Sony BBC Earth is just an approval away: NP Singh

MUMBAI: Sony Pictures Network's much anticipated factual entertainment channel Sony BBC Earth is soon to launch and is just an approval away. The channel will be launched in HD.

Speaking about the new launch, Sony Pictures Network (SPN) CEO N.P.Singh said, "We are ready with everything and just an approval away to launch Sony BBC Earth. It is a factual entertainment channel and BBC Earth will be the content provider. Later on, we might create original content but initially it will be BBC Earth. "

"It will be an HD channel. 4K is gradually coming in but I think we are not yet ready. For now, we will be going with HD only," he further added.

In may be recalled that Multi Screen Media had joined hands with BBC Worldwide in 2015 to form the joint venture - Sony BBC Earth.

 The new channel will showcase the work of the world’s foremost factual film makers as it takes audiences on a journey of discovery. From the smallest creature under the microscope to the limitless expanses of space, the channel will bring viewers face to face with heart pounding action, mind blowing ideas and the wonders of being human.

Kapil Sharma set to make a comeback on Sony with comedy show in May

MUMBAI: Speculations about actor - comedian Kapil Sharma joining hands with Sony Entertainment Television can finally be laid to rest. It’s official now! Sharma, who had a rather acrimonious fallout with Colors recently, is all set to join hands with Sony to launch a comedy show.

Confirming the news to Sony Pictures Networks India CEO NP Singh said, “You will see Kapil soon on Sony TV in a few months' time.”

According to information available, the weekend show is slated to launch in May. 

A source close to development informed that Sharma’s new show on Sony will be produced by Frames Productions and Sharma's K9. 

It may be recalled that before hopping on to Colors with Comedy Nights With Kapil, he was onboard one of Sony’s most popular comedy reality shows - Comedy Circus and has also been a winner of six seasons.

That apart, in a bid to grab eyeballs, Sony Entertainment Television is also gearing up to regale its audience with the launch of two new shows namely Kuch Rang Pyaar Ke Aise Bhi and EK Duje Ke Vaste on 29 February.  

Produced by Beyond Dreams Productions, Kuch Rang Pyar Ke Aise Bhi boasts of a talented star cast comprising Supriya Pilgaonkar, Shaheer Sheikh and Erica Fernandes in lead roles. It is a new age love story that deals with modern day intricacies of romantic relationships. The show will be aired at 9:30 pm from Monday - Friday. 

On the other hand, Ek Duje Ke Vaste produced by Bindu Productions is a story of Shravan played by Namik Paul and Suman played by Nikita Dutta that explores the conflict between love and self-respect. It will be aired at 10 pm from Monday to Friday. 

Sony Entertainment Television EVP & business head Danish Khan said, “Kuch Rang Pyar Ke Aise Bhi and Ek Duje Ke Vaste are based on real life insights and their soul lies in the story and narration. While Kuch Rang Pyar Ke Aise Bhi boasts of outstanding writers Mitali & Raghuveer, Ek Duje Ke Vasteis is being written by Dilip Jha, who is known for the classic Bade Acche Lagte Hain. We are thrilled to associate with Yash Patnaik & Dilip Jha for these two shows respectively.”

Sony Pictures Networks India eyes Rs 1200 crore revenue from IPL; 80% inventory sold

MUMBAI: The latest instalment of cricket's flagship franchise - the Indian Premier League (IPL) is almost here and the official broadcaster Sony Pictures Networks (SPN) India is going all guns blazing when it comes to getting advertisers on board.

With almost 80 per cent of the ad inventory sold, the broadcaster is eyeing revenue of Rs 1200 crore from this season of the IPL.

An upbeat SPN India president Rohit Gupta tells, "We have mostly sold out our entire inventory. All the big spots are locked and we are in the last stages of talks with a few advertisers. We will be in a position to announce them in a day or two."

E-commerce giant Amazon, which upped itself as the presenting sponsor of the tourney last year, will continue to be a presenting sponsor this year too along with telco Vodafone and a new entrant in the category Oppo.

