Adgully Exclusive | In August we will promote our 11pm slot aggressively: WB's Rohit Sarma

As the year started the television industry has been abuzz with the growth to come from English entertainment genre. So as the top players in the game warm up and roll out their potential plans, Adgully caught up with Rohit Sarma, Executive Director ' Network Advertising Sales, South Asia, Turner International India Pvt. Ltd. to know more about the company's plans for WB in 2011.

WB was launched on 15 March 2009, post an extensive research done across geographies and demographics to tune-in the group's programming with the English entertainment needs of TV viewers across the country. Aimed at the upscale, affluent Indian audience (18-44 years age group), with a colossal appetite for Hollywood's best, around the clock ' "WB is India's gateway to Hollywood!'

Sarma says that more than two years ago, Turner identified a need in the market for well programmed and stylish English language Hollywood content targeting India's rapidly growing up-market audience. "This premier destination is a haven for all Hollywood aficionados offering the biggest movies, hottest action, best dramas, funniest series and the brightest stars from one of the world's biggest and most respected Hollywood Studios ' Warner Bros," he adds.

He further points out that WB received instant viewer acceptance and success as it launched in the number 3 position with 12% relative share in March 2009. "Since then the journey has been a great one with encouraging response from both viewers and advertisers," Sarma says.

Talking about the programming strategy for the channel in 2011, Sarma says that Indian audiences love action titles followed by comedy more than any other genre of English movies. "An English movie viewer wants to see his or her favourite Hollywood movie - and that is the WB promise ' always playing the viewer's favourite. We are aggressively extending the viewing experience to the key English movie viewing nights. We kick-started June 2011, by introducing a new movie block at 7:00 pm, followed by three thrilling, action-packed weekends starting 10 June with WB June Mega Action weekends, and last but not the least in July we introduced an afternoon movies slot, bringing the best of Hollywood movies for our viewers," he shares.

However, he is quick enough to add that WB's content strategy is focused on the 9:00 p.m. slot. "Interestingly, a key trend witnessed this year was the extension of the prime band from 9:00 p.m. to 11:00 p.m. This year being a cricket heavy year, the World Cup followed by IPL, most channels focused on building the 11:00 p.m. slot. India still largely is a single TV household, where men get sole access to the remote post 10:30 p.m. Thus, WB is fully geared to bring the best at the 11pm slot, in fact come August we are planning a month long festival/stunt aimed at promoting the 11:00 p.m. slot," Sarma adds with excitedly.

As good as it seems with on-air promotional activity, the channel also believes strongly on off-air engagement initiatives with the viewers. Sarma says that WB effectively ensures that the channel is engaged with viewers through the year across on-line, on-air and off-air. Direct consumer interaction/engagement is a key focus of WB's marketing strategy.

The channel's off-air focus is on effective placements which are frequented by movie lovers such as cinema halls, coffee shops, book stores etc. to render a true brand experience of "Now That's Hollywood' amongst others.

"We are currently running a successful digital engagement campaign on Facebook, treating movie buffs with WB's "Now That's Hollywood' experience. The WB Facebook page is an exciting interactive platform with conversations around movies, trivia and is peppered with fun and exciting contests. Movie buffs can also log-on to the website www.itsonwb.com to get movie schedules as well as participate in the various WB contests," Sarma says while signing off. | By Prabha Hegde [prabha(at)adgully.com]