Living it up, on TV

Lifestyle channels will be the next big thing on television in 2011.

If 2010 was the year of reality television, 2011 could well be the year of lifestyle television channels. Zee Network’s Khana Khazana, a 24X7 food channel, was launched in early December, joining the ranks of TLC, the pioneer in this category which launched in India in 2004, and NDTV Good Times. TLC went in for re-branding in September 2010, and leads the segment with a 58 per cent share of viewership in the genre.

Others are waiting in the wings. Chef Sanjeev Kapoor’s Food Food, in alliance with Malaysian media conglomerate Astro, will launch early this year. Then there’s Food First, the first of the Alva brothers’ bouquet of “premium English lifestyle channels”, scheduled to go live in the first quarter of 2011. “We believe specialised content is going to define Indian television programming in the years to come; and lifestyle will be a key genre with focused segments within the same,” says Manisha Tripathi, business head, Real Global Broadcasting, the company launching the channels.

So why is lifestyle so hot? Hiren Pandit, managing partner of Group M, a leading media investment company, says it’s because the viewership comprises the top of the socioeconomic spectrum. “They’re niche, so even if the numbers are small, they are more targeted,” he feels.

Farokh Balsara, partner, media and entertainment sector, Ernst & Young, says that though the advertising market for lifestyle channels is only about Rs 150-200 crore, it is the growing subscription revenues, as a result of the digitisation of distribution [with DTH, IPTV and digital cable], that explains the rash of launches in this segment. “Neither do these channels require much investment since most programmes are shot in a small studio. It’s essentially a low-risk, low-reward game,” he adds.

Lifestyle channels have a 0.14 share of TV viewership and around 1 per cent share of the total TV advertising in India. “This is expected to triple in the next five years,” says Smeeta Chakrabarti, CEO, NDTV Lifestyle.

“TLC saw 25 per cent growth in viewership last year, which is huge in today’s fragmented market,” says Rahul Johri, senior vice-president (India), Discovery Networks (of which TLC is a part). The upwardly mobile Indian loves programmes that further his aspirations for the good life. “There is a huge aspiration to know the latest trends, on how to do things right, what to wear. Some of our best-performing programmes are grooming shows,” he says.

As for the programming, a significant chunk of it is international. “Which is exactly what the audience wants anyway,” reminds Johri. It helps that with the Indian economy on a roll, many international production houses have the country on their radar and popular hosts such as Ian Wright and Anthony Bourdain now come to India to shoot a part of their shows.

Food First, like TLC and Sanjeev Kapoor’s Food Food, will have largely international programming, with some local content “cherrypicked according to the tastes of Indian audiences,” says Tripathi.

However, local content is increasing. Take TLC’s recent much-hyped shows such as ‘Living With A Superstar — Shah Rukh Khan’ (which was also the top-rated programme in Malaysia, says Johri), ‘The Great Indian Wedding’ and ‘Vir Sanghvi’s Asian Diary’. NDTV Good Times, too, is building on its strength -food programming — with a couple of new food reality shows and adding some big shows in fashion, bridal and home. “Also, there’s the exciting new travel show — ‘India’s Most Haunted’ with Highway on my Plate stars, Rocky and Mayur,” says Chakrabarti.