"We increased the number of presenting sponsors from two to three this year because of the huge demand. Mobile phone manufacturers Oppo has come on board this time as a presenting sponsor and it's great that new associations are continuing. It shows the growing interest level in the tournament," says Gupta.

Other sponsors that have been roped in include Freecharge, Coca Cola, Ceat Tyres, Tata Sky, Vimal Pan Masala and Raymond Suitings. 

"Freecharge is a new inclusion this year. We also have a few advertisers who went off for a brief period but have returned this year again, which is an encouraging sign. Coke has also come on board for the first time and hence we continue to have a cola brand associated with the tourney. We are in final stages of talks with a two wheeler and a four wheeler brand and it's likely that they will be on board too. This will mark the presence of an automobile brand too," reveals Gupta.

For the uninitiated, Pepsi was the title sponsor for the IPL for xx seasons but severed its association last year and hence 2016 will be the first time that rival beverage brand Coca Cola has decided to come on board.

When queried about the revenue that SPN India is eyeing from the IPL this year, Gupta refrained from commenting on the financials. However, a source close to the development said that the network has hiked its ad rates by 15 to 20 per cent and is hopeful of raking in around Rs 1200 crore in ad revenue.

The source says, "For a 10 second ad slot, the network is charging between Rs 5.5 lakh to Rs 6 lakh, which is 15 to 20 per cent more than what they were charging last year."

IPL will be telecast in four different language this year. Besides Hindi and English, there will be a Tamil and Telugu feed as well to cater to the southern audience. However, the network is not monetising the regional feed separately. "We don't monetise regional feeds separately. We will go ahead the way did last year," asserts Gupta.

A senior sports media planning expert on condition of anonymity says, "Rs 1200 crore this year means a 20 per cent jump from what they raked in last year, which is realistic as well as encouraging for the broadcaster. IPL has two new teams this year, therefore the sport will have a fresh and unwatched element in it. I think that has worked in favor of the broadcaster. Skepticism that were developing after the ban on Chennai Super Kings and Rajasthan Royals are now all dealt with. Placed right at the beginning of a financial year, IPL has established itself to be a great avenue to garner eyeballs and it manages to sustain its trends too, which is great."

SPN has the broadcasting rights of IPL till 2017. The network acquired the rights for 10 years for a massive $1 billion, (Rs 6600 crore). Experts predict that the new acquisition cost, when the rights come under the hammer again, will be at least double of what it fetched last time round.

Sony ESPN & Sony ESPN HD to launch on 17 Jan; two more channels in the pipeline

MUMBAI: Sony Pictures Networks India (SPN) is all set to launch its two sports channels namely Sony ESPN and Sony ESPN HD in collaboration with ESPN on 17 January. The Sony ESPN channel will replace Sony Kix and hence will be available on all the platforms that the latter was. Sony ESPN HD will launch by marking its presence on all direct to home (DTH) platforms and gradually will roll out on cable TV too.
 
With this, SPN has extended its sports cluster to four channels namely Sony ESPN, Sony ESPN HD, Sony Six and Sony Six HD.
 
What’s more, Sony and ESPN will also launch more co-branded channels in the near future. “At least two more channels are there in the pipeline and if the content demands more, we might launch more. But at this stage, we have two channels launching on 17 January and two more in the near future,” reveals ESPN India and South Asia vice president and head Ramesh Kumar.
 
The Nature of the Association
 
ESPN had a long time association with one of Sony's rival broadcaster Star India and the duo operated in the Indian subcontinent till they separated in 2012. The three-years non-compete ended in 2015 and ESPN’s began discussion of a second innings in India. ESPN was clear with its strategy that it wants a long term association with an existing sportscaster and that's where Sony came in the picture. 
 
Both Sony and ESPN refused to divulge the commercials or the nature of association between them. Speaking to Indiantelevision.com, ESPN Asia Pacific vice president Michael T Morrison said, “We wanted to have a partner in India and Sony turned out to be the best for us and hence we associated with them. We were evaluating various possibilities since the last one and half years and are very happy to be with Sony.”
 
