Sony, PwC to discuss future of media & entertainment at Mipcom

Insearchindia.com Team

(14 September 2012 00:46 am)

MUMBAI: Sony Pictures Television will join PricewaterhouseCoopers at the television trade event Mipcom 2012 to discuss the future of media, entertainment and broadcasting.

PricewaterhouseCoopers (PwC) global leader entertainment, media practice Marcel Fenez will present the annual PwC Global Entertainment & Media Outlook at Mipcom on 8 October, outlining forecasts in the media and leisure industries. This industry report will be followed by interviews conducted by Fenez with Sony Pictures Television president of International Production and Sony Pictures Entertainment president of international Andrea Wong.

In her Mipcom keynote interview, Wong will discuss the PwC Outlook findings and how they are reflected in the production activity that SPT International Production undertakes around the world, as well as international production and commissioning trends.

Wong heads the studio's international television production business, overseeing the creative teams outside the US as well as the 18 owned and joint venture international production companies around the world.

Organised by Reed Midem, Mipcom will take place in Cannes, France from 8-11 October.

Sole bid for Deccan Chargers rejected; BCCI likely to allow more time to DCHL

Insearchindia.com Team

(UPDATED 13 September 2012 11:43 pm)

  (13 September 2012 4:24 pm)

MUMBAI: Deccan Chronicle Holdings Ltd (DCHL) rejected the sole offer it received at the Thursday’s bidding for sale of its IPL franchise Deccan Chargers, raising a major question mark over how the financially-distressed company can master its debt crisis.

The ailing Hyderabad-based media company, however, can gasp for breath till the BCCI takes the hard decision of terminating its IPL contract with DCHL. The BCCI is likely to allow DCHL more time to find a buyer for the Indian Premier League (IPL) T20 cricket franchisee, a source familiar with the development said.

PVP Ventures, a film production company, had put in a bid of Rs 9 billion for purchase of Deccan Chargers but the franchisee owner refused to accept it saying the offer to pay the price in installments was not acceptable.

The bidding was conducted under the auspices of the BCCI, the owner of IPL, but only PVP Ventures submitted its bid. Videocon Industries CMD Venugopal Dhoot and a little known R.N. Sports Club had expressed their interest in buying Deccan Chargers but appear to have decided against bidding for the IPL team at the last moment. Dhoot had told Indiantelevision.com that his bid could be around Rs 7 billion.

The BCCI in a statement said the bid that was received by Deccan Chronicle met its eligibility and suitability criteria. "The bid was then reviewed by Deccan Chronicle Holdings Limited which, in its discretion and with no role being played by BCCI, rejected the bid on the basis of the payment terms offered by the bidder."

BCCI President N Srinivasan told reporters after the bidding process, "We found that they (PVP Ventures) were acceptable. However, the owners of Deccan Chargers rejected the bid."

According to industry sources, Deccan Chronicle’s decision to reject the payment terms was prompted by lender banks, which wanted the prospective buyer to pay the entire purchase consideration upfront. The banks, which met in Mumbai on Wednesday to considering easing the terms for repayment of loans granted to Deccan Chronicle, had deferred any decision till the next meeting on 26 September.

The BCCI’s working committee is meeting on 15 September to decide on Deccan Chargers. The BCCI is unlikely to resort to any hasty action that includes cancellation of the franchisee licence of Deccan Chronicle and is instead expected to decide on giving more time to Deccan Chronicle to sell the IPL team, according to a source.

Deccan Chronicle Holdings, which has a profitable publishing business with newspaper brands such as Deccan Chronicle and Financial Chronicle, is in a financial mess having amassed huge debt (unconfirmed reports put the total debt at closer to Rs 40 billion) and is in dire need of funds to pacify angry lenders.

The rejection of the sole bid at a decent price came as a shock as a price of around Rs 7 billion, including assumption of any liabilities, was considered to be a fair valuation.

The price of Deccan Chronicle shares fell after the news that the company has rejected the sole bid broke at around 3 pm, after being higher than Wednesday’s closing price for most of the day on hopes of fund flow from sale of the IPL team. The company’s shares closed at Rs 10.84, down 1.72 per cent from Wednesday’s close and almost 80 per cent down from its 52-week high.

