 "Can Sony again hit the jackpot?")
It is that time of the year when Sony Entertainment Television (Sony), the flagship general entertainment channel under the Multi Screen Media (MSM) banner, gets ready to unveil the latest season of its marquee game show, Kaun Banega Crorepati or KBC. The show, hosted by Hindi film industry legend Amitabh Bachchan, is in its seventh season and is one property which has consistently performed for the channel, with the preceding season launching with a 6.1 TRP (television rating point).
But with Sony consistently ranking as the fourth among GECs in viewership ratings for over a year, KBC's success is critical for its credentials.
Gaurav Seth, the senior vice-president and marketing head, says, "We are extremely proud to have a property like KBC on the channel. The show has done wonders for us. It has changed prime-time viewing in India and having Mr Bachchan as the host just completes the package."
Acknowledging the importance of KBC for the channel, Sony will look to plaster the urban landscape with the genial countenance of Bachchan,along with the slogan Seekhna bandh to jeetna bandh. Apart from traditional media, the channel will carrying out initiatives on the digital platform.
Seth says, "KBC has always propagated the belief that knowledge reaps rewards. The essence of our communication has been to bring out a new relatable dimension to it. This year KBC will focus on the importance of learning at every stage of life, reiterated through situations faced by four professionals who stopped learning and the consequences."
Sources reveal Sony has earmarked 20-22 per cent of its annual marketing budget on this one show. Seth says, "With a fiction show, you have some sort of fragmentation of the audience and you can have a campaign targeting a certain section of the audience. With a show like KBC, the scale is huge as almost everyone is a potential viewer. So, while the undertaking is huge, the canvas is also broader and so are the touch-points available to us."
Not just marketing, Sony could also do with fine-tuning its distribution. A media planner who was previously with a rival GEC says, "Sony has had its programming strategy in place since it launched. Its strategy has always been slightly skewed towards SEC A and B audience. What I feel is the problem is the channel's distribution. Once it gets that in place, the channel will see better numbers." Karthik Lakshminarayan, Chief Operating Officer, Madison Communications and Crest (a unit under Platinum Media), explains, "I think the channel is either not reaching the target audience or is reaching an audience not meant to watch the programming on the channel. Either way, the channel needs to look at its distribution strategy."
To air on September 6, KBC has had five seasons with Sony since 2009, before which it was with rival STAR Plus, from the STAR India stable. This season, too, the show will be aired from Friday to Sunday.
The show has retained its title and "powered by" sponsors in Cadbury and Idea, respectively. It will have others on board soon. According to those in the know, the 10-second ad spots are selling at Rs 3-4 lakh. With the Telecom Regulatory Authority of India's ad cap coming into practice from October 1, these rates may increase by 30 to 40 per cent. Insiders peg the ad revenue of an episode of KBC's latest season in the range of Rs 2.5-3 crore. Even though the total expected revenue in the range of Rs 117-120 crore, is less than last year's (Rs 240 crore), the cost of production for the channel is also less this year since there would be 37-39 episodes compared to 58 last year.
Lakshminarayan says, "KBC has a mass pull. It enjoys appointment-viewing that cannot be compared to any other show on GECs and gets advertisers very high exposure."
Experts point out that fatigue with repeated non-fiction formats is being reflected in viewership numbers. Even the most popular shows today garner 4-5 TRPs as opposed to 9-10 earlier. There is a need to infuse new life into the genre. Until then, GECs will hang on to their blockbusters. Sony's is here.
PROGRAMMING MAKE-UP
But with Sony consistently ranking as the fourth among GECs in viewership ratings for over a year, KBC's success is critical for its credentials.
Gaurav Seth, the senior vice-president and marketing head, says, "We are extremely proud to have a property like KBC on the channel. The show has done wonders for us. It has changed prime-time viewing in India and having Mr Bachchan as the host just completes the package."
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There was a time when Sony had popular reality TV show formats such as Jhalak Dikhla Ja and Bigg Boss, along with its current formats of KBC and Indian Idol. But with Jhalak and Bigg Boss moving to Colors and Indian Idol facing viewer fatigue, Sony's non-fiction slate does not look peachy (for more on the channel's programming, see box).
Acknowledging the importance of KBC for the channel, Sony will look to plaster the urban landscape with the genial countenance of Bachchan,along with the slogan Seekhna bandh to jeetna bandh. Apart from traditional media, the channel will carrying out initiatives on the digital platform.
Seth says, "KBC has always propagated the belief that knowledge reaps rewards. The essence of our communication has been to bring out a new relatable dimension to it. This year KBC will focus on the importance of learning at every stage of life, reiterated through situations faced by four professionals who stopped learning and the consequences."
Sources reveal Sony has earmarked 20-22 per cent of its annual marketing budget on this one show. Seth says, "With a fiction show, you have some sort of fragmentation of the audience and you can have a campaign targeting a certain section of the audience. With a show like KBC, the scale is huge as almost everyone is a potential viewer. So, while the undertaking is huge, the canvas is also broader and so are the touch-points available to us."
Not just marketing, Sony could also do with fine-tuning its distribution. A media planner who was previously with a rival GEC says, "Sony has had its programming strategy in place since it launched. Its strategy has always been slightly skewed towards SEC A and B audience. What I feel is the problem is the channel's distribution. Once it gets that in place, the channel will see better numbers." Karthik Lakshminarayan, Chief Operating Officer, Madison Communications and Crest (a unit under Platinum Media), explains, "I think the channel is either not reaching the target audience or is reaching an audience not meant to watch the programming on the channel. Either way, the channel needs to look at its distribution strategy."
To air on September 6, KBC has had five seasons with Sony since 2009, before which it was with rival STAR Plus, from the STAR India stable. This season, too, the show will be aired from Friday to Sunday.
The show has retained its title and "powered by" sponsors in Cadbury and Idea, respectively. It will have others on board soon. According to those in the know, the 10-second ad spots are selling at Rs 3-4 lakh. With the Telecom Regulatory Authority of India's ad cap coming into practice from October 1, these rates may increase by 30 to 40 per cent. Insiders peg the ad revenue of an episode of KBC's latest season in the range of Rs 2.5-3 crore. Even though the total expected revenue in the range of Rs 117-120 crore, is less than last year's (Rs 240 crore), the cost of production for the channel is also less this year since there would be 37-39 episodes compared to 58 last year.
Lakshminarayan says, "KBC has a mass pull. It enjoys appointment-viewing that cannot be compared to any other show on GECs and gets advertisers very high exposure."
Experts point out that fatigue with repeated non-fiction formats is being reflected in viewership numbers. Even the most popular shows today garner 4-5 TRPs as opposed to 9-10 earlier. There is a need to infuse new life into the genre. Until then, GECs will hang on to their blockbusters. Sony's is here.
PROGRAMMING MAKE-UP
- Sony's recent fiction shows have not taken off
- The last big fiction property had been Bade Acche Lagte Hain, launched in 2011
- The consistently top-rated shows continue to be crime-based, such as Crime Patrol and C.I.D
- Sony depends on KBC produced by Siddharth Basu's Big Synergy for revenue & viewership spike
- August will also mark a new fiction show, Jee Le Zara