Reiterating Morrison’s point of view, SPN India CEO NP Singh adds, “ESPN is the leader when it comes to sports broadcasting globally. They have their expertise, which will use to add value to our existing content. We would like to keep the commercials confidential, but yes what we both were looking for, was in alignment and hence we decided to get together. It took close to six months to close the deal.”
 
Singh further asserts, “As a part of the deal, we will have 1000 hours of original content from ESPN.”
 
While ESPN did not have an India presence on television, it continued the operation of ESPNCricinfo, which has grown by leaps and bounds in last three years. The portal has an internal team, which creates original content. However, ESPNCricinfo is not a part of the collaboration between the two entities. “The ESPNCricinfo expertise can be used if needed but it will not be a part of the collaboration. There are matrices, which we are working on and we will see how the three can complement each other,” informs Kumar.
 
Why the Association
 
“India is too big a sports market to not have a presence. Moreover, our motto is ‘To Serve Sports Fans Anytime Anywhere.’ We have never left India. For us, we were always there and now we feel we need to have a bigger presence and that’s why the association,” says Morrison. Recalling the sportscaster’s association with Star India, Morrison adds, “We had a wonderful time with Star where we worked together not only in India but also in the subcontinent, but now we feel we will have a better time ahead with Sony.”
 
Sony, in the recent past has made a few big non-cricket acquisitions, but is yet to unfold special pre or post original programming. The feed of a SerieA or an El-Classico match begins with the whistle as there is no studio content available with them. “Now with ESPN coming in, we will have access to their studio shows and we will use the shows, which complement our existing portfolio. Using their expertise we will create new programming too. This Australian Open we will have access to their global studio feed, and hence analysis and opinions will be there for fans. With this association, we will be enhancing the experience,” adds SPN sports cluster EVP and business head Prasana Krishnan. 
 
Many said that once the Indian Premier League (IPL) goes under the hammer for telecast rights renewal, the price is going to at least double to that of the previous deal. Rumours were rife that Sony and ESPN came together to jointly bid for the renewal and strengthen their possibility. Thwarting any such rumours as well as refraining to give them any credibility, Singh says, “Our association with ESPN is not to have an upper-hand in the renewal bidding procedure.” 
 
What’s next
 
In next few months, Sony ESPN will launch a new multi-sport mobile app. “The revenue model of the app is yet to be decided, but whatever we do, we believe in monetising it to the maximum. We will evaluate together the best possible way forward and come to a consensus on revenue model,” says Morrison.
 
SPN already has a digital presence in Sony Liv, which live streams the network’s existing sports portfolio. So what happens to Liv when the co-branded app launches? “The content of that platform will be available in Sony Liv too. We have done well with Love Bytes and will continue our digital innovations,” informs Singh.
 
Apart from the two additional channels in the pipeline, which will be launched in the near future, there could be many leagues coming in too. “Pro Wrestling League was an experiment that we did and now I am in a position to say that we are glad that we did it. The numbers in the Hindi Speaking Market were great and I see it growing further with time. So we are exploring and if we see an opportunity we will aggressively forge ahead with more leagues,” says Krishnan.
 
Marketing Plan and Channel Positioning 
 
The 360 degree launch campaign will be clubbed with the campaign of the Australian Open, which will make its debut on the new channel. “We have 17 channels of our own through which we will promote and announce the launch of the two co-branded channels. Also we will have our digital and print promotional activities. We are starting with the Australian Open and then we will then go to Euro 2016 and run campaigns around the sport,” informs Krishnan.
 
Sony ESPN will have a global sports portfolio with football, rugby, basketball, tennis, whereas Sony Six will have the fight sports and other sports that Kix used to telecast. “We will continue to evaluate various permutations and combinations as we go forward and enhance our sports portfolio,” concludes Krishnan.

Sony Pictures Networks' Sony Six acquires MCL rights

MUMBAI: Sony Pictures Networks (SPN) India (formerly Multi Screen Media) has bagged the exclusive telecast rights to the first edition of the Masters Champions League (MCL), a T20 cricket league, which is slated to begin on 28 January, 2016.