Deccan Chronicle had last week issued a tender inviting bids for buying the Hyderbad IPL team, under the aegis of BCCI. As per the tender notice, bidders were required to enter into a new franchisee agreement with BCCI. The purchase consideration would be paid into a bank account as decided by the lending banks, with 5 per cent payable directly to the BCCI.

The winning bidder would have acquire Deccan Chargers on an "as is where is" basis, which means that the new buyer had to use the name Deccan Chargers and also clear any liabilities.

Sony to strengthen weekday 9 pm slot with 'Hongey Judaa Na Hum'

Insearchindia.com Team

(7 September 2012 7:01 pm)

MUMBAI: In an attempt to strengthen its 9 pm slot, Sony Entertainment Television (Set) is launching a new fiction property 'Hongey Judaa Na Hum' on 10 September.

The show will air every Monday to Thursday at 9 pm.

The channel is betting big on the 9 pm slot as it will air its most promising property 'Kaun Banega Crorepati' (KBC) in this time band from Friday to Sunday. Starting today KBC will air from 8.30 to 10 pm.

'Hongey Judaa Na Hum' is replacing Set's another fiction property 'Saas Bina Sasural' that has gone off-air this week. It will compete with the slot leader Star Plus' 'Diya Aur Bati Hum', Zee TV's 'Pavitra Rishta' and Colors' Chhal.

Produced by Shri Adhikari Brothers, 'Hongey Judaa Na Hum' explores the story of a young married couple who are diametrically opposite individuals, who think and behave differently and hail from different socio-economic backgrounds. They fight all the time and challenge each other almost every day, but despite their differences they have one thing in common: being "crazy about each other".

Set senior EVP and business head Sneha Rajani said, "Fiction programming is the foundation for any GEC and we are committed to work with some of the finest creative minds and talent in the industry to bring alive the fiction genre. Hongey Judaa Na Hum is another attempt in this direction and we are happy to partner with Sri Adhikari Brothers to present this brilliant show to our audiences."

Set chief creative director Vivek Bahl added, "In a world that's getting faster and more practical every day, Hongey Judaa Na Hum is a show that refreshingly begs you to ignore your mind... and follow your heart...! Today, audiences thrive for a good family entertainer, one that they can sit and watch together. We are confident that Hongey Judaa Na Hum will additionally strengthen and spruce up our weekday fiction programming with its unique storyline."

According to the channel, the show begins with a romantic journey but somewhere in the twists and turns of life, things start falling apart in the lives of the leads (played by Aamna Sharif and Raqesh Vashisht). They are driven apart almost to a point of no return, but destiny has something else in store for them. The story does not end here, but starts from this moment.

Sony ropes in 10 sponsors for Kaun Banega Crorepati

Insearchindia.com Team

(31 August 2012 1:01 am)

MUMBAI: Sony Entertainment Television (Set) has roped in eight associate sponsors and two title sponsors for the sixth season of its premium game show ‘Kaun Banega Crorepati’.

The channel has once again got Cadbury as the title sponsor on board while the show is powered by Idea. The associate sponsors for the show are Axis Bank, Just Dial, Ceat, Maruti, Sony India, Hero Motor Corp and Aakash Institute. Sony might extend the number to 11 by bringing one more associate sponsor on board.

MSM president network sales, licensing and telephony Rohit Gupta said, “KBC is an impact property and we have received great response from the advertisers for this season too. We are expecting to grow by 20-25 per cent this season.”

As reported earlier, Kaun Banega Crorepati 5 had made Rs 2 billion from ad revenue.

Gupta said that 70 per cent of the inventory would be consumed by sponsors. "The remaining 30 per cent will be for spot buys. There is some inventory left for spot buys that we are looking to sell during festive season of Diwali so that we can charge a higher premium. Right now we are offering a packaged deal for spot buyers who are advertising for all the episodes," he added.

Starting 7 September, Kaun Banega Crorepati 6, will air Friday-Sunday at 8.30 pm. The show this season will air for 21 weekends with 58 episodes. It will also comprise special episodes with “unique” and “distinct” themes which will capture a little bit of India in every episode, lined up to ignite the minds and hearts of Indian audiences, the channel said.

