2002 will be the year of intensified localisation for kiddies‘ channel Cartoon Network.

Govindan - Cricket to reward viewer loyalty

The channel that started going desi in February 2001, managed to climb to the number two position in the Hindi market in the 5 - 9 pm band by December (close on the heels of Star Plus), according to VP, marketing and PR Hema Govindan. The rapid rise in rankings is due to local acquisitions like Pandavas and Sinbad, bought from Pentamedia Graphics, which have paid off handsome ratings and Govindan sees the channel going in for more Indian folklore in animation. "Not just Indian stories, we are looking at acquiring animation from Japanese studios too, which are creating shows whose essence appeals to Indian sensibilities", she says.

The channel is shifting gears to cope
with the imminent entry of Disney, although Govindan insists that some competition would only keep Cartoon Network fighting fit. In the last few months, the channel revamped its programming franchises and taken a whole new look at promotions, which too have received a dose of localisation. That the channel is not sparing any efforts to maintain viewer loyalty and phenomenise toon characters is clear from the massive promotion that accompanies its second Toon Cricket event in Chennai and Mumbai this year.

Although Govindan is reluctant to put a figure on the huge promo blitz, she admits it is ‘massive, probably the largest in scale for the year.‘ Apart from the hoardings and the ads on FM and local cable channels, there will be a ‘toon mobile‘, a 17-foot open float depicting cricket net sessions that will move through the cities, with toon characters in tow, handing out passes in schools and entertaining the younger generation. Besides, the channel has run a contest for selecting the teams and will be flying down five children from their home towns to watch the match live.

The channel‘s Night Shift, launched in November is targeting an entire new viewership comprising teens and young adults. Not surprisingly, the move has widened the channel‘s ad client base, with clients like Gili‘s diamonds entering into tie-ups for Valentine‘s Day packages. While Govindan says it is early days to gauge the increase in viewership post the launch of Night Shift (timed to wean adults away from soaps and thrillers on mainstream channels), she says the channel currently reaches between 12 to 15 million Indian households.

Announcing the details of ‘Toon Cricket 2002‘, Govindan said that the three-hour match will be held at the Andheri Sports Complex on 24 February. Beverage conglomerate Pepsi is the main sponsor. The co-sponsors are Solana, Colgate, Cadbury Gems, Boost, ACT II Popcorn, TI Cycle‘s. Positioning as a highly interactive event, she said that cricket was chosen because today‘s cricketer‘s are role models for aspiring youngsters. The initiative is targeted at kids as well as the young at heart. The tagline is ‘It‘s a mad game but soomeone‘s got to play it‘. The network hopes that it will make audiences as well as rival channels aware that the toons seek a larger slice of the action pie.

In a move inspired by the ESPN Star Sports show ‘Super Selector‘ the channel invited toon addicts to be ‘Super Selectors‘. The channel claims that thousands of entries were received in a contest to decide who the captains should be and 450 winners will be given passes to the event. Elaborating further on the strategy, Govindan said that the aim is to blur the line between the real world and the toon world. To achieve this the rules of the game have been tweaked to make it unusual and refreshing. The tie-up with Pepsi involves hoardings where cricketers who appear in the cola‘s ads give hilarious tips to the toons.

First it was ESPN Star Sports. Today it was the turn of Star India to get drawn into a legal spat with the Hinduja Group‘s InCable Network in Mumbai. The Bombay High Court today ruled on an application moved by the MSO that the existing consent agreement would remain binding on both parties till its expiry on 30 June 2002.

The HC gave its ruling after InCable moved it to restrain Star India from switching off its feed for the MSO‘s not having signed on to the new subscription regime that went into effect from 1 January. According to a notice that was served on InCable on 21 January, that was to expire at midnight, Star had the option of switching off its feed to the biggest MSO in Mumbai if it failed to sign on to the new rates of Rs 40 for the network‘s seven channels. InCable has been paying at the rate of Rs 28.50 for all Star channels.

While the court disallowed Star from switching off, it ordered InCable to pay the broadcaster Rs 16 million within two days for three months in outstanding subscription dues that is still owed to the network for the months of October, November and December 2001.

The court, while ruling that InCable would continue to pay Star at the rates agreed to in their consent agreement, ordered that the balance remaining as the difference with Star‘s new rate structure would have to be deposited with the court by the 10th of every month. The HC left the issue of the new subscriber regime to be resolved through arbitration.

InCable‘s case is that there is a consent agreement in place that is binding on both parties till 30 June 2002. Speaking for the MSO, Ashok Mansukhani, executive V-P, corporate services, HTMT, said the agreement that was signed last year stipulates that there is to be a gradual upward revision of connectivity. From a connectivity of 135,000 when the deal was signed in July it was upped to 150,000 from January and will again be raised to 165,000 effective March 2000, Mansukhani said.

Mansukhani pointed out that for the cable industry, rate and connectivity were both seen as a component of price. Since InCable had increased connectivity there was no justification in Star‘s implementing its new rate regime was what was argued in court, he added.

"A gradual upward revision is what we are asking from pay channels until the addressable era becomes a reality," Mansukhani declares.

Sony Entertainment Television‘s top rated show, the daily drama Kkusum from the Balaji Telefilms stable, has notched a TRP of 8.9 on 24 January among all C&S audiences, an official release states.

The ratings were as per market research agency AC Nielsen‘s TAM data. Sony made the announcement ahead of the opening today of its hospital drama Dhadkan. The show airs Mondays to Wednesdays at 8:30 PM Opening later in the week and airing in the same time slot Thursdays is a weekly drama revolving around twins in Hubahu.

Nachiket Pantvaidya, V-P programming and production, said: "Kkusum‘s latest performance is only a reflection of the channel‘s belief in the show. We are sure that Kkusum will not only become far stronger in its current slot, it will also help Dhadkan and Hubahu get the extremely strong audience they truly deserve."

One of the Beeb‘s best known faces, George Alagiah has joined BBC World to present a new weekday news programme that has started airing from 22 January at 1.30 am IST. The new format news programme will draw on the BBC‘s newsgathering operation and will reflect the global stories of the day with a blend of high profile interviews and in depth interviews.

George Alagiah

BBC World, that claims audience figures of 192 million households in 200 countries, will air the Alagiah specials from Tuesdays to Saturdays. Alagiah has been working with the broadcaster since 1989 and has actively been involved in reporting from Africa and other developing countries. He was part of the BBC team which collected a BAFTA award for covering the Kosovo conflict in 2000. George Alagiah has reported on a wide range oif important occurences. They include human organs trade in India, civil war and famine in Somalia, genocide in Rwanda, farm invasions in Zimbabwe and the Kosovan refugee crisis. He has also interviewed Archbishop Desmond Tutu, Nelson Mandela. Between 1994-1998 he was based in Johannesburg as the broadcasters Africa correspondent. His book ‘A Passage To Africa‘ was published last year.

Kirsty Lang another new face on BBC World will be the second presenter of the bulletin. She has worked as BBC News Paris Correspondent and as a reporter for Channel Four.