like blue denims, they never go out of fashion. They will remain the staple diet, but yes the tele-novella adaptation seems to be in vogue now. Why, we had successful adaptations earlier as well, look at Kaun Banega Crorepati!” Porwal points out.
Another reason why adaptations are back in vogue seems to be the marketing and advertising prospects that they offer. “They certainly have an edge. But advertisers are keen on getting higher sales and greater awareness. Everything else is incidental to the process,” says Dias.
“While advertisers choose to buy soaps because they are soaps, they are often intrigued by adaptations because they are different. They offer varied options to advertise. Unlike soaps, quite a few products have an opportunity of being advertised via in-serial promotions in the adaptation shows,” Porwal says.
Looking at the broad umbrella picture, adaptations do seem like the flavour of the month, and not just of the Spanish kind. With Sony’s take on Beverly Hills, 90210 — Yeh Meri Life Hai — getting its fair share of recall value, the channel is now looking to launch a Dougie Howser MD adaptation Ayushmaan . Star Plus, meanwhile, is all set to debut its take on Batman’s capers Karma on 6 August at 9:30 pm slot.
In all probability, adaptations do seem a workable proposition with interesting advertising avenues, if adapted well. But that’s again a big If…
News Broadcasting
GenNext takes charge as Network18 reshuffles leadership
With Avinash Kaul bowing out, Network18 hands reins to younger leaders, streamlines operations, and pushes data-driven growth across TV, digital and regional markets
MUMBAI: Network18 is redrawing its leadership map just as a long-time lieutenant bows out. Avinash Kaul, a central figure in the broadcaster’s rise since 2014, is leaving after 12 years to pursue “professional and personal goals”, triggering a broad-based reshuffle that puts a younger cohort directly under the top brass.
Kaul joined at a pivotal moment during the company’s transition and went on to scale the television business, combining strategic nous with data-led decision-making and a sharp read of the news landscape. “Avinash has been an integral part of the Network18 story,” the company said, thanking him for his leadership of the broadcast business and wishing him the best for the future.
In his wake, Network18 is betting on what it calls a “young and restless” leadership bench. “The team has taken charge and proved its mettle in quite adverse circumstances,” the note said, adding that “GenNext has seamlessly stepped in as we continue to outperform our peers.”
Operationally, the structure is being flattened. Smriti Mehra, S Shivakumar and Mitul Sangani will work directly with the top leadership, as they did in the fourth quarter. Ganesh Iyer and Abhinay Chauhan continue in their existing roles, while younger executives are being handed wider mandates across social, digital, connected TV and linear.
The reporting lines are being tightened to drive revenue and product momentum. Prabhat Chatterjee, business head–Forbes, and Arun Thapar, president–content and communication for AETN-18, will report to Smriti Mehra, alongside Mallika Nath Handa, who will lead special projects spanning new shows and non-linear properties. Jayesh Gokalgandhi, CFO for AETN-18, will report to Ramesh Damani.
Mitul Sangani will oversee expansion in Hindi and regional markets, with Sidharth Newatia, CRO–ILC, focusing on reach and revenue growth, particularly in tier-II and III markets. Pankaj Soni, head of marketing–ILC, will also report to Sangani while working functionally with Ganesh Iyer.
The group is also consolidating its branded content play. Moneycontrol’s branded content business will be folded into News18 Studio, with Don Zarrar moving to work with Shivakumar while continuing to lead existing studio and Focus teams.
International and platform growth are being bundled together. Pranav Bakshi takes on additional charge of the international business alongside connected TV and social platforms, with Naveen Mathur, who leads revenue management for the international unit, reporting to him. Bakshi continues to report to Puneet Singhvi.
On the technology and operations side, Rajesh Sharma, head of broadcast technology and IT; Rahul Singh, head of events and technical operations; and Bhupender Bhardwaj, head of IT security, will now report to Singhvi. Darshil Parekh, head of sales strategy, planning and operations, will work directly with Ramesh Damani and the top leadership, with Stanley Cyril, who manages digital sales operations, reporting to him.
Data is being pushed to the centre of decision-making. Jitamitra Mohanty, who leads research and analytics, will now work with Santosh Menon to turn audience data into “actionable insights that drive content strategy, product innovation and sustainable viewership growth”.
The message is clear: fewer layers, faster calls, sharper bets. With Kaul’s exit closing one chapter, Network18 is handing the wheel to a younger crew and doubling down on scale across screens. The race, it signals, will be run at full tilt.