Further expanding its bouquet of international sporting events, Sony Six will telecast all the 18 matches of the inaugural edition of the tournament live and exclusive from Dubai and Sharjah across the Indian sub-continent.

The MCL has also roped in Mahendra Singh Dhoni, the current captain of the Indian national cricket team as the brand ambassador. Six teams will take part in the tournament led by an iconic player and each team has been named after zodiac signs, such as Libra, Gemini, Sagittarius, Virgo, Capricorn and Leo.

The first MCL match has been scheduled with two former teammates, Sourav Ganguly from Libra Legends and Virender Sehwag from Gemini Arabians, leading their teams to play against each other at the Dubai International Cricket Stadium (DICS). Iconic players like Brian Lara, Muttiah Muralitharan, Adam Gilchrist, Paul Collingwood, Brett Lee, Jacques Kallis, Mahela Jayawardene and Kumar Sangakkara among others have also been drafted in the MCL teams. The final match of the MCL will also be staged at the DICS on 13 February, 2016.

Commenting on the acquisition Sony Six and Kix business head Prasana Krishnan said, "Most fans have grown up watching these International and Indian legends play and the tournament gives them an opportunity to connect with them again. Viewers of Sony Six can look forward to some great cricketing action and we are excited to partner with the Masters Champions League as a result."

MCL chief executive director Sam Khan added, "We are delighted that we are partnering with Sony Six. They have an outstanding reputation as a sports broadcaster and have played an integral role in promoting and growing the game. We are very confident that they will do all that is necessary to do the same for the MCL."

The acquisition of MCL further adds to the network’s line-up of live cricket T20 events, which presently include the Vivo Indian Premier League (IPL), Karnataka Premier League, Ram Slam T20 Challenge and Caribbean Premier League.

MCL launched the official ticket sales of the tournament earlier this week with the brand ambassador Dhoni giving a special video message to fans.

Rs 1500 crore riding on World T20 & IPL’s back to back play out in 2016

MUMBAI: Come 2016 and merely five days separate the two flagship cricketing extravaganzas - the ICC World T20 and the Indian Premier League (IPL). Even as World T20 draws to a close on 3 April, IPL takes to the ground on 9 April and riding on the two tourneys in terms of advertising spends by multiple brands is approximately Rs 1500 crore.
 
While one tournament invokes national pride, the other appeals to emotions at a more regional level. The two tournaments will be played over a span of 80 days, which in turn poses the threat of fatigue.
 
On one side, Star India will be pulling all stops in order to rake in the highest possible revenue. The broadcaster had an average 50 over World Cup played in Australia and New Zealand, which generated ad revenue of approximately Rs 400 crore. On the other hand, there’s Sony Pictures Networks (SPN) India (erstwhile Multi Screen Media), which has two more editions of the IPL with them to break even and close with a neat profit. The remaining two seasons will be very crucial for SPN India’s balance sheets. It should be recalled that MSM acquired the rights of the tournament for a period of 10 years in 2007 after dishing out a whopping $1 billion.
 
Ad spends on the upcoming ICC T20 World Cup can go up to Rs 400 crore including digital as per estimates of a senior media planner. “At the same time, if Sony goes by their normal 10 per cent ad rate hike even for the 2016 edition of IPL, they should manage to generate close to Rs 1100 crore, which I think they would be happy with,” the planner adds. Similar estimates were drawn by multiple other media planning executives that spoke to.
 
So when Rs 1500 crore is on the line for two major cricketing events, will the back to back scheduling eat into one another’s ad pie?
 
Havas Media Group, India & South Asia CEO Anita Nayyar is of the opinion that it will not. “I don’t think the schedules of either of the tournaments will effect the advertising spends they are expecting. Whether it’s ICC World T20 or IPL season 9, there are different clients focused on them. IPL specially enjoys a different section of advertisers, who keep an eye on it in well in advance. Even with the common advertisers, it’s a question of their marketing and advertising budgets. Marketers plan their spends for a year in advance after looking at the calendar. I am sure they have prepared for both the cricketing events,” she says.
 
