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Sriram Srinivasan

Chennai , Oct. 14

ADVERTISERS and media buying units have taken note of a fall in total viewership for niche English channels by a "significant" five to 10 per cent on an average, thanks to a Chennai-only rollout of the Conditional Access System (CAS) from September 1 and the subsequent lukewarm response to set-top boxes, and are said to be negotiating with such channels for an equivalent rebate or an increase in the number of ad slots.

Pay English channels for which Chennai presented a sizeable portion of total viewership pre-CAS, are expected to feel the pinch most.

Not surprisingly, Hindi channels, being the least watched group in the city even before the introduction of CAS, haven't met with such pressures, said a media planner.

Among English channels, One Alliance's action and adventure channel AXN, which recorded a share of 0.71 per cent in the city during most of August, has managed only 0.02 per cent in September, according to industry figures.

Consequently, Chennai's contribution to AXN's viewership in six cities (Metros plus Bangalore and Hyderabad) has fallen from 25.8 per cent to a mere 0.8 per cent.

Similarly, the city's share for HBO has fallen from 17.6 per cent to 0.5 per cent, and for Star Movies from 17 per cent to 0.2.

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