-

Game of Thrones, which is based on the fantasy book series ‘A Song of Ice and Fire’, will launch on 21 August at 6:30 pm and thereafter airs every Sunday before the 9 pm movie. Mildred Pearce, a mini series starring Kate Winslet and Guy Pearce, kicks off next month in five episodes. Some of the award winning films to be aired on HBO are Temple Grandin, The Special Relationship, and You Don’t Jack.

Speaking on this occasion, Shruti Bajpai – Country Manager – South Asia, HBO says that, “20% of the lineup comes from original content and we hope it continues to do so. HBO Originals is different from the typical soaps and sitcoms. It helps build our brand and also gets in revenue.”

Known for giving its audiences cult shows like Sex in the City and Six Feet Under; HBO has some competition from new entrants like Movies Now and Sony Pix and they do not deny it. Shruti further elaborates that, “the scale of production is out of the world and we have gone to the extent of creating our own language for our mini series.” Highlighting a very important point, HBO has no expectations of number or ratings. Talking about issues and concerns of the censor law, the channel holds that, editing shall be done, only in dire need.

HBO holds a different strategy for USA and India. “In the US, there is watershed hour, so people are skeptical to bring in new shows;” she said. In India, there is a different ball game. “The profiles of the audiences is changing, and so is their awareness and understanding of the content of the shows, thus demanding original content”, highlighted Bajpai.

This English movie channel also has a good movie library. This, along with the point of ‘original’ content and offering something for everyone and be a one stop shop as their USP’s, HBO aims and claims to break viewer fatigue, unlike its competitors by not telecasting films repeatedly.

Speaking about the advertising associations that the channel has and indicating new associations, Bajpai says, “our advertisers are not just advertisers, they are our partners. We believe that our dealings with the advertisers are not merely to bring in revenue and play the number game. But it is all about building a ‘relation’ with them and thus other clients and eventually, the viewers.” | By Ankita Tanna [ankita(at)adgully.com]

-

HBO’s programming includes the best of Hollywood movies on television first in South Asia through associations with 15+ studios and independent movie companies, including Paramount, NBC Universal and Warner Bros.

The channel completed ten years of its operation in India. On this occasion to gather more about the channel’s journey so far and future plans, Adgully caught with Shruti Bajpai, Country Manager -South Asia, HBO Asia.

Talking about some of the key milestones for the channel over the decade, Bajpai says, “When we look back over the ten years gone by we at HBO have kind of redefined the English movie channel space in India. When we launched in 2000 there were already a few players in the market, but people were used to watching certain kind of movies and specific genre of movies. But when we launched we had deals with the top four studios of Hollywood, it suddenly unleashed the powerhouse of entertainment. I believe HBO has changed the way people watch movie and entertainment in India. Our packaging and programming goes through a revamp every month with fresher content.”

“The other milestone is that our launch affected the programming and content across English movie channels to a certain extent. A lot of fresher content and also critically acclaimed movies started being a part of the programming. We later also came out with our franchise called HBO Original Series. It has worked very well with our audiences and we have been able to offer something more and new compared to other channels in the same space,” she adds.

Bajpai further points out that the channel has grown from strength to strength in terms of distribution and advertising. The number of sponsors and the commercial viability of the channel has grown progressively.

She recognises the channel as the “one stop shop for entertainment and movies in the country”. “You can expect anything from us that falls in the domain of quality entertainment then it can be to come out with the most number of blockbuster premieres, or having a good number of strong franchises, or even screening movies which are critically acclaimed. In the real term of words we are the only international movie channel,” Bajpai adds.

She further points out that HBO is an international brand with a very strong reach and that it is very well differentiated in the market amongst competition. However she acknowledges that as competition picks up the audiences start expecting more of the channel. “The expectation of the viewers naturally goes up and then you have to improve your performance further to match upto that expectation. Hence we have planned a new line-up which is not only entertaining but is very relevant. Our quality and the commitment to build that quality is central to us,” Bajpai points out.

