Raviteja
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STAR India is trying to reinvent its prime-time programming slot. And that's where Aamir Khan's TV debut Satyameva Jayate comes in. CNBC-TV18's Animesh Das finds out if the advertisors are ready for Aamir Khan's take on TV.
"Yeh show aakhon se nahi, dil se dekhna padega," quips Aamir Khan in a Satyamev Jayate promo that offers a glimpse of STAR India's next big programming gambit and also Aamir Khan's TV debut.
Starting on May 6, Satyameva Jayate - the network's most expensive show to date - will beam to living rooms across India in seven languages and on nine of STAR's entertainment channels simultaneously. STAR says it's not just about boosting ratings, but an effort to connect with the 40 crore people who tune in to its network every week.
But why Sunday morning?
"We wanted a time-slot for the show where the family could come together and get involved in the show. That's how the tele-serials Ramayana and Mahabharatha captured India's imagination. And there's really no reason why we cannot try doing it again," Gayatri Yadav, EVP - marketing and communications, STAR India.
But it's not been easy to win over sponsors. For seven months, STAR has struggled to quell advertisor skepticism - first about the show's unconventional format and then about the lack of opportunities for brand integration.
The fact that not many were aware about the nitty-gritty of the show's content also made selling it a challenge. But the eight sponsors who have come on board paid anything between Rs 7-20 crore.
"We really believe that the show will garner strong viewership irrespective of the time-slot. And the simultaneous telecast of the show across nine channels of the STAR network across different languages is a very big advantage for us," said Manisha Lath Gupta, CMO, Axis Bank.
"I think Satyameva Jayate, in terms of the content that's being shared with us by STAR TV, is one of the bigger appeals that we had in terms of participating because it helps showcase our philosophy far stronger and better," added Kamal Basu, head - marketing, Skoda Auto India.
None of the brands that Aamir Khan endorses are on the show's advertisor list. That's because actor has requested them not to sponsor the show or advertise during the 13 episodes to avoid any chance of a conflict of interest.
The opportunity lost is sure to have caused them some heartburn, but no one was willing to talk about it. All that the STAR executives are saying is that they did what was best for the show.
Media buyers expect STAR to charge a 500% premium for ad slots. So a 10-second spot that now sells at Rs 10,000-Rs 12,000, could earn the channel anything upwards of Rs 5 lakh. This makes Satyameva Jayate the biggest property on Indian television after the IPL.
But what remains to be seen is if the sponsors get their money's worth. After all, traditional GEC (general entertainment category) viewership drops 40% on Sunday mornings, against the weekday prime-time viewership.
Source
"Yeh show aakhon se nahi, dil se dekhna padega," quips Aamir Khan in a Satyamev Jayate promo that offers a glimpse of STAR India's next big programming gambit and also Aamir Khan's TV debut.
Starting on May 6, Satyameva Jayate - the network's most expensive show to date - will beam to living rooms across India in seven languages and on nine of STAR's entertainment channels simultaneously. STAR says it's not just about boosting ratings, but an effort to connect with the 40 crore people who tune in to its network every week.
But why Sunday morning?
"We wanted a time-slot for the show where the family could come together and get involved in the show. That's how the tele-serials Ramayana and Mahabharatha captured India's imagination. And there's really no reason why we cannot try doing it again," Gayatri Yadav, EVP - marketing and communications, STAR India.
But it's not been easy to win over sponsors. For seven months, STAR has struggled to quell advertisor skepticism - first about the show's unconventional format and then about the lack of opportunities for brand integration.
The fact that not many were aware about the nitty-gritty of the show's content also made selling it a challenge. But the eight sponsors who have come on board paid anything between Rs 7-20 crore.
"We really believe that the show will garner strong viewership irrespective of the time-slot. And the simultaneous telecast of the show across nine channels of the STAR network across different languages is a very big advantage for us," said Manisha Lath Gupta, CMO, Axis Bank.
"I think Satyameva Jayate, in terms of the content that's being shared with us by STAR TV, is one of the bigger appeals that we had in terms of participating because it helps showcase our philosophy far stronger and better," added Kamal Basu, head - marketing, Skoda Auto India.
None of the brands that Aamir Khan endorses are on the show's advertisor list. That's because actor has requested them not to sponsor the show or advertise during the 13 episodes to avoid any chance of a conflict of interest.
The opportunity lost is sure to have caused them some heartburn, but no one was willing to talk about it. All that the STAR executives are saying is that they did what was best for the show.
Media buyers expect STAR to charge a 500% premium for ad slots. So a 10-second spot that now sells at Rs 10,000-Rs 12,000, could earn the channel anything upwards of Rs 5 lakh. This makes Satyameva Jayate the biggest property on Indian television after the IPL.
But what remains to be seen is if the sponsors get their money's worth. After all, traditional GEC (general entertainment category) viewership drops 40% on Sunday mornings, against the weekday prime-time viewership.
Source
