All About: Channel [v]’s fiction shows

In week 51 of 2011, Channel [v] commanded a leading 11.4 per cent channel share among music channels (Source: TAM Peoplemeter System, TG: CS 15+ yrs). The channel though no longer considers itself a music channel, more of a youth entertainment one. As a part of this shift, it introduced two fiction shows this year, Humse Hai Liife and Dil Dosti Dance (D3). Both are doing well on the Peoplemeter and could take some of the credit for Channel [v] beating MTV and UTV Bindass over the past six weeks.

1. Prem Kamath, executive vice president and general manager, Channel [v], explains, “Since re-launching in 2009, we have been focused on delivering as a youth entertainment channel and not being limited to one genre like music. In order to build a holistic youth brand, we had to explore formats that had the potential to build loyalty to the shows and the channel.  Our ratings show, the two fiction shows have led their slot for over 30 weeks. They have propelled the channel to leadership for more than a quarter.”

According to Kamath, the shows were created on the basis of research and youth understanding (two key researches the channel does are the annual ‘FYI Youth Study’  and the quarterly ‘Trendspotting’). “The characters in the shows and the plots scripted are done so keeping them relatable to the youth,” adds Kamath. “D3 revolves around the story of a small town girl trying to make it big through dance. Humse Hai Liife deals with the harsh reality for women trying to make it in a man’s world – through the sport of boxing.”

2. The production of the shows is outsourced – D3 is made by Cinevistaas and Humse Hai Liife by 4 Lions. Kamath says, “Both properties were big projects for us considering the shift in format and we have put significant resources behind their production and promotion. Besides promoting them through conventional ATL mediums, there were quite a few innovative promotions with a focus on high engagement of the audiences. For example, for Humse Hai Liife, we commissioned a microsite that allowed users to upload dedications to the special women in their lives. We also felicitated boxers like Mary Kom and contributed monetarily to their training requirements.”

3. On advertiser interest in the shows, Kamath elaborates, “Advertisers perceive these shows as the first platform within the youth space that has built appointment viewing. More importantly, it’s not a weekly slot, but daily, and hence gives their brand a greater chance of connecting with audiences consistently.” Customised brand solutions are also being worked into the programmes. “Vaseline, Denver, BlackBerry, Lay’s, G-NIIT and Yardley are some of the brands that have benefitted from associating with our fiction shows,” says Kamath.  “A customised integration that comes to mind is the Minto brand association with D3. We analysed their latest communication and realised that the screenplay in it was relatable to the audience and had a perfect fit for our show flow as well. We depicted a similar scene of an over-the-top dominating girl being wooed by a hopeless guy, along with two characters who are shown passively consuming the brand to give them the insight.”

4. On the plan for 2012, Kamath reveals, “As of now we have planned for these shows to run through the next couple of quarters at which point we will review their future. We will be launching a third fiction in March next year.”

Asked whether other youth entertainment channels are cued into the trend,  Sulina Menon, executive director at Starcom Worldwide, says, “Humse Hai Liife and D3 have proved that, provided you put programming that appeals to the youth, there is an appointment viewing that will happen. The other channels are feeling the heat because suddenly Channel [v] has taken off in terms of GRPs. But I don’t know if their content will get into the fiction space over favouring reality, because if you look at how a show like Splitsvilla plays out, it’s much like following a soap. I haven’t heard anything about moving into fiction from the other content providers.”

What it means for…

Channel [v]

• A leader in the genre – According to Channel [v]: Dil Dosti Dance and Humse Hai Liife have managed to outperform every other show on the genre at Mon-Fri 7pm. The two shows, with an average time spent of 12 minutes, have more time spent than mainline GEC shows in this slot. In markets like PHCHP 1mn+, Gujarat 1mn+ and Maharashtra 1mn+, both D3 and Humse Hai Liife are among the top 3 shows at 7-8pm across all TV and not just the youth genre (CS 15-24 ABC Sep-Dec 2011)
• Plans to launch a new fiction show in March 2012
• Advertiser interest as full sponsors on the properties or for buying fixed spots around its airings

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• Appointment viewing among the  youth, a much coveted TG
• Opportunity to created em bedded content beyond the traditional ad break