RBNL Launches Regional Entertainment Channel BIG MAGIC

Available across UP, MP and Bihar on DEN, Digicable, WWIL, Hathway and other cable operators.

BestMediaInfo Bureau | Delhi | March 28, 2011

Reliance Broadcast Network Ltd., marks its entry in the regional entertainment space with its latest channel BIG MAGIC to be launched on April 4^th. Aptly titled BIG MAGIC, the Channel is positioned as India's only Channel exclusively for the core Hindi heartland, featuring locally relevant entertainment around Humor, Music and Bollywood. BIG MAGIC will derive huge synergies with RBNL's already well established radio brand – 92.7 BIG FM, the leading radio network in this region operating 11 Stations in the heartland.

BIG MAGIC launches on the back of the Company's recent foray in the television space with the English entertainment genre with 2 BIG CBS Channels – Prime & Love.

The opportunity for BIG MAGIC comes from:

• Marketers increasingly recognizing and leveraging regional preferences in their product mixes
• The significant importance & size of these states as consumer markets.
• The cultural homogeneity of these regions allowing for targeted & relevant content.
• The absence of a true regional TV platform which super serves these markets

A quick look at the advertising spending pattern highlights the Hindi Heartland - UP, MP & Bihar markets, together account for 13% of National Advertising Spend which is Rs. 23000 Cr (ADEX) with 52% of Hindi Print Spends, 18% of National TV Spends and only 4% of Regional TV Spends, pointing at an enormous opportunity. BIG MAGIC will offer an effective platform for enhanced reach in the Hindi Heartland for brands, both national as well as regional.

The Channel will feature a mix of long-form and short-form programming in the Humor & the Bollywood space. There will also be defined blocks of music, in specific day-parts featuring a mix of the best music from across the years.

BIG MAGIC has the distinct advantage of the legacy of RBNL's well-established radio brand 92.7 BIG FM, a leading brand in these markets. BIG FM across its 11 stations in the Hindi heart-land, already caters to a weekly audience of approximately 22 lakh each week in this region, an ideal platform that will give BIG MAGIC speed to market. Importantly, there will also be excellent synergies in programming between the 2 platforms as well as opportunities to create integrated properties executed across both platforms simultaneously.

BIG MAGIC will be distributed across all cable operators across the states of UP, MP and Bihar and spread across the likes of DEN, Digicable, WWIL, Hathway and others, reaching approximately 10 mn households in the heartland. The Channel will be placed on S-band, ensuring the channel is among the first 30 channels on the television sets, placed among the top Hindi GEC's, ensuring excellent reach. BIG MAGIC will be supported with a high decibel marketing plan including Outdoor, Mall Activation, play-out seeding in malls, radio, print and local cable.

The launch of BIG MAGIC will be supported by an integrated marketing effort leveraging radio,  TV, Out of Home, Digital, Live Entertainment, relevant consumer touch points, Mall touch points, Cinema, TV screens, cable etc. Added to this will be the media muscle of RBNL as well as other media assets of the Reliance Group.

The TV spend attributable to the region (UP, MP and Bihar) is Rs. 1200 Cr with National TV channels currently garnering around Rs. 1050 Cr of this amount. Print spend attributable to this region is around Rs. 1400 Cr and BIG MAGIC stands to bite into a sizeable portion of this rapidly growing market. With increasing awareness, consumerism and advertisers reaching out to this rich consumer base of the country, the revenue potential for this Channel points north.

Commenting on the launch of BIG MAGIC, Tarun Katial, CEO, Reliance Broadcast Network Limited said, “The Hindi heartland represents 30% of India's population and by far the most attractive and lucrative market for advertisers. This underserviced market, offers an excellent opportunity to offer audiences entertainment that is tailored to meet their preferences. BIG MAGIC will quickly build a strong platform on the back of an excellent programming mix and leveraging our BIG FM's brand lineage to help fortify its position rapidly.”

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