“It is a glorious moment for all of us at Sony to bring back another power packed season of the magnificent game show Kaun Banega Crorepati on our network, This year’s theme ‘Sirf Gyaan Hi Aapko Aapka Haq Dilata Hai’ celebrates knowledge as the greatest leveller in our society and a potent change agent,” Multi Screen Media COO N.P Singh said in a statement.

LCOs ask for separate regulator for cable operators

Insearchindia.com Team

(21 August 2012 1:49 am)

NEW DELHI: Local cable operators (LCOs) are demanding the creation of a separate Cable Television Regulatory Authority of India to deal with issues relating to broadcasting on the ground that the Telecom Regulatory Authority of India (Trai) comprising experts in telecom is ill-equipped to deal with their issues.

The LCOs have suggested that all cable TV operators should become members of the Council of Cable TV of India which should be given recognition and representation by the Government on all relevant platforms.

Attempting to form a united stand on common issues, the LCOs have said that the issuance of licences should move away from the post offices to the Information and Broadcasting Ministry as this would ensure no unruly elements come into the business. They have also blamed the post offices for refusing to issue licences to LCOs after registering them.

The LCOs protested against the Trai's Tariff Order for digital addressable cable which had fixed a revenue share of Rs 45 from the basic service tier, saying that it was highly unjust since they were already getting Rs 82 under the Cas-mandated system.

The LCOs were attending a two-day conference of cable TV operators from different parts of the country.

The National Conference of Indian Broadcasting and CATV Industry had been organised by the All India Aavishkaar Dish Antennae Sangh with the aim to apprise the LCOs from all over the country with the latest developments in digitisation and to also form a united stand on common issues.

Dr A K Rastogi, president of the Sangh, said that all channels should flash the rates of encrypted (pay channels) clearly so that the viewer and the LCO is aware of the rate to ensure transparency.

Senior consultant V C Khare lashed out at Trai for not having coming out with a clear-cut rate card for pay TV under DAS.

He also regretted that while the amended Cable TV Networks (Regulation) Act referred to right of way for LCOs and said they can use electricity poles, there was nothing about this in the Rules issued under the Act.

Khare also said it was surprising that cable TV was not listed on the Central Government list when broadcasting was a central and not state subject.

 Rastogi stressed the need to train cable TV technicians, and the announced training by the Broadcasting Engineering Consultants (India) Ltd. (BECIL) had not yielded any tangible results. He urged all LCOs to hold meetings with their subscribers and Resident Welfare Associations to apprise them about the need for installing set-top boxes (STBs).

He said both Mumbai and Delhi now had adequate STBs to go digital, but the state governments in West Bengal and Tamil Nadu were not keen on going digital. This may create impediments in the first phase of digitisation slated for 1 November.

LCOs should form district-level committees to ensure speedy implementation of digitisation, Rastogi added.

He called for an exemption of import duty on new STBs and a tax holiday for at least ten years for all work relating to digitisation.

The cable TV should be recognised as an information infrastructure industry, Rastogi added.

Hindi GECs shed GRPs, Sab alone gains.

Insearchindia.com Team

(9 August 2012 1:25 am)

MUMBAI: In a week when the other GECs lost or maintained GRPs, Sab from the Sony Entertainment stable was the only channel to notch an increase when its numbers rose from 132 to 138. While Sab gained, its bigger sister channel Set shed some 29 GRPs at 206, even as shows such as Bade Ache Lagte Hain, Crime Petrol, CID, Kya Hua Tera Vada lost numbers.

As per TAM data (HSM, C&S 4+) sourced from Hindi GECs, Star Plus managed to retain its number one position even as it lost nine GRPs at 243. It's much touted show Satyamev Jayate closed its first season with a respectable rating of 1.9.

Zee TV went back to its No 2 spot this week after a gap of a fortnight, losing 11 GRPs with its closing of 211 GRPs. Some key properties like DID lil Masters, Punar Vivah and Mrs Kaushik…also saw a dip in ratings.

