Exclusive | We're a Malyalam channel with Global appeal: Kappa TV's Shreyams Kumar

The southern based media house, the Mathrubhumi Group had  launched its second TV channel Kappa TV with a clear motive of producing differentiated content and to stay ahead of the curve. The channel caters the need of Keralites and the wider Malayalee diasporas thirsting for an ethnic mélange. With pulsating music, riotous humour, film review and intimate interviews, all tightly-edited, it has ignited the imagination of the young crowd, within months of launch, thus validating the owner’s rationale.

Adgully caught up with Shreyams Kumar, Director, Marketing & Electronic Media to know more about the channel.

When asked about the need and rationale behind the launch, he said, "There existed a need to provide content, which the viewer could relate to without losing sleep over what was missed. The content-mix mantra is to ensure that the entertainment needs of the target group are met. This spurred our drive for a youth channel, thus creating a new category in Kerala’s TV Market."

In terms of shows, Kumar said, "We air an ideal mix of music - Hindi, Tamil, Malayalam & International Music {Music Mojo, Awesome Covers, Mood Tapes, Love Bytes}."
When it comes to films the channel has celebrity interview shows like I Personally & Star Jam {All Days}, Under the category fashion they have Page 3 featuring celeb photo shoots, style tips from the best fashion experts and Street Magicto Candid Camera. For food lovers they have Creative Chef where master chefs prepare mouth-watering dishes in 5 minutes in Simply Naadan, introducing the viewer to the best and often forgotten local cuisine. And last but not the least; relationship advice is dished out by Love Guru.

Since this is South India's first youth centric channel, when asked about the challenges going further down the line, Kumar stated, "Since Kappa TV, our 5-month old channel, has only limited presence on DTH platforms, the challenge was to engage our target audience who are on the go and who spend a lot of their time online or on their mobiles. An innovative use of new media to reach out to them has meant that our content is being sampled and enjoyed online. It is not just that we have to be present in this media; we have also to interact with our audience and listen to their feedback. The challenge also lies in content co-creation."

When asked will the channel be focusing only on Mollywood and Kollywood and how would it deal with competition, Kumar answered saying, "As of now, as mentioned, we are a Malyalam-rooted ethnic channel with international appeal."

Speaking about the expected response, he said, "This leap of creativity keeps us in sync with the thoughts and aspirations of the young target audience. It lends a younger orientation to a 9-decade old media house. "

As told by Kumar, presently they have associated with Baskin Robbins and are in the process of a few more brand integrations with national clients. Also as of now the channel is only available on Airtel DTH platform.

When asked to shed some light on the marketing and promotional strategies for Kappa TV, Kumar told us that they have show-specific print ads (one/two a day in our mother brand, Mathrubhumi newspaper). The channel also has a strong online presence through Facebook/Twitter/Pinterest pages. It updates content and interacts with its audience 24X7 on social sites. "A sizeable presence in OOH platform is there for flagship shows like Music Mojo, Film Lounge, Ragaramiyer MBI, etc., including on railway stations and cinema halls. Shows are also promoted through Club FM - the sister radio station. The channel does on-screen & off-screen advertising in leading theatres and multiplexes in Kerala to promote flagship shows, apart from tie-ups with popular coffee shops/ice-cream parlours like Baskin-Robbins to promote shows within their outlets. “We have a promotional tie-up with certain portals, which are popular in Kerala. We have write-ups of our shows/features, which appear in all major publications," Kumar added.