In the [V]audeville of Cable & Satellite tele[V]ision, the latest chapter unfolded in mid-August when Channel [V] overhauled its raison d'etre. It opted
for the status of a `youth' channel, dumping its previous music channel avatar.
[V]'s new `Better than ever before' formula saw the departure of four VJs. General manager Jules Fuller had already put in his papers. And there was a flurry of activity, principally on the programming side. The channel has announced 21 new programmes. In keeping with the new positioning, 19 of these are non-music, and busy themselves with the supposedly `substance over style' interests of the Indian youth.
This is a big departure from the way most channels have positioned themselves in India. Instead of being led by sharply defined customer segments, channels are largely programming-driven. So there are sports channels, music channels, news channels and general
entertainment channels. The idea is to cater to a particular type of entertainment/information need rather than a specific viewer category.
That's how the industry works
worldwide.
It's this accepted wisdom that newly-appointed general manager of Channel [V], Suresh Bala, is turning on its head.
In December last year, the channel surveyed about 2,500 people (SEC A and B, aged between 15-24). One of the key findings here was that the youth of India is less swayed by music than their parents fear. Says Mahesh Murthy, consultant to [V], and one of the minds behind this overhaul, "(The youth) is thinking about relationships, careers, sex, AIDS, politics, gadgets.... And the thing here was: this huge market is crying out for information, and no channel is talking to them."
Another reason behind the overhaul, he says, was that while [V]'s audience had matured (changed), the channel remained the same.
These insights have driven [V]'s new programming. The percentage of music-based programming has fallen to about 50-60 per cent. The new shows will account for the rest. Ask Murthy about the 19 non-music shows, and he describes them as "The expected done in an unexpected manner." Among these are gameshows, `[V] Sabha' (where the hope of tomorrow skewers the politicians of today), programmes on career guidance, on fashion, on cool gadgets, and so on. Budgets have kept pace with this flurry of new software. The programming budget has seen an 81 per cent jump over the previous year. The number of people in production alone is expected to rise from the present 120 to about 170 by September.