Dentsu Aegis Network South Asia CEO and chairman Ashish Bhasin concurs with Nayyar. “I don’t think that the two tournaments scheduled one after another will have an affect on their ad revenues. This is not the first time that it’s happening. Often we do see tournaments like the IPL leading to a different sporting event or vice versa. Marketers and advertisers who look forward to such events plan their budgets and strategies accordingly in advance,” he says.
 
IPL and World T20 are completely different ball games when it comes to ad spends according to Bhasin. He says, “World Cup invokes following and fandom for team India. While it appeals to everyone, it is when the India matches air that our audience is mostly interested. That is why you see peaks of viewership for India matches, which reduce drastically if India is out of the tournament early. Whereas IPL retains the general interest of all. Marketers are aware that IPL is prolonged entertainment. It is not just the game but all the action around it. Therefore, advertisers strategise for IPL and World T20 in a different way.” 
 
The most consistent team of the IPL - Chennai Super Kings (CSK) owned by N Srinivasan promoted India Cements will not be a part of the tournament courtesy a two year ban imposed on it. The two year ban has also been imposed on Rajasthan Royals (RR). The Board for Control of Cricket in India (BCCI) has added two new franchises in the interim period. The players of the two banned teams thereby went under the hammer and after following the bidding process, the two new teams - Pune and Rajkot - absorbed them. So cricket fans will get to see their idols albeit wearing a different coloured jersey and maybe even in a new role.
 
When queried as to how the absence of CSK and RR teams will impact the brand value of the tournament, Bhasin says that it might leave a certain impact on the ad rates. “Two of the biggest teams are out of the tournament and new ones have been introduced. At a time like this, clients may start questioning the credibility of the tournament all together. If the tournament has to retain its advertisers, they have to work on keeping the credibility intact,” he adds.
 
“Having said that, a popular event like IPL will never have a lack of sponsors. The key issue is the ad slot prices. Over the years we have seen an increase in ad rates from the preceding tournaments for every new season. This year however, it will be hard to aim for higher ad rates for the ad slots,” he asserts.
 
One thing that the SPN India president - ad sales Rohit Gupta and his team managed to achieve over the years is a constant hike in ad rates. The tournament 2015 edition, as per Insearch's analysis, raked in over Rs 1000 crore to make it one of the best ever IPL for the network. In the previous edition, the tournament hiked the ad rates by close to 15 per cent, taking the price of a 10-second slot to Rs 4.5 - 5 lakh. The tournament’s viewership has also kept ascending with time, and keeping the regional importance in mind, the broadcaster relayed the tourney in six different languages last year. Last year IPL was welcomed by ICC cricket World Cup. Played in Australia and New Zealand on a totally different time zone, the 50 over tournament did no harm to the flagship domestic T20 tournament.
 
If sources are to believed then Star India is all set to bring back the Mauka Mauka craze. The ad campaign emerged as one of the most talked about elements during the ICC World Cup earlier this year. 
 
A cricket expert on condition of anonymity says, “The quality of cricket is elite in both the tournaments. India will be playing Pakistan in one of the league matches and I think that will be one of the most viewed matches of the year. Having said so, the enthusiasm won’t be similar during non-India matches, whereas when it comes to the IPL because of its unity in diversity nature all the matches turns out to be of equal importance. Pune is a good inclusion but I doubt if the pitch will last seven matches because last the time it did not. If you ask me to choose one between IPL or ICC World T20 Cup from a cricketer’s point of view, I will choose the IPL because of it’s consistent quality for a longer period of time whereas, as an Indian I will choose the World Cup because at the end of the day, when the National Anthem resonates, the feeling is special.”
 
That said, the first half of 2016 will definitely be exciting for cricket, broadcasters, advertisers as well as fans of the game.

