Viacom18 announces entertainment + news value pack @ ₹1 per day

After Star India, ZEE and Sony, Viacom18 and TV18 have unveiled their new tariff rates ahead of the December 29, 2018 deadline. Their Value Pack, comprising the top channels across genres, is priced at just ₹1 per day. 

Sudhanshu Vats, Group CEO & Managing Director, Viacom18, commented, “TRAI’s new tariff order is a pioneering move that will benefit all players across the broadcast value chain. Consumers will now have the choice to select the channels of their choice, broadcasters can see greater transparency in the value chain with under-reporting getting curtailed and distributors stand to benefit from the commissions and incentives they will earn. After the DAS implementation, this mandate will go a long way in bringing equity into the industry.” 

Explaining the company’s pricing and consumer connect strategy, Vats further added, “If you thought that the one-rupee coin in your wallet has no value, think again as Viacom18 and TV18 are all set to bring your family’s daily entertainment needs just for ₹1. Our bouquet pricing will ensure that our viewers truly get the best of news, general entertainment (Hindi and Regional), kids entertainment, youth and English entertainment, music, infotainment and movies for every family member at only ₹1 a day. ‘The Colors wala Pack’ is the most comprehensive pack and at a price point that keeps the budgetary concerns of our viewers in mind. After roti, kapda, makaan, entertainment is India’s 4^th basic need and being the country’s fastest growing network, it is our constant endeavor to keep that need affordable.” 

Speaking about the new tariff regime, Rahul Joshi, MD, Network18, said, “The new tariff order is a transparent and consumer-focussed regulation that gives freedom and choice to the end user. At a network level we remain committed to create quality entertainment and news content and firmly believe that in the new pricing regime, we will be the go-to network that best caters to content needs across demographics and geographies.” 

Adding to Vats’ and Joshi’s views, Anuj Gandhi, Group CEO, IndiaCast, said, “We have created economical and competitive bouquets to bring the best value for money for an Indian household. India is a diverse market with multiple needs for entertainment in a family. Our channels have presence across a wide range of genres such as GECs, Kids, News, Infotainment etc that puts us in the best position to deliver entertainment for subscribers and earning potential for service providers. Furthermore, we are confident that TRAI shall work to put the Quality of Service Regulations into effective implementation so that transparency is achieved across the value chain in benefit of all stakeholders.” 

Viacom18 and TV18 have launched a multi-media marketing campaign, titled ‘Ek Me Hai More Yahaan’, that advocates the comprehensive value for money that the ‘Colors wala Pack’ provides to the Indian viewers. The campaign highlights the clear and present concern of Indians over the rising costs of entertainment and packages top channels across genres so that the entire entertainment and news needs of an Indian family are taken care of. It also defines the strategy of the networks, wherein all the bouquets across Hindi, English and Regional entertainment and news are packaged in a manner to help the viewers keep their monthly budgets at a minimum. 

The ‘Ek Mein Hai More Yahaan’ campaign will be driven by prominent faces seen on Indian television, such as Rohit Shetty, Neha Dhupia, Malaika Arora, Mahesh Manjrekar, Arya, and a galaxy of celebrities from Viacom18’s stable, educating the audience of all the entertainment and news that they can avail at ₹1 per day. 

Viacom18 and TV18’s distribution arm IndiaCast has bundled the networks’ offerings in Budget, Value and Family packs to cater to the needs of different viewers. With a total of 57 channels (42 SD and 15 HD), the Viacom18 and TV18 networks’ channels will be available on a-la-carte basis. The networks have also introduced 10 channel bundles, in SD and HD versions, mapped to its markets (Hindi, North East, Kerala, Karnataka, Gujarat, Bengal, Maharashtra, Orissa, Telugu and Tamil) to allow the consumer to choose from. 

Custom-made towards the needs of the complete family, the ‘Colors wala pack’, targeted towards the Hindi Speaking Market (HSM), is priced at ₹25 a month and includes genre leading channels such as Colors, Rishtey, Rishtey Cineplex, MTV, MTV Beats, Vh1, Nickelodeon, Nick Jr, Sonic, FYI TV18, History Channel, News18 India, CNBC Awaaz, News18 Assam/North East, News18 Bihar Jharkhand, News18 MP Chhattisgarh, News18 Punjab/Haryana, News18 Rajasthan, News18 UP/ Uttarakhand and News18 Urdu.