So given the leadership position for over 10 years, what will be the channel’s marketing and packaging plans?

Bajpai says, “Going forward we will be looking at fine tuning our marketing mix. We have realised that one brush stroke is not enough to attract all kinds of audiences. Social Media has proved very engaging for us, we have the largest number of fans compared to our competition. We think social media is a very good way to interact with our viewers and to know about their preferences in programming. We are looking at exploring on ground activities and OOH campaigns in a big way. So the marketing strategy is going to be to fine tune the mix keeping the end user in mind.”

Bajpai says that digital is an extremely important element in the media mix and it also led to the realisation that the channel’s interactivity with its viewers was more so across the digital space than through any other medium. “Digital as a medium perhaps reaches more of our loyal audiences than any other medium, stickiness is a very important factor for any channel. Besides, it might be fashionable at the moment to say that digital is important but one has to really understand the relevance of the medium in terms of it providing a better platform for engagement and interaction to your viewers,” she says.

She points out that the English movie space has grown in the country and evolved over the years but she is quick enough to add that these channels can certainly never be compared to the GECs. However she also adds that the ad revenues have gone up for the space pretty much over the years. “HBO pioneered the whole space of movie channels and brand associations. We were the forerunners in terms of coming up with customised packaging. When we started off, advertising was limited to just commercials on the channel. Now there is so much of brand integration and depending upon the brand’s communication we customise the programming, “ she adds.

Bajpai identifies the TG for HBO as inclusive of anybody who loves watching movies and has an average command over the language- English. In terms of marketing the channel believes going out and out promoting that one big movie of the month through various media like print, television, radio, digital and OOH. The channel does so because they believe in reaching out to their viewers through various touch-points and so that the brand promise is registered further.

Talking about the challenges for HBO in a country like India, Bajpai says, “The market is hugely fragmented. In India today, in the English entertainment channel space there are many options available besides just English movie channels and hence the attention span keeps fluctuating. Moreover piracy is very much a phenomenon in the country. So these are the challenges in terms of maintaining the audience base and internally the challenge is in terms of many new channels launching in the space.”

She further points out that the smaller markets are also an area of focus for HBO and she acknowledges that the rural markets are reporting growth in literacy and digital growth.

When asked if the channel has plans to move into HD, Bajpai points out that, “The problem in moving to HD is that if your USP will be technology led and not content led, it will be replicated. Everybody will eventually move to HD but the question is how commercially viable is it and what is the actual mass of audience using the technology.”

While signing off, Bajpai says, “The year 2011 will be very interesting with a lot of competition. We will also have a lot to offer to our viewers. Some very big ticket properties will be launched by us. Overall the year 2011 will be more intense in terms of people fighting to attract eyeballs. We will all have to concentrate on providing fresher content which has never been seen in India before.” | By Prabha Hegde [prabha(at)adgully.com]

Advertisement

The channel now is in the same league as HBO and Star Movies, and has intensified the competition and took it to a new level. The channel is not only looking at offering good films but is also planning to expand in various smaller markets within the country.

Adgully exclusively spoke to the man of the hour Sunder Aaron, Business Head, Sony Pix Channel, to talk to him about the channel’s expansion plans and how things look up post it officially gaining rights to telecast
titles from the Sony Pictures Entertainment (SPE) library.

Talking about marketing the channel differently than the competition, he says with the number of channels presently available on TV there is always a bit of struggle to market and promote something. “Besides most of the modes of communication are becoming more and more costly, hence it is more or less a challenge to market a product or offering. However, a service of quality for the viewers will always stand apart amongst the cut throat competition and thus Sony Pix has been able to stand out because of the quality in content it provides”, he adds.

