Exclusive | Sony Max strengthening its position: Neeraj Vyas

With the closure of IPL 6, presently one of the biggest properties on television, Set Max the Hindi movie channel from Multi Screen Media (MSM) has initiated their move to return to original programming content and premiere blockbuster Hindi movies to retain audience viewership. The channel has strengthened their movie library to entertain their audiences like never before and fill the void created by the conclusion of the IPL season. They have also proved to be one of India’s first movie channel to have experimented with the concept of live tweeting.

In an exclusive interaction with Adgully, Neeraj Vyas, Senior VP and Business Head, Set Max, spoke about their new strategies and plans for the near future in terms of changes in content of the movie genre post the conclusion of IPL, their promotional activities, their focus on the digital front and more.

With regard to Max’s latest acquisitions post IPL he said, “Now as a strategy we are in the process of acquiring some new big titles and have started to premiere blockbusters to retain audience viewership. With Sony and Sony Max we have been premiering big titles successfully. For e.g.We had premiered Aashique 2, Jab Tak Hain Jaan and Talaash. We will  also be showcasing Yeh Jawani Hai Diwani, Once Upon A Time in Mumbai part two, Ek Thi Daayan, Gippi, Shootout at Wadala, Krrish 3 , Aurangzeb , Raaz3 and Lootera and hence we have an exhaustive and competitive line up of movies throughout the year.”

Adding further he said, “We are also tying up with a lot of promotional activities with some key releases through the year. During the telecast of the IPL we had Ranbir Kapoor and Deepika Padukone promoting Yeh Jawaani Hai Diwani and also other new releases. We also intend launching the Lootera promotions that will start soon with Ranvir Singh and Sonakshi Sinha and same with Aashiqui 2 in the near future.” Thus with these activities the channel will have on air integrations and this in turn will help to promote the channel and also become a platform for stars to promote their films.

When asked about their supremacy in the movie genre post IPL, Vyas said that the channel has been doing extremely well in the space they are in and if industry experts are to be believed the channel has come up with positive measures in building up their library. We checked with industry experts Sony Max’s perception in the market and they stand fairly up in the ranking considering the titles they have acquired of late and the on air integrations and marketing strategies that the channel has paid attention to.

Sony Max also shares an excellent rapport with large production houses such as Yash Raj Films, Karan Johar’s Dharma productions and FilmKraft productions. They intend to continue their allegiance with all the three production houses. They have acquired 12 odd movies which is a mix of small and big titles at a substantial cost. If industry experts are to be believed the channel has spent 300 odd crores in boosting their library with their latest acquisitions along with a few recent premieres that include Paan Singh Tomar and Rowdy Rathore. However Neeraj Vyas chose to remain silent on the acquisition costs they have incurred on acquiring the movies. With acquisition costs spiraling, channels would have to get prudent and judicious to match the costs while acquiring movies although they may be lucrative and have big stars.

Explaining their further strategies Vyas went on to say, “Sony Max today is the right movie destination and hence becomes a good platform for producers to showcase their films to a large audience.” Nowadays stars come to promote their movies on the channels and this is a happy and mutual plan that the channel has embarked upon and loads of production houses will see value in it.

Max is actively focusing to build up traction on the digital front too. The channel also intends to build up engagement with the audiences through Facebook and Twitter will create  opportunities for engagement with audiences  to build a connect in the digital space. As part of their digital campaign through Twitter, Sony MAX integrated live tweeting during the premiere of Jab Tak Hain Jaan which gave them a substantial spike and helped their numbers grow. It is also mention worthy that they received more than 2500 responses which is fabulous and has never occurred for a movie channel. This continuing trend will help strengthen the channel too. There are also plans of building up engagement for Aashiqui 2, in the social and digital media space. Contrary to popular belief there is much potential in Hindi films to build up on the digital space said Vyas.

When asked if they are experimenting with any specific time band or days which work best for the channel to build and push as a separate property, he said, “Monday to Friday is a committed slot where people come with appointment viewing and we too get ratings along with Hindi GEC’s. GEC’s also air films and reality shows so we have to ensure that our marketing and product which we are offering to our viewers is the best.”

In the past Max is known to have launched differentiated content such as the quiz show ‘Extra shots challenge’ and ‘Dirty Khabar’. Max is known for their long tradition of approaching and executing things differently, providing innovation and adding value for the viewers in the movie space. Alongside movie blockbusters they have always showcased something ‘extra’ for the viewers, be it ‘Kahani Puri Filmy Hai’ or biographies. Do they have any plans on the anvil of repeating this strategy?  Replying to this Vyas in conclusion shared  Max’s further plans with regard to differentiated programming . He said, “We are planning to come up with another show this season. We are finalizing it and the show will see a September/October launch but would be in the movie space itself. We have followed this strategy two years in a row now and will continue doing so irrespective of the ratings.”

The next big movie Max is looking forward to premiere on a larger scale is Aashiqui 2, scheduled for July 28, 2013.