Exclusive | 256 GRPs and counting: Star Pravah's Nachiket Pantvaidya

Launched in November 2008, Star Pravah is the leading Marathi General Entertainment Channel from Star Entertainment Media Pvt. Ltd. (SEMPL) The channel launched with the vision to set new benchmark in multi genre Marathi content on television reflecting Maharashtrian culture and also evoking Maharashtra’s pride. 

 

STAR Pravah has yet again consolidated its leadership by assuming the number one position to become Maharashtra’s No 1 General Entertainment Channel yet again.  The Channel attained 256 GRPs, the highest ever, beating all its existing HGE and MGE competition in Maharashtra.

 

Adgully spoke to Nachiket Pantvaidya, Executive Vice President & General Manager of Star Pravah regarding the success of the channel and this is what he had to say:

 

He attributes the success of the high GRP’s to the fact that all their content strategy is being part of an entertainment channel. “We are not considering ourselves as the best Marathi entertainment option but as a best general entertainment option,” says Nachiket Pantvaidya.

 

Initially when they launched the channel they started with shows like “Raja Shivchatrapati” which reflected deeply into Marathi culture. But today most of their shows are a mix of the traditional with the contemporary which appeals to their audiences. “We are trying to market ourselves differently,” he says. Most of the female protagonists in their serials are portrayed as educated and able to handle and solve their own problems. This is another factor which appeals to their viewers he says.

 

He also spoke about ground activation and ground events and their brand in this connection called ‘Haldi Kumkum’ which is very popular with viewers. He also added they do roughly around 50-60 shows in a year.  Devyani, another hit with the audiences, which is aired Monday – Saturday at 8.30 pm, and launched in March, has been climbing the ratings chart at a steady pace with a 4.3 TVR and is the undisputed leader at its respective time slot. Pudhcha Paul is another popular serial which follows with a 3.9 TVR at 7.30 pm.

 

The channel has seen a consistent growth week after week despite IPL. With regard to the IPL hampering their viewer ship he says that their strength lies in its strong line up of prime time fiction content that has helped the channel connect better with its audiences. “A lot of our ratings come from our shows in the 8pm slot including the blockbuster movies and are in the time band which viewers can watch and at the same time not clash with the IPL viewing,” he says.

 

Their plans of focusing on social media or digital are at a minimum level presently and they plan to engage with the audiences sometime at a later date.

 

“It is the progressive content and the technical quality of the content in our shows which contributes to the success of Star Pravah,” according to Nachiket.

 

Best films from not only regional category but also from the overall category are another reason for the channels success story. Advertisements in English newspapers and English sub-titles given to Marathi cinema have also contributed to increase viewership and encourage non-Maharashtrian audience. “We are not in the Marathi space but in the entertainment space today. That is why we have managed to be ahead of Hindi and Marathis GEC’s today” he says. On an end note he adds, “We also buy a lot of big movies of high concept and most of them are commercial hits and have doubled our library in the past few years.”

 

According to TAM* ratings, Star Pravah has recorded the highest TSV (time spent per viewer) in Wk 21’12 of 178, beating Set Max by a considerable margin. STAR Pravah is the clear leader in key markets of Mumbai and Pune. In Mumbai, the channel stands high at 339 GRPs across HGE and MGE, the highest ever since its launch.

 

The channel has marched on to find a foothold in the television industry. They are the undisputed leader in the Marathi entertainment genre today. Audiences spend at least 45 minutes per day on an average on this channel a notch higher in comparison to any other channel. Hence we can say that STAR Pravah  has the most watched and highly rated Marathi shows on Indian television and can be enjoyed as a quality entertainment experience.