All for one

Sahara rebrands and revamps its entertainment business

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Earlier this week, full page ads in leading newspapers announced that Sahara's entertainment channel, Sahara Manoranjan, was now Sahara One. What was left unsaid, however, was that the rebranding exercise is the first step in the company's move to become a biggie in the Indian entertainment industry.

The new name aims to bring Sahara's four businesses "" television, film, radio and special projects "" under the Sahara One umbrella. This comes just week s before Star India launches Star One.

That Sahara One is planning to take on the leaders in the television entertainment business is evident from the size of its war chest of over Rs 1,500 crore.

Sahara One's plans include launching a dedicated channel for films and film-based programmes, focusing on film production and revamping its entertainment channel.

The new strategy under the Sahara One brand is being chalked out by Sahara India Media Entertainment Management, a management joint venture between Sahara India and its long-standing consultant and marketing communications company, the Rs 800-crore Percept IMC.

As a part of the restructuring exercise, the new JV has appointed KPMG and Ernst & Young, to help develop synergies in the four major businesses.

Satish Menon, president, (marketing, sales and distribution) at Sahara One TV feels that the erstwhile Sahara Manoranjan needed to be revamped. "Viewer fatigue sets in and channels need to rejuvenate viewer interest with fresh activities.

Sahara One Television will bring new shows, better content and further strengthen our revenue model," he says. Sahara Manoranjan claims that it generated advertising worth Rs 40 crore in oneyear. Under the Sahara One brand, Menon hopes to double this figure.

To boost programming, Sahara One TV has roped in well-known filmmakers like Ken Ghosh and Sooraj Barjatya who will make serials for the channel.

The new programme schedule also includes 12 live shows in a year. It has also roping in celebrities like Shobha De for a chat show called Power Trip and a weekly opinion poll hosted by Siddhartha Basu.

The company also plans to grow its presence in the entertainment segment by launching a channel for films and "filmi" stuff in January. For the channel, it will get into exclusive long term tie-ups with leading artistes, producers and technicians to develop content.

The film channel will also get exclusive rights to premiere movies produced by Sahara One Motion Pictures. Set up a year ago, the film production company, known as Sahara Manoranjan earlier, has entered into exclusive tie-ups with film producers and directors such as Ram Gopal Varma and Bonney Kapoor.

It will also produce regional films and has already commissioned eight films with the Bengali star Prasenjit.

Having put nearly Rs 185 crore in 46 films slated for release in the next one year, Sahara One Motion Pictures will help the company create a formidable television software library as the perpetual satellite rights of these films will remain with Sahara One Television.

In keeping with its strategy to enter the world of films in a big way, Sahara is also getting ready its massive film city complex in Goregaon.

The company is unwilling to share details on its radio business plans. Sahara One Radio, known as Sahara Swar earlier, has been transmitting four radio channels on the World Space Satellite Network.

Clearly, with Sahara One flexing its muscles to make inroads into the entertainment industry, rival Hindi entertainment channels better watch out.