The Hindu Business Line : Star Gold aims 30% revenue growth

STAR Gold, the Hindi movie channel from the Star bouquet, has targeted a revenue growth of 30 per cent for the accounting year ending June 30, 2006, according to Mr Ajay Vidyasagar, Executive Vice-President, Marketing & Communication, Star India Pvt Ltd.

Talking to Business Line today, Mr Vidyasagar said the growth of the satellite channel would be propelled through acquisition of nearly 100 movie titles, including some from Sahara One Motion Pictures and Hollywood films that would be dubbed into Hindi. These 100 films would include the satellite premier of 20 big and new Hindi movie titles.

The strategy to focus with renewed vigour on Bollywood for incremental revenue growth follows the recent success of the channel's `Super Six' initiative whereby Star has premiered six blockbusters every weekend during December 2005. These films include Main Hoon Na, Black, Swadesh, Hulchul, Ab Tak Chappan, Fida, Kya Kool Hain Hum and Gayab.

Star Gold has also entered into an arrangement with Sahara One Motion Pictures whereby 64 films produced by the latter would be premiered (satellite TV premier and not theatre premier) within a one-year period.

Mr Vidyasagar said the Super Six initiative was a successful experiment and had been able to attract Tata Indicom as the "presenting sponsor", besides another eight associate sponsors. The Super Six initiative had translated into a 400-500 per cent growth in revenue in December 2005, compared with December 2004. It was hoped that Star Gold's channel share of all-India viewership would increase to 5-5.5 per cent by June 2006, up from the 3.3 per cent some five months ago.

According to him, Star Gold's deepening ties with Bollywood would translate into a win-win situation for both. "It gives us an opportunity to package and market Bollywood productions appropriately. Our multi-pronged promotional initiatives help in attracting more people to the theatres. For example, the Ajay Devgun-Shahid Kapur-Bipasha Basu-starrer Shikhar is a case in point", he said, referring to the promotional blitzkrieg built around the film, including a contest "created around Shikhar premier in association with Red FM" and the screening of Shikhar Ki Jung (The Making of Shikhar) on Star Gold.

Among the big names in Bollywood Star Gold has signed up for Hindi movie launches, both for theatre and satellite launch, are Rakesh Roshan, Vasu Bhagnani and Asutosh Gowarikar.

Earlier, Star Gold had signed up with Karan Johar for Kaal and Sanjay Leela Bhansali for Black, Mr Vidyasagar said.