Believing in the concept that – “It is basically about experimenting in the marketing space”; the channel has right now tried to explore the digital media. The channel has got Digit 9.0 to carry out its social media marketing initiatives. Initially the channel had a fan following of 300 on a social media platform in June this year, which has reached 30,000 followers now.

Moreover the channel believes in constant marketing, so they believe in churning out strategic campaigns every month. Last year, the channel also tried to promote itself through pop- corn cones in the various chains of multiplexes like Fun Republic, Fame and PVR.

The channel is also planning to explore promotion through mobile as a medium; the channel thus wants to attract younger audiences in the long run. Sony Pix has also initiated the Pix Movie Club, anybody who wants to be a member can simply go on the channel’s website and sign in. Post the sign up process, the person will get a coupon; it will allow the member to watch any of the latest English movie release at just Rs.30.

Through the various marketing and promotional activities the channel wants to build its brand value of “a channel that will show movies which have great stories.”

Aaron further adds that, since the launch the channel has been able to clearly demarcate itself in the movie channel’s category. According to him, factors like chalking out original programming, interacting with the users from time to time and telecasting movies produced in India itself, are some of the key elements that differentiates Sony Pix from competition. “We take a fairly different approach towards programming and our positioning is about – how valuable storytelling is”, he adds.

Further, elaborating on the channel’s efforts to reach smaller markets, Aaron explains that viewers across the country and not only just major metro cities have an increasing interest in English programming. The channel will thus indulge in more marketing and on-ground activities across India, moreover online marketing has helped the channel to reach the smaller pockets better.

Aaron says that with the channel’s output deal with SPE, the channel will see more progress in terms of viewership and will be able to showcase more and more- all time and current blockbusters. The channel will be able to play 40-50 new movies every year owing to the deal, and the movies from the Sony studio will be aired on the channel first in India.

“The appearance of the channel has also been changed a bit; it’s sleeker, more cleaner and a lot more contemporary. The channel right now is very relevant, very active and has promising credentials,” he adds.

The channel has a line up of some very well-acclaimed movies to be showcased in the months to come, the movies include Hurt Locker; New York, I Love You; Hot Tub Time Machine; District 9; Resident Evil: Extinction etc.The channel has also invested time and money on upgrading its website and adding new features and a few webisodes, because a lot the viewers are active online.

Aaron adds that the channel has also been getting more and more advertisers for over a year now, and the output deal announcement has just improved the ad rates for the channel.

Looking forward to cater to a target group of adults from the age group of 18-44 and SEC A and B, the channel has had a channel share of around 20%.

“Although content is an important factor, clever and strategic marketing and to have a very clear positioning is very important for a channel to succeed. We have been very groundbreaking in terms of our marketing and promotional activities,” Aaron adds.

Sony Pix might have entered the race late, but it has certainly been able to reach their fast. The channel with its strategic marketing plans and audience interactivity mode will surely bring in more aggression and enthusiasm in the already existing cut-throat competition. | By Prabha Hegde [prabha(at)adgully.com]

Advertisement

Nirmal brings with him over a decade of experience, working on major brands such as Nike, Royal Enfield, General Motors, Singapore Tourism, Yellow Pages, Citibank, Asahi Glass and Hutch. He has a total of nine One Shows with two pencils among them; and nominations in the D&AD, Cannes and The CA Annuals to his credit.
Nirmal has worked with top advertising agencies such as Young & Rubicam (Singapore), David (New Delhi), O&M, McCann Erickson and Contract Advertising. His longest stint was with David, where he was also instrumental in setting up the agency.

On joining Mudra North & East, Nirmal says, “Mudra is one of the giants of our industry. One of the few agencies that has reached critical mass quickly and maintained their stature as a Top 5 agency for the last three decades. They have a well-respected creative head in Bobby and a sterling management team at the top. I look forward to building a strong partnership with Ajay Naqvi and the team in Delhi and Calcutta offices.”

