We’re creating a feeling of belonging: Saurabh Yagnik on Sony Le Plex HD

Sony Pictures Networks India (SPN) has further strengthened its position in the English cluster with the launch of Sony Le Plex HD, a premium English movie High Definition channel. The new channel went live yesterday, August 23, 2016 with a proposition to serve audiences who seek entertainment beyond mainstream Hollywood movies.

With the brand tagline ‘#WhereYouBelong’, the channel serves as a premium hangout for viewers to connect and converse over quality Hollywood movies. Sony Le Plex HD caters to avid movie viewers with films that are popular and critically acclaimed, presented in a manner not seen before. The channel has unique programming properties like Le Premiere, wherein one can enjoy one premiere every week. One can catch 52 premieres in the 52 weeks of the year.  The channel boasts of 200 award winning films with over 500 awards between them, packaged in a unique format to create conversations amongst the movie lovers. SPN has entered into strategic deals with some of the best international studios in Hollywood to spruce up its library of content.

Sony Le Plex HD will bring alive a true ‘Plex-experience’ on the television sets through their unique channel packaging and slot names like ‘ The Night Show’ ‘The Noon Show’ and ‘ Le Premiere’.

The channel roped in writer and director Zoya Akhtar as community ambassador. In this role, Akhtar will reach out to all movie lovers and build a tribe that appreciates good cinema. She will also be seen actively engaging with movie buffs across various social media platforms owned by the channel.

Available in High Definition (HD), Sony Le Plex is available across direct-to-home (DTH) and digital cable platforms. The channel will be promoted extensively across various channels of Sony Pictures Networks, DTH platforms, coupled with print, a robust digital and social media presence to engage with audiences at different touch points.

Commenting on the new channel, Saurabh Yagnik, EVP and Business Head, English Cluster, Sony Pictures Networks India, said, ““The growth of Hollywood cinema in India has resulted in segmentation of audiences into two distinct categories. One, being the mainstream cinema offering action and special effects movies, while the other is the non-mainstream cinema that focuses on the storyline, plot and the acclaim of the movie. The market for non-mainstream cinema is currently underserved in our country and Sony Le Plex HD aims to cater and own this segment. The channel will not only showcase critically acclaimed films, but also build an ambience around them in a way that enables great conversations and will help create a common ground for people to build a community of quality movie lovers.”

Zoya Akhtar added here, “Great movies and great storytelling is what I constantly chase and this is exactly what Sony Le Plex HD has to offer. It’s that perfect space where movie lovers, including me, can interact with each other over their favourite Hollywood movies. Sony Le Plex HD has an exhaustive list of quality and acclaimed films and the top three that come to my mind are ‘Foxcatcher’ – which is awesome, ‘Spotlight’ – which is an Academy Award winner, and ‘Ex Machina’. The channel is not just about showcasing great movies, but will also create a community of movie lovers who will drive great conversations around movies. I am glad to be the community ambassador for Sony Le Plex HD and co-create this community of people like me who simply love watching good movies. It is indeed the perfect hangout for all movie lovers.”

AdGully caught up with Saurabh Yagnik at the launch event to know more about the plans for Sony Le Plex HD…

What is the TG for Sony Le Plex HD?
This is a channel for Hollywood loyalists. We are targeting the premium audience. It is not about numerical value of age, but more about people young at heart.

What are the key differentiators for Sony le Plex HD?
Our focus in terms of content is on critically acclaimed stories and characters. We are seeking to bring alive the Plex experience, and hence, the nomenclature that we have used – Noon Show, Night Show, Late Night Show, Le Premiere. We will have 52 premieres over 52 weeks, 400+ movies, including 200 award winning films with over 500 awards between them – all these are big differentiators. We are not going with product-led communication. There is an element of motion that has gone into the whole process. It’s the feeling of belonging that we are trying to create, the whole feeling of community, which is a differentiation in itself.

Which are the movie studios from where you have acquired the content?
All the major studios such as Sony, Universal, PVR, Disney, and so on.

Please tell us about your distribution plans for Sony Le Plex HD?
We are available on all HD platforms like Tata Sky, Airtel and a host of digital cable networks. We are looking at 85-90 per cent coverage.

What about your marketing plans?
We are targeting the top six metros. We will be using our own network channels for promotion on television, besides leveraging print and social media. For the channel packaging, we have hired an Argentina-based agency called Media Luna.

How do you view the growth of English movies genre in India?
I think the opportunity for English is significantly high. Hollywood is growing. Look at the Hollywood Box Office, it’s just growing. India is a country with 1.2 billion people, and more and more people are getting enrolled into English medium, so the potential of English language is very high in our country.

Moreover, I believe television is here to stay and thrive in the country. Both digital and television have the potential to survive and cater to the audiences in their own ways.

How did you decide on Zoya Akhtar as the community advisor for Sony Le Plex HD?
I think Zoya represents very, very contemporary style of film-making – beautiful stories and yet relatable. We needed one very strong person who could help build the community. Zoya herself is a great movie buff and loves conversation about movies. So, it came up as a very logical fit – that a great film-maker with significant appeal who loves movies and her persona and the way we perceive this brand, have many things in common.

What will be her contribution to this channel?
We will be levering her for building the community. She will be discussing films in the commercials and the discussion will not be on the wow factors of the movies, rather the understanding of the movie that she will be focusing on. She is helping in terms of creating a community of people who love cinema. However, she won’t be involved in curating content.