Colors, at No 4, is lagging three points behind Sony with 203 GRPs (last week 228). It was status quo at the bottom of the ladder with Life OK, the second GEC from Star Network, ending the week with 107 GRPs. Sahara One with 34 GRPs (last week 41) remains at the bottom of the ladder.

Overall the GEC genre has seen a loss of 74 GRPs in the week ended 4 August due to audience shift to other channels because of the premiere of Housefull 2 on 29 July on Star Gold that rated 3.8 TVR and India-Sri Lanka ODI matches on 31 July (2.4 TVR) and 4 August (2.3 TVR) in the prime time slot.

The launch of Olympics on 27 July and power failure in North India on 29 and 30 July have also contributed to the decrease in GEC viewership. The power failure affected six states including Delhi, Punjab, Haryana, UP, Himachal Pradesh and Rajasthan.

Sony narrows gap with genre leader Star Plus

Insearchindia.com Team

(2 August 2012 10:09 am)

MUMBAI: The folks at Sony Entertainment Television (Set) are popping the bubbly. Reason: for the second week in a row, the lead channel in the Multiscreen Media (MSM) stable has held on its second spot in the Hindi GEC pecking order. And not just that: it has chomped away another seven GRPs from the entire GEC pie, coming very close to snatching leadership from numero uno Star Plus with its ratings figure of 235.

As per TAM data (C&S, 4+, HSM) provided by Hindi GECs, Set is just eight GRPs away from Star Plus riding on the back of its leading fiction property Bade Achhe Lagte Hain, that garnered 4.8 TVR (last week 4.2 TVR).

Set is also banking upon its crime-based fiction shows - Crime Patrol that saw an increase in viewership to 4.1 TVR (last week 3.8 TVR) and C.I.D which garners an average of 3.5-plus TVR.

Sony sees an opportunity to occupy the leadership chair with the soon-to-launch Amitabh Bachchan anchored show Kaun Banega Crorepati (KBC).

Says Anita Nayyar, who is joining Havas Media back as the India and South Asia CEO, “Historically, Sony has not been very consistent when it comes to ratings. But the channel has been doing consistently well since the past one year or so. Its shows like Bade Achhe Lagte hain have been doing well for them. The launch of KBC could be a gainer for Sony to some extent and could see it achieving new peaks. It will be a very close contender for the No.1 position.”

And that will be some achievement for team Set - including Sneha Rajani, COO NP Singh, CEO ManJit Singh and president Rohit Gupta.

Aegis Media CEO South Asia Ashish Bhasin does not expect Star India to take things lying down and allow SET to go ahead of it. Says he: "I am sure that Star Plus will come with something to fight and retain its position."

He, however, cautions that long term trends should be borne in mind before coming to any conclusions. Says he: “I don’t think that the data should be seen on week to week basis. The ranking of Star Plus, Sony, Colors and Zee TV will keep varying depending on one or two programmers that will be a hit for few weeks. In long term if somebody is falling behind, it will have an effect, but if in one week one channel is ahead and in the second week the other is ahead it won’t make much of a difference in the long run."

While for the second week in a row SET has gained, Star Plus has shaved 11 GRPs to end with 243 GRPs this week. Its leading fiction shows like Diya Aur Bati Hum and Yeh Rishta Kya Kehlata Hai have seen a slight dip in viewership.

Colors on its part is at the No 3 spot with 228 GRPs, gaining some 14 GRPs. In the week ended 28 July, Colors' fiction show on child marriage Balika Vadhu has rated 4.3 TVR (last week 3.8). Its other fiction properties like Kairi, Sasural Simar Ka and Madhubala have also seen growths in viewership.

Zee TV, meanwhile, added a GRP to close the week with 222 GRPs. Its flagship dancing reality show DID lil Masters continues to garner good numbers. The Saturday episode of the show registered 5 TVR (last week 4.4) while the Sunday episode clocked 4.7 TVR (last week 3.9).

The second GEC from Sony Entertainment Network bouquet Sab added three GRPs to clock 132 GRPs while Life OK from the Star Network bouquet added six GRPs to record 107 GRPs. Sahara One with 42 GRPs (last week 41) remains at the bottom of the ladder.