Prime time performers

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have turned into chart-topper hits.

Now, it's launching two more serials aimed at teenagers which it hopes will turn into late evening blockbusters.

First there's Ayushman an Indian version of Doogie Howser MD. And Hum 2 Hain Na is adapted from the world famous Latin American series, Comlices al Rescate. Produced by Nikhil and Niret Alva's Miditech, it is about two two young girls who're identical twins but separated shortly after birth.

They are later brought together by their passion of music. "We're targeting the younger audience and we're sure teenagers will love both these serials," says Sunil Lulla, executive vice president, SET.

Most importantly, with these two serials which it hopes will be crowd-pullers, Sony is hoping to stretch prime time from 8.30pm to 10.30pm. Currently prime time is reckoned to be between 9.30pm-10.30pm. "The prime time slot will get strengthened with the launch of our two new serials in August," says Lulla.

Lulla is cock-a-hoop about Sony's performance in recent months. He says that the viewership of the channels shown from 9pm to 10pm has increased to 48 per cent since October 2003. "This means an increase of 10 per cent." he adds.

Ye Meri Life Hai has also hit the right spot and already has a viewership of 25 million and from mere 5 per cent the viewership has notched a whopping 21 per cent. That's a strong performance in an era of channel surfers with itchy fingers on the remote.

Wrapping up the market

"Indians use everything from paper napkins to newspapers to wrap food. We plan to change that," says Douglas Cohen, general manager Asia Pacific, Alcoa Inc. Cohen's in town to promote Reynolds Wrap Aluminium Foil which is hoping to wrap up the Indian market in style.

The company hopes to have 25 per cent share of the Rs 32 crore aluminium foil market by 2006. The market is currently growing at 50 per cent.

Reynolds has tied up with Optimum Marketing Metrics (OMM) which is also the sole distributors for Hersheys, Master Foods, Crayola and Dole juices in India. The product will be launched in a phased manner starting with Delhi, NCR, Chandigarh and other selected cities in North India.

In the second phase, Mumbai and other southern metros will be tapped. Reynolds Consumer Products is a part of the $21.5 billion aluminium giant Alcoa Inc.

To make the product popular, OMM has planned various below-the-line activities such as tapping the kitty party circuit, offering free samples and holding roadshows.

The company is also asking chefs to introduce new recipes using Reynolds aluminium foil. Says Atul Khanna, director operations OMM, "We want to create major awareness for the product. But we do not want to advertise nationally as the product is going to be availalbe only in the metros."

Depending upon the success of Reynolds aluminium foil, the comapny may introduce other products such as zipper bags, plastic wraps and pre-cut foil sheets.

Mallward ho!

Will mall-hungry Indian tourists discover a fresh destination this season? After tramping through the shopping arcades of Singapore and Dubai, will shopaholic tourists now head towards fresher pastures? According to recent figures released by the Canadian Tourism Commission "" the latest tourism board to set sights on the booming outbound market "" the number of Indians traveling to Canada in May this year went up by a whopping 45 per cent over last year. Almost 8,763 Indians traveled to that country in May and the overall growth for this year is projected at 20 per cent.

But if you thought that it is just the scenic beauty of the prairies and the country's geographic and cultural diversity "" coast-to-coast "" that is attracting Indian travellers (apart from gentleman farmers from Ropar with families in Toronto), think again.

While an average 20-day Canadian holiday offers diverse entertainment and sight-seeing by way of scenic rail journeys, drives in the Rockies, mountainsport, in addition to the mandatory trip to Niagara Falls "" the tourism board is highlighting an attraction of a different sort: Shopping at the "West Edmonton Mall", which, according to the tourism board, has been voted as the world's most entertaining place to shop.

Spread across 5.3 million square feet and built at a cost of CDN $1.2 billion, the mall has 800 stores, 110 places to eat, amusement parks and the world's largest indoor wave pool. Rides include The Mindbender roller coaster which is 14 stories high and can reach speeds of up to 96.5 km per hour.

There's also an 18-hole indoor mini-golf course as also some 'deep sea' adventure with four real submarines, dolphins and over 200 species of exotic fish, sharks, penguins etc.

The lure of the mall is significant as Indian tourists are known to flock mallwards even before they can step off the plane. In fact, this shopaholism has earned an 'ideal visitor' profile for Indian tourists "" high spenders who seek shopping as a major source of entertainment. Sanjeet, India representative at the Canadian Tourism Commission, says "India is top priority in terms of market opportunities." With as many as 6 million outbound travellers expected this year, many others would agree.

(Additional reporting by Smita Tripathi and Anoothi Vishal).