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Ajita Shashidhar

Mumbai , Oct. 13

WITH mass entertainment Hindi channels losing viewership shares year on year, media planners and industry observers feel that this trend is here to stay and that mass entertainment channels need to seriously review their programming strategy.

According to TAM Media Research, the Hindi mass entertainment channels, which occupied 54 per cent of the total viewership share in 2001, dipped to 40 per cent in 2004. On the other hand, niches genres such as news, which occupied just one per cent of the total TV viewership share in 2001, now occupies five per cent share, while the regional channels have grown from 35 per cent to 38 per cent.

Ms Punitha Arumugam, Group CEO, Madison Media, says that across the world, mass entertainment channels do not enjoy the kind of dominance that they do in India.

"The dominance of the mass entertainment channels that we have seen so far in this country has to some extent been default viewership in the absence of any other genre options. With the evolution of good viewing options in news, kids, comedy and other niche genres, it is but natural that the abnormal dominance of the mass entertainment channels starts to decline and get to realistic numbers."

Ms Arumugam feels that the drop in mass entertainment channels is not a passing phase. "I would call a `post correction' that is happening and I think it is here to stay. The mass entertainment channels if they are looking at getting back to earlier levels which seems a tough battle now, will have to offer more and more variety in their programming and try to evolve as a `one-stop shop' for all viewer needs - this, however, is not a viable route as why would a viewer watch one channel for every genre when he has single channels which are devoted to one genre," she adds.

Endorsing Ms Arumugam's views, another leading media planner says that viewership of mass entertainment channels with the emergence of specialised channels would dip further and that these channels have a difficult task ahead to come up programming which would be effective enough to hold viewers' attention for a long span.

"With kids having their own channels, youth having their own specialised channels and news moving on the infotainment platform, where is the need to tune into a general entertainment channel?"

The mass entertainment channels, however, don't seem to be disturbed by what these media planners have to say. Mr Ajay Vidyasagar, Senior Vice-President (Sales & Marketing), Star TV, says, "While there may have been a drop in viewership shares, the number of cable viewing homes has gone up substantially over the last couple of years (from 41 million to 63 million). There has been a spectacular increase in the absolute growth of the overall market, therefore, we don't look at this trend as a cause of concern."

On the other hand, Ms Nina Jaipuria, Head, Marketing, Sony Entertainment Television, claims that while the viewership share of the mass entertainment channels has dipped over the years, Sony has managed to retain its viewership share.

"While the other mass entertainment channels have lost shares, we have not. Through innovative programmes such as Indian Idol we have managed to turnaround markets."

"Channels have to focus on differential programming that would surprise their target audience during the course of their journey," she adds.

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