Weekends are where we rule and we will keep amplifying that: Ferzad Palia

MTV is back with Season 9 of its most watched game of love on Indian television - Splitsvilla. In its ninth season, MTV is upping the ante by giving the ultimate power to women to get the men to do what they want. Panasonic Smart Phones MTV Splitsvilla goes on air from June 11 at 7 pm.

Hailing female power, MTV Splitsvilla 9 gives more power to women with its new theme, ‘Where Women Rule’. Giving the reins of the kingdom to six princesses, 15 warriors will set out to fend off rival suitors, ensuring survival of the fittest in the kingdom of love.

Handing over the power to women, Ferzad Palia, Head – Youth and English Entertainment, Viacom18, says, “MTV is known for creating shows that always challenge the status quo. This year, we have gone in for a total format change on one of our biggest shows, MTV Splitsvilla. In its ninth season, our young audience will get to watch a show where for the first time ever, women are in power. Joining us once again for yet another season, is none other than, Sunny Leone and MTV VJ Rannvijay, who will mentor the contestants and guide them along the way. With the new season upon us, I’m sure the audience will appreciate MTV placing the power in the hands of the women in this exciting game of love.”

In conversation with AdGully, Ferzad Palia reveals what to expect from the latest season of MTV Splitsvilla. Excerpts:

What is the reason behind putting women at the centre-stage in ‘MTV Splitsvilla 9’?
It’s a fully fresh take where you will see seeing women at the center-stage for the first time. You will see it happen in a lot of our content. However, this focus does not mean that the number of women have multiplied suddenly.

What is the kind of growth in viewership that you are envisaging with the latest season?
It is not merely about viewership, but more about the consumer sentiment-ship, where women are now finally coming to the forefront. And social media is playing an important part in that because it has given women a voice, Moreover, whenever there are atrocities against women, the issues brought up, discussed, and debated on various forums. Another aspect is that men are learning to respect women a lot, even though statistics of rapes, etc., show otherwise. Even in the smaller towns one is beginning to see men learning to respect women’s right from a younger age. The younger generation is a lot less gender biased and supports gender equality, And this is now clearly resonating in our content. Thus, it is not that men don’t watch content that is female-centric, they do watch because they appreciate such content.

The focus on women-centric content is not limited to just Splitsvilla. People have seen a lot more women empowerment in MTV Roadies; you will see it in ‘India’s Next Top Model, which is again a female-centric show which is coming up in July. Then there is another show called ‘Angels of Rock’, which is about four girls on a road trip making music. It will be premiered in July.

How do brands react to such kind of shift?
We have not seen a shift in brands because they also realise that this is what is required now and not just because women are at the center of a show. Take for instance, ‘Girls on Top. The half-an-hour long daily show is about three girls who come to Mumbai from different parts of the country to make it big and showcases their daily lives. So it is not that you only getting female-centric advertisement and that male-centric advertisers are moving away, It’s far from it. If you look at the brands that have come on board for Splitsvilla, there is a mobile phone brand that targets a male TG, a chocolate brand that is consumed by both women and men, OLX, which is not gender-specific and so on and so forth. So you see a balance of brands across the board. We have got a total of eight sponsors on board for MTV Splitsvilla 9 – one Title Sponsor on board, two Co-Presenting sponsors, three Powered By sponsors and two Associate Sponsors.

We have not even finished selling the entire inventory for the show yet, so you will see some more brands come on board.

What kind of a premium has the ad inventory been sold compared to last year?
It has grown at least 30 per cent over last year; it’s the total deals value on Splitsvilla.

Given that MTV Splitsvilla 9 has gone for a complete change in format, how differently are you marketing and promoting the show, compared to the earlier seasons?
First of all, when you are altering the format, you evolve it, however you don’t go and completely change the ethos of the show itself. In Season 9, you will see 15 boys (warriors) trying to win over six girls (princesses), and that’s how the power now lies with these six girls. So that is the most important difference. Having said that, the promos for the show are completely of a different kind and on a different scale. This year we will be pitching the show in a lot of smaller markets as well as it has done fantastically in these market and we consider them to be the next level of growth for this property. Thus, there is further scope for growth in the smaller markets. As far as the media mix is concerned, it is not very different from the earlier years and comprises digital, TV, radio, print, besides a lot of below the line activation as well.

It is just about popularising the property as you go deeper along. The honest fact of the matter is that beyond a point, when a property is in its ninth season, you don’t really need to do that much marketing. People just need to know that the property is coming back and they will watch it.

Could you name a small market where Splitsvilla has done well?
Unnao town in Uttar Pradesh, for example.

How different is your approach while connecting with audiences in places like Unnao vis-à-vis the bigger markets?
The approach is along similar lines. No matter how heterogeneous this entire audience may be – whether it is from the metros or a smaller market – the takeaways are the same, the way you talk to them is the same. If you try and dumb down the communication thinking that somebody from a smaller market is not as intelligent to understand the kind of communication that you do for an urban market, it won’t work.

How has the Splitsvilla property grown over the eight years?
I think last year was by far the biggest – 130 million views online, 100 million viewers on television. These are huge landmarks to reach for any property in the country. I think every year it just keeps evolving and getting bigger and bigger.

How are you strategizing to strengthen your weekend line-up?
Weekends are where we rule and we will keep amplifying that when we see new slots getting created on the weekends. We also have a daily show going on in the weekdays and we may amplify that as well, hence a lot more action is yet to come.

Channel [v] is planning to go music only from July. Do you also have similar plans?
For us, it is completely the opposite; we are adding more shows. We are upping the launch of new content on MTV.