Just TV Punjabi, a new full-fledged entertainment channel in the Punjabi language, is entering the affluent Punjab, Haryana, Chandigarh and Himachal Pradesh (PHCHP) market, hitherto dominated by news and music channels.
The channel, to go on air on June 15, is owned by a non-resident Indian businessman Raj Karnik and is a part of Channel Guide India Limited.
Manish Vasisht, the channel's managing partner and CEO, is cagey about sharing details on the promoters till the formal media announcement on the venture is made next month.
A former Zee TV executive, who's worked in Dubai and the UK, Vasisht says that the channel is called Just TV Punjabi as more channels will be launched under the Just TV brand name.
The free-to-air channel will focus on the PHCHP region "though cable operators keen to take the channel to Mumbai are also welcome," he says. Eventually, the channel will target the Punjabi population in the UK, Canada and the US, claims Vasisht.
Just TV has tied up with NDTV Media, the media specialist of the broadcasting sector for advertising sales and strategic consultancy, on market research and content. Raj Nayak, CEO NDTV Media, says that Just TV Punjabi will be Punjab's first full-scale Punjabi general entertainment channel (GEC).
Agrees Manish Vasisht: "We conducted a market research, which showed a clear-cut need gap. Punjab has many news and music channels but not a single channel that has the programming mix for a general entertainment channel."
Media experts like Ravindera Narayan are not sure if a Punjabi GEC will work. "In the past, GECs like Lashkara and Tara Punjabi have folded up," he observes. Narayan should know. After all, he's President, ETC Punjabi and business head for Zee Punjabi.
Together, the channels enjoy 65 per cent share of the market. ETC Punjabi enjoys the largest viewership in Punjab as it has the telecast rights to air Gurbani live. Zee Punjabi is more focused on news and current affairs with a bit of music and soaps thrown in.
Narayan admits that the Punjab market has exploded with a host of news channels setting up operations. "However, Punjabi GEC is a different ball game since the market is serviced very well by the Hindi GECs. Why should the viewers watch B grade Punjabi serials when they get to see high quality stuff on the Hindi channels?" he asks.
Vasisht is quick to promise top-end content on Just TV Punjabi. "In fact, we will not dole out stuff sitting in Mumbai. We are developing local talent," he says. The company is setting up studios in Chandigarh and other cities in Punjab.
But Narayan is not convinced. He says that the advertising spends in the region do not support hefty investments. "If you invest too much you cannot recover the cost. Advertisers still use the Punjabi channels as a frequency medium. For reach they advertise on the Hindi GECs," he explains.
As a result, the ad rates that a top notch Punjabi channel can command is not more than Rs 600 to Rs 800 for 10 seconds compared to Rs 10,000 to Rs 2 lakh per 10 seconds for a Hindi GEC. "We have survived because we keep the cost of ETC Punjabi very low," he admits.
Besides, carriage fee is in fashion in the affluent Punjab region as well with channels having to pay Rs 5 crore to Rs 6 crore to get a good placement in the cable network.
"The best frequencies are occupied by the Hindi channels. If you do not get the prime bands, you could build a Taj Mahal but nobody will see it," remarks Narayan.
But Vasisht and Nayak are unflustered. They believe there is a market out there waiting to be tapped. "There is a popular joke that more Johnnie Walker Black label is consumed in Punjab than it is produced in Scotland," says Nayak. He points out that per capita income of the region is higher than the average per capita income of India.
The sale of two-wheelers and four-wheelers, durables and clothing is very high in the region. Vasisht believes that the channel will draw both local retail as well as national advertisers.
"The estimated size of the market is Rs 80 crore," he says. "It's not more than Rs 50 crore," counters Narayan. Though the market size may be debatable, what Nayak is sure of is the potential of the Punjabi general entertainment channel.
"Sun TV has proved and now the Marathi channels have proved that there is an audience for good quality content in the regional languages," he concludes.
