Exclusive | FX has the fastest growth story among English GECs: Kevin Vaz

In September 2012, channel FX took a decision whereby their programming strategy underwent a transformation with the concept of airing India-focused content and since then there has been no looking back for the channel. FX has seen remarkable growth in the past few months. Initially in 2010 the channel was launched in India as FX Asia (an Asian entertainment TV channel) owned and produced by Fox International Channels and distributed by STAR TV but last year the FX (Asia) feed was replaced with FX India. The channel which has been focusing on content and programming so far, will now look at making a vigorous effort to push more advertising on the channel.

FX sums up as preferred destination for the affluent viewers in India and especially the young urban male audience. Out of the 2.8 million viewers of FX in a month, 62% are males and 38% are females i.e. 1.75mn male viewers.

TAM data too proves the fact that from an average of 26 GVT’s (gross viewership in thousands) in September 2012 the channel has recorded an astounding figure of 1145 GVT’s in July 2013.

In conversation with Adgully, Kevin Vaz, Business Head, English Cluster, Star Jalsha and Jalsha Movies at STAR India, spoke about the English entertainment genre, the increased viewership and it’s scope in India, their strategies at FX to push advertising in a big way, about the channel being a preferred destination for affluent  male viewers and more.

Today we see FX summing up as the preferred destination for affluent and especially male viewers in India. Vaz elaborating on the same said, “The content on FX is much more edgy and is more evolved and hence it resonates with affluent viewers .  Within the English GEC space shows such as ‘Prison Break’ XIII, Shield and ‘X-Files’ are complex in nature while some shows such as ‘Simpsons’ & ‘Archer’ appeals to a select few. The content which we choose for this channel is for a set of viewers that understands English and has been watching English regularly, either on TV or his second screen and is certainly skewed towards males.

Taking a leap forward FX has lined up strategies to push advertising on the channel in a big way. Explaining the thought behind the same he says, “FX has been leading the category in terms of time spend week on week (Data: 1136 Weekly Average TVTs, 15+AB, 1mn+, July’13). With the highest time spent in the category, the channel is largely appealing to the evolved English general entertainment viewer who are affluent males residing in metros and we will continue to see this trend in the coming months as well. Therefore with the channel delivering and reaching out to a premium audience segment, we are confident that advertisers will find a perfect fitment for brands targeted at the higher end viewers.” He further informed that  in the coming weeks, they are gearing up with power-packed programming that will take the channel to the next level, and help it to remain at the top.

Adding further he said, “We are confident that more brands will come on board, because of the strong channel performance. FX has the fastest growth story in the English General Entertainment space.”

Replacing FX (Asia) feed with FX India has made a big difference and worked in favour of the channel. With regard to this Vaz explains, “To begin with, it allowed us to bring content which we know will resonate with Urban India. This is reflected in the channel performance as you see today. FX has the highest viewership in English GEC channel (Data: 1136 Weekly Average TVTs, 15+AB, 1mn+, July’13). The channel also continues to lead the category on time spent with 31 minutes weekly time spent in 15+AB in 1million+, July’13. This shows us that the target audience today is not only aware but is also engaging with the channel and spending quality time watching iconic content.”

As per data 50% viewers belong to SEC A and 72% reside within the top 4 metros in the country. According to this data does he think digitization has helped the channel in gaining viewership? He avers, “Certainly. Digitization evens out the playing field and gives greater power to the viewer, which in turn benefits our exclusive offerings.”

FX as mentioned earlier has set new benchmarks in terms of growth. More importantly it has shown clear leadership and affinity amongst audiences that matter – premium English viewers. Amongst 15-34 SEC A metro viewers, FX leads the category with 42% share of viewing. (978 Weekly Average TVT out of 2336 on 15-34 SEC A; 7 Metros)

Moreover another interesting fact is that the target audience for FX is not just audience from the metros but also from cities with 1 million plus population where audience show keen interest in watching shows in the English entertainment genre.

FX is consistently performing as the preferred destination to reach out to male audiences in the country. When asked if the decision of keeping the channel as male skewed is a correct decision or would they like to take it to others brackets as well, Vaz opines, “With digitization it is now possible for us to segment our audience.  With 3 English entertainment channels in the cluster, we have Star World which reaches out to the entire family with shows targeting both male and female audiences, while FX channel is for audiences that are more edgy, and therefore, the content appeals more to males. We will see a lot more channels will come in the future and target the audience in a very special way. Moreover FX viewers have a more sophisticated taste in entertainment consumption, which has led to the channel sustaining its leadership in the category every week. Our efforts will be to continue to cater to this segment and provide more quality content that appeal to their sensibilities and for this we have a robust programming line-up for September.” 

FX has been leading the category with 31 minutes time spent in July on the channel, which is 3 times more than its competitors. Vaz attributes the success the channel has seen to it’s positioning. He said, “FX stands for ‘The Edge of Entertainment’. This channel positioning is a strategy in itself. The well-defined and distinct brand identity gives us a clear direction whether it is with content selection or marketing.  Our bold, provocative and edgy shows such as Prison Break, The Shield and Sons of Anarchy are amongst the top ten shows in July.”

Also 3 shows from FX are amongst the top 10 in the category. In terms of fresh content there is much that viewers can look forward to in the near future.  The channel is launching four new shows within the month of September. Of these three shows go live on September 2, including 'The Killing', 'Spooks' and 'It's always Sunny in Philadelphia', that will be aired Monday to Friday at 9 pm, 10 pm and 11 pm, respectively. The fourth show, 'The West Wing', will replace Spooks and hit the screen on September 30. “FX is changing as we speak! It can’t get fresher than this!” says Vaz.

The shows will be marketed on the English channels of the STAR Network which include STAR Movies, STAR Movies HD, STAR Movies Action, Fox Traveller and National Geographic. Digital campaigns too will support the marketing of the upcoming shows on the channel.

In terms of competition how does channel FX differentiate itself from other channels of its genre? In reply to this Vaz reverts to say, “The content on FX is much more edgy and is more evolved. The well-defined and distinct brand identity, content selection or marketing is a clear cut differentiator in the category.

According to Vaz while the 10+2 ad restriction is all set to be enforced this October, the upcoming festive season and the demand and supply pattern for various consumer products will determine the ad rates and would give them a clearer picture and it is too early to comment on the same.

It goes without saying that scope for innovation in the English entertainment genre has multiplied manifold. English entertainment as a category has consistently grown over the last few years, due to the constant innovation in terms of content, genre, programming, or marketing initiatives. STAR English portfolio itself caters to over 44% of the category with distinguished content for different set of audiences said Vaz.

“On STAR World we bring the best of international content for audiences and have crafted our own programming to reach out to mass audiences. Koffee with Karan, Front Row with Anupama Chopra, etc have been innovations that have consistently led to the growth of the category. Shows like these drive relevance for the Indian consumers who otherwise feel alienated watching International content,” he says.

Moreover FX has always catered to an evolved set of audiences who prefer more sophisticated entertainment with channels like FX and Fox Crime, which have been category leaders. Vaz on an end note proudly adds, “Our capability to broaden English consumer base with these to my mind is a great innovation in the English space.”