In 2022, The Q will play a significant role in the GEC growth story: Krishna Menon

“Since launch, The Q has constantly experimented and taken risks to appeal to the diverse tastes of a very diverse audience set. We will continue to do so even in 2022,” says Krishna Menon, COO, The Q. In an interview with Adgully, Menon says that 2021 has been great for The Q. The FTA channel successfully reached 122 million linear TV homes and 676 million digital viewers. In 2022, he says, in terms of content strategy, in addition to partnering with new faces and budding digital talent, the channel will experiment with newer formats, such as finite-stories, interesting and relatable narratives and offerings across genres. He is confident that the GEC category will continue to grow and The Q will play a significant role in this growth story. “The Q will grow to become a destination for digital and social media creators who are looking to create an impact on television,” he adds. Excerpts from the interview:

How has 2021 been for The Q? Have your strategies in positioning the channel succeeded with desired results?

The year 2021 made us the fastest growing Hindi General Entertainment Channel in our category. We have successfully reached 122 million linear TV homes and 676 million digital viewers, which is a great achievement for us. It was overwhelming as before we came onto DD FreeDish, we had a 0.5 GRP. In a short span of about eight weeks, we became the fastest-growing Hindi GEC and saw a rise of 51 GRP. We went on to acquire Chtrbox and launched Bharatbox. We even held India’s first virtual audition in partnership with Chingari with an ‘Age No Bar’ approach that gives digital creators an opportunity on television.

Our expansion across leading DTH operators, MSOs and our expanding partnerships with OTT platforms, and connected TV players, are all milestones in our journey of increasing our footprint across the nation and reaching Young India by every possible means. So, 2021 has been rewarding, exciting, and full of learnings.

What are your growth projections for the next year?

The year 2021 has seen an upheaval in the M&E Industry owing to the second wave of COVID-19. It has become clear and imperative that organisations with purpose will thrive in this changing and challenging time. The GEC category will continue to grow and The Q will play a significant role in this growth story. The Q will grow to become a destination for digital and social media creators who are looking to create an impact on television.

What were the key trends that shaped the Indian broadcasting ecosystem in 2021 and what will be key dynamics for the next year?

Thinking out of the box and breaking the regular stereotypical content is something that the GEC category is experimenting with. This is an ongoing process and will continue to be a strong trend even in 2022. Going regional and connecting with viewers in their own language is another trend that will gain momentum in 2022.

What are your plans in content strategy, audience engagement, new marketing campaigns, etc. for 2022?

Since our launch, The Q has constantly experimented and taken risks to appeal to the diverse tastes of a very diverse audience set. We will continue to do so even in 2022. In terms of content strategy, in addition to partnering with new faces and budding digital talent, we will experiment with newer formats such as finite-stories, interesting and relatable narratives, which our heartland audience loves to experience, and offerings across genres. We will continue to bet on our Zara Hatke style while ensuring that the entertainment needs of our viewers from the FTA universe are met.

In the last two quarters, with the expansion of content offerings, we have activated marketing promotion at both show-level and channel levels. Our recently released brand campaign, preceded and to be followed by consumer-centric, engagement-driving contests which cut across electronic and digital platforms, all are small endeavours towards the larger goal of cementing our position in the minds of our consumers.