Sony Pictures Networks launches Max HD, targets urban movie buffs

MUMBAI: Sony Pictures Networks (SPN) India has launched the High Definition (HD) version of its Hindi movie channel Sony Max. Although the HD channel has arrived admittedly late in the market, the network plans to steer clear of the replica model for most HD avatars to channels, by taking on a completely different brand position - 'Jee Ke Dekho.'

Sony Max HD goes on air from 25 December and will be available in a separate HD package with the popular DTH players.

When queried as to why the network waited so long to launch the channel's HD feed, Sony Max and Sony Max2 senior executive vice president Neeraj Vyas says, "We were very clear that we didn't want an HD channel just for the sake of it. We were also waiting for the right kind of content to come along so that we could showcase Hindi movies with a completly new approach and brand message altogether."

The other reason for the delay, Vyas reveals was from a technical standpoint. "We have taken at least 120 classic Hindi films like Anand and remastered them for High Definition airing. Who would not want to see these classics remastered digitally for HD in 5.1 Dolbi sound?" he questions, adding that such movies would mostly air on every Saturday on a special programming slot.

"Apart from the new popular movies, which the audience nevertheless enjoys, we also wanted to expand our purview to give out more holistic content," he adds.

With an aim to reach out to Hindi cinema lovers with a cultivated palate for not just the mass entertainers but alternate and critically acclaimed cinema, Max HD has created a special programming slot for quality cinema with a niche following. "The new HD channel will have something called 'Friday Select,'which will largely air critically acclaimed movies like Paan Singh Tomar, Shahid, City Lights etc. These are brilliant films but do not usually find exposure through normal standard definition channels as they are mostly mass focused," Vyas explains.

Vyas also agrees that acquiring licenses for such alternate movies for Max HD will also be relatively cheaper. "They will definitely be cheaper than any Shah Rukh Khan starrer. But primarily, it's not about a better deal for us, but about setting up the right tone for the channel."

Max HD will be targeted at a niche audience and Vyas informs that the varied content is to broaden the appeal of the channel. "Our target audience is clearly SEC AB 18 - 45 years of age. Our target markets are also metros and cities and towns with plus one million population," Vyas shares.

Speaking on the advertisers, Vyas says, "Advertisers are excited about Max HD as the channel will offer them a very premium and wider audience." Currently the channel is in talks with two to three brands. Deals are expected to be signed within a month of launch.

Having said that, Max HD will not turn away from the mainstream blockbusters audience either. "We will have our Dhooms, Krrish, and PKs as well, while at the same time we will curate a list of alternate cinema for them," he says.

When asked as to why the focus is on urban audience when the industry is abuzz with BARC India's rural inclusive ratings, Vyas simply points out that while the rural audience always existed, High Definition television's market is still growing, and enjoying a more profitable business in the urban areas. "Within the industry, it has been noted that premium HD channels have recorded ten-fold top line growth according to the 2015 FICCI KPMG report," he further adds.

"I expect this channel to run profitably with its subscription and advertisement based revenue models. HD is a growing base and it's not something I see becoming stagnant. Even at its nascent stage it is at six million homes. That's a great growth story. If you go by the year's television sales, 55 per cent have been HD enabled TVs. I think HD is the future. Not to mention, with digitisation coming in place, channels will get more exposure in smaller markets. For digital, it may take some more time due to the space constraint as digital pipe is bigger than the analog," Vyas explains.

The network's effort to make Max HD different from its Standard Definition version will also be seen in the entire packaging. "We have changed the colour palate for our packaging completely to bronze, gold and glitter, whereas Max is essentially reds, blues and greens. So the whole attempt was to set a different tone with Max HD."

This can be seen in the several new promos of the channel. With strategic use of popular Hindi cinema dialogues that evoke nostalgia, they successfully capture the moments that make cinema larger than life for us, while highlighting the significance of High Definition feed. In fact, identifying their target audience as social media savvy netizens, the channel has gone ahead with digital first campaign to launch the channel. From contests like 'Your Jee Ke Dekho Moments'running on their social media platforms, to the promotion videos releasing on 23 December, the build up the HD channel's launch is mostly digital heavy with some print promotions as well.