Commenting on Nirmal’s appointment, Ajay Naqvi, EVP & Head, Mudra North & East said, “Nirmal’s appointment will ensure ground breaking creative solutions for our present and prospective clients. I met Nirmal and it seemed like we had known each other from before. His work ethics, his creative brilliance and his experience across categories will drive greater enthusiasm among the planning, creative and account management team to step up. I wish him exciting times at Mudra and all my luck.”

Commenting on Nirmal’s appointment, Bobby Pawar, Chief Creative Officer, Mudra Group, said, “I am really excited about Nirmal coming on board to lead our young, talented and hungry team. He shares our passion for Broad Ideas, and I am sure we will see some inventive solutions coming out from here.”

Advertisement

Among the many areas covered in a “fireside chat” format at the CASBAA Convention 2010 will be the “Agency’s role in the new advertising world” and “Strategies for leveraging video services as an effective, interactive and innovative advertising platform for clients and agencies in a fast-moving digital world”.

“Nick Brien is a terrific talent, much more than just a top-tier international media executive. His extensive experience in the media and marketing arena will certainly bring invaluable insights to us,” said Marcel Fenez, Chairman of CASBAA and Global Leader of Entertainment & Media Practice at PricewaterhouseCoopers. “Certainly it will be our greatest pleasure to have Nick Brien as part of our heavyweight speaker line-up for the Convention 2010. Advertising (and television in all its forms) is resurgent and Nick Brien has some fascinating views on its development.”

“I am honored to participate in the CASBAA programme and look forward to the lively discussions that are the trademark of this important gathering,” said Brien.

CASBAA Convention 2010 is supported by ABS, Arianespace, AsiaSat, CNBC, Comcast, Discovery Networks Asia-Pacific, Disney Media Distribution, Ericsson, Eurodata TV, Eurosport, Fashion One, FRANCE 24, Globecast, HBO, Invest Hong Kong, MEASAT, MGM Channel, MTV Networks, NHK World, Paul Weiss, Playboy TV, RRsat, SES WORLD SKIES, Synovate, Tiger Gate, Turner, Universal Networks International and Warner TV, along with the support of over 30 media partners and trade organisations.

Advertisement

Themed “Unlock Your Networks”, the four-day CASBAA Convention 2010 gathers operators, content providers, satellite services, technology, carriers and ad agencies together to further unlock the vast pay-TV potential across Asia. Keynote addresses, In Conversation sessions and panel discussions, along with networking breakfasts, lunches and official receptions, combine to create Asia’s most vibrant platform, connecting Channels, Platforms, Technology, Partnerships and building new networks.

To date 26 industry leaders have committed their support to the CASBAA Convention 2010 including ABS, Arianespace, AsiaSat, CNBC, Comcast, Discovery Networks Asia-Pacific, Disney Media Distribution, Eurodata TV, Eurosport, Fashion One, FRANCE 24, Globecast, HBO, Invest Hong Kong, MEASAT, MGM Channel, MTV Networks, NHK World, Paul Weiss, Playboy TV, RRsat, Synovate, Tiger Gate, Turner, Universal Networks International and Warner TV, along with more than 30 media partners and trade organisations.

This year’s Convention presents a powerful programme highlighting the critical issues shaping the Asian pay-TV industry. With digital media now centre stage, industry thought leaders from across the globe will discuss strategies for capitalizing on the latest market opportunities for subscription television and advertising revenues in Asia.

Advertisement

Prior to this, Shermann was the management supervisor – account management for Ogilvy & Mather.

Shermann has over 13 years of experience in the advertising industry. He has worked with companies such as Barclays Bank, Axis Bank, Standard Chartered Bank, Tata Indicom, AXN, Airtel, HBO, Hindustan Lever and Star Plus.

Shermann started his career with Primesite Outdoor advertising in 1999 and moved on to The Media Network in 2001.

He worked with Madison Outdoor Media Services and later, in 2002 moved to Portland India Outdoor advertising as group account director.