Differentiated content strategy gives History strong start

The channel has expanded factual entertainment genre in the country within a month of launch

BestMediaInfo Bureau | Delhi | November 21, 2011

It's been a little more than a month since the world's leading factual entertainment channel History has been launched in India, and from the launch week itself the channel has been able to expand the genre in the country. The main challenges facing the channel were in the areas of distribution and understanding the Indian consumer.

Viewers' interest was the topmost priority for the channel while planning its content line-up. Sangeetha Aiyer, General Manager, HISTORY India, emphasises that the channel did exhaustive research before presenting the channel to Indian viewers. “History's show selection and content mix are based on exhaustive studies, content testing and feedback with a variety of audiences. 'History, Made Everyday', the channels positioning, encompasses the breadth of content and themes that the channel brings to Indian audiences. History here is not just about the past, it's as much about people making history today. With such a strong positioning we are clearly differentiated from competition and our strategy is more proactive in nature and in line with our strategy of growing the genre,” said Aiyer.

What is the differentiated strategy that the channel has for its Indian audience? History claims to find Indian viewers across demographics very interested in “experimenting with alternative forms of content” so long as the entertainment quotient is not compromised. Aiyer said, “The channel has been launched with universal themes that use the premise of history but are entertaining, engaging and thrilling and would appeal to a very wide audience, including younger demographics and also discerning audiences. We will also very shortly announce a few big-ticket local productions that match international scale. What's more, if you see the time spent per viewer on the channel, it is the highest in the genre, which goes to validate the fact that our content is being received well and is sticky. It's 25 million for History vis-a-vis Discovery's 21 million on a four-week average since launch for TG CS AB 15+ years (Market: All India, Time Period: Wk  44 2011, All days, 0600-2400 hrs).”

History channel is currently available in 50 million homes through DTH and Cable TV MSOs. On DTH it is available on Dish TV, Tata Sky and Airtel Digital. The channel has ensured carriage and placement with all corporate and individual MSOs such as Hathway, DEN, In Cable, WWIL, DIGI Cable and ICC, thus giving unprecedented availability at launch. The distribution of the channel will continue to expand to reach every potential viewer especially to leverage itssix-language advantage, the official explained.

The distribution of the channel is being handled by SetPro18 Distribution Ltd., part of Network18 group. On the key driver to ensure the maximumreach and visibility, Piyush Goyal, President, SetPro18 Distribution, said, “The market is evolving rapidly, and although it is intensely competitive, it throws up unique opportunities. History India is perhaps the best example of this. Our mandate is clear: to leverage the strengths of the TV18 network even while retaining unwavering focus on History. The biggest gainer from this launch would undoubtedly be our customers: by exploiting the tremendous synergies of the network, viewers are able to access a product like History in high-definition in six languages in nearly all parts of the country. A rare feet never successfully attempted in the past.”

Another key factor is cable mapping which is done by the channel individually to find out of if they have got better placement on any particular network. Cable mapping plays an important role in ensuring the perfect reach of a channel in every area or household. “We are working towards pan-India market availability and should be able to achieve it shortly,” claimed Goyal.

History has performed strongly in its first month in the Metro markets. When asked about the performance and focus in smaller towns, Goyal said, “These are early days and a lot depends on our presence in these markets, which can only improve from here. Having said that, our performance in Maharashtra  1mn+, Tamil Nadu 1mn+ and other 1mn+ towns is encouraging.”

Info@BestMediaInfo.com

Info@BestMediaInfo.com