Premieres help Sony Pix cement place in top two

Sony Pix heavily markets its premieres to stand out. The Hobbit... and The Amazing Spider-Man 2 are upcoming ones

In the English movie genre that is seeing fierce competition and increasing clutter over the past two years, Sony Pix has been making headway. The channel, which underwent a brand revamp in October last year, has claimed the lead position in six out of the 13 weeks in Q1 of FY-15.

For the overall quarter, Multi Screen Media's (MSM's) English movie channel led the table for the prime-time slot (9.00 pm to 1 am) with 23.6 per cent market share, while the overall leader, Star Movies had 17.9 per cent. Its overall market share was 19.3 per cent, up from 18 per cent last year and just shy of that of Star Movies (19.8 per cent).

Saurabh Yagnik, executive vice-president and business head, Sony Pix and AXN, says investments in content and a new positioning have not only garnered market share but also increased the advertising revenue yield by 25 per cent.

"Content is hygiene. Only good content will draw the audiences towards a channel. So, we signed the first output deal with MGM and then followed it with more deals with other studios like Paramount, and Lionsgate. The second challenge was to create a distinct identity for Pix, which is when we decided to take the 'Stay Amazed' ideology. In a space that has 10 players proposing to bring the best of Hollywood to Indian viewers, we wanted to make sure that our positioning was distinct," says Yagnik.

One of the strategies to increase brand recall has been to make movie premieres larger than life,starting with Skyfall (James Bond franchise) last year. It has roped in Hollywood celebrities featured in the movies for tune-in messages and contests on social media. As a result, three of the top five premieres (by viewership) have been on Pix last year.

  Continuing with the strategy, the channel will be home to five major premieres this year starting with theOscar-nominated movie featuring Tom Hanks, Captain Phillips. The premiere is being marked by a contest where the winner gets an original t-shirt worn by Hanks in the movie. "This is a 'money can't buy' kind of merchandise. We also hold something called Pix Premier Nights where we run a content and the winners get to see a new movie on the eve of its premiere in India," explains Yagnik. It has also acquired from the producers of White House Down, the shirt and tie worn by actor Jamie Foxx, for a similar contest in the future. The other upcoming premieres include The Hobbit: Desolation of Smaug, The Amazing Spider-Man 2 and Hercules.

According to data churned out by socialbakers.com, a social media measurement firm, Pix has nearly 12 per cent engagement with fans on Facebook. In order to keep things interesting, the channel introduced the character of Notty Pixie, a sassy character that delights in giving juicy gossip and trivia about Hollywood and its celebrities.

The channel says it will continue to innovate with two to three on-air properties every month. It recently launched its high-definition feed as well.