MUMBAI: With broadcasters upping investments on content and marketing, monetisation from multiple streams becomes crucial in a digitised market.

Multi Screen Media President Ad Sales Rohit Gupta feels the key in a digital market will be to create customised content that suits the need of a specific demographic and market.

The addition of LC1 markets to TAM panel will increase their weightage vis-a-vis the four metros. It will also force broadcasters to rethink their content strategy towards these markets.

?Digitisation is key challenge for broadcasters. Monetisation of content is key. With addition of LC1 markets, their weightage has gone up. Creating different content for different type of audiences will be the key,? Gupta said during a panel discussion on ?Revisiting Content in Digitised Space and Impact of Ratings in the Changed Scenario?.
Gupta said television as a medium has seen phenomenal growth to become the biggest medium but it remains under-indexed when it comes to ad spends.

?We are adding 15 million consumers every year but we are still under-indexed vis-a-vis advertising revenue growth. Broadcasters are not getting the benefits of additional eyeballs,? he added.

Gupta said it?s high time that the industry works together to create a new television measurement system. A new system is in the interest of both broadcasters as well as media gencies.

Disney UTV Media Networks CEO MK Anand said the ad revenue led business is here to stay. It will co-exist with subscription driven business model.

?The advertising revenue led model is here to stay. Ratings are not anti-thetical to the broadcast business. Digital Addressable System (DAS) will lead to two kind of broadcasters - one who are subscription led and the ones who are advertising revenue led,? he said.

According to Anand, broadcasters irrespective of the genre have to work hard in a digitised market. The packages that MSOs design will also be of paramount importance.

Time spent in digital homes has increased due to bucketing of content genre-wise, he added.

IndiaCast Group COO Gaurav Gandhi said digitisation will change three things: it will change economics, choice of services and accountability and measurement.

?The cost of content has gone up considerably, it?s on par with international markets. But the revenue growth is not sufficient,? Gandhi said.

Broadcasters will also have to look at other revenue models apart from advertising and subscription to monetise their content.

Natpe President and CEO Rod H Perta said the problem of inadequate measurement system and fragmentation of market is not unique to India. US too has gone through the same path.

Digitisation, he said, will lead to emergence of new business models and opportunities. The question is whether broadcasters are ready for this change, he asked.

He said ratings are an equally ?contentious? issue in US but the market over there has matured and advertisers now don?t just look at ratings while making advertising decision.

?In fragmented markets, advertisers don?t just look at ratings. They also look at the quality of content,? Perta contended.

TAM India CEO LV Krishnan said the issue of reliability of data comes only when the ratings starts falling. Broadcasters, he said, don?t complain when the numbers are in their favour.

He said viewership measurement in multiple-screen era will go from platform-centric to becoming platform-agnostic.

?It doesn?t matter which platform the content is consumed. Parameters will change as content consumption will happen on different platforms,? Krishnan said.

Fremantle Asia MD Paul O Hanlon said, ?We have to rethink the way we produce content which made us look at different formats in different ways and segment it to make it flexible for broadcasters.

?The cost of content is going up, so we have to rethink the business model. We are looking at different ways to monetise content like AFP and not just remain dependent on broadcast fee.?

MUMBAI: Viacom18 will soon launch Rishtey in UK, a new mass entertainment Hindi entertainment channel that will complement its existing flagship channel Colors.

Rishtey will be launched in UK first by IndiaCast, showcasing content from a spectrum of genres including format shows, fiction, music and news.

The free-to-air (FTA) channel will be available on Sky Digital, it is learnt. Test signals are on and the launch is expected next month.

Rishtey will air re-run shows of Colors and also have original content.

Viacom18 operates a bouquet of channels including MTV, Nickelodeon, Vh1, Colors, Sonic and Comedy Central. It is also engaged in the film business through Viacom18 Motion Pictures.

Says Viacom18 group CEO Sudhanshu Vats, ?While we have a horizontal presence across television entertainment, with the launch of Rishtey, we now begin the phase of strengthening our presence in each vertical as well.?

Colors CEO Raj Nayak adds, ?With ?Rishtey?, we intend to create a new category within the general entertainment space, and given the rich mine of content within the Viacom18 Group, we?re confident of ?Rishtey? resonating well with both ? viewers as well as advertisers.?

IndiaCast COO Gaurav Gandhi states, ?Rishtey offers a wide range of variety entertainment programming that will engage, entertain and delight the South Asian audiences in the UK. As a free-to-air service, Rishtey perfectly complements our flagship brand Colors, by reaching out to a much wider audience base and giving them a taste of our much loved programming."

MUMBAI: TV18 and Viacom18?s venture, IndiaCast, has launched the international version of MTV India in the Middle East and North Africa (MENA) region. With this launch, MTV India?s international distribution footprint now spans 31 countries.

MTV India will be available on Pehla branded packs across DTH, Cable, IPTV and SMATV in Bahrain, Cyprus, Iran, Iraq, Jordan, Kuwait, Lebanon, Oman, Palestine, Qatar, Saudi Arabia, Syria, United Arab Emirates, Yemen, Egypt, Libya, Morocco, Algeria, Tunisia, Sudan and Mauritiana. MTV India will also be launching on other platforms shortly.

Featuring music and youth reality content from India in Hindi, MTV India will complement Viacom International Media Networks? (VIMN) existing MTV channel, which services the Middle East and North Africa region with Arabic and international music and entertainment content.

This is IndiaCast?s second channel in the region after Hindi GEC COLORS was launched in September 2010. The company?s team in Dubai, which currently distributes and handles advertising sales for COLORS, will be managing the distribution and sales for MTV India as well in the region.

This launch expands the offering for advertisers in the region, allowing them to reach both family and youth audiences.

IndiaCast COO Gaurav Gandhi said, "Indians are passionate about their music and Hindi Music in particular has a huge following both in India and overseas. The launch of MTV India in the Middle East & North Africa region, will give an opportunity for the South Asian and other audiences to connect with the Indian music and reality programming that they love most. MTV India is our second brand in the region and we intend to grow our presence here with more offerings from our extensive news and regional channel portfolio in the near future."

MTV India business head Aditya Swamy said, "MTV India has constantly engaged and entertained young India and now the opportunity to do so with young people in the other countries is very exciting. While we will leverage our cult franchises such as Roadies, Unplugged and Rush in these markets, we will also look at some region specific initiatives which will resonate with the local audience."

MUMBAI: Viacom18 has appointed Sameer Goswami as VP and head of business operations, North America.

Goswami will be responsible for managing and expanding the company?s broadcast operations across the continent.

Goswami joins from Vision Asia ? Australia and New Zealand, where he was the CEO and has played a key role in revitalising the company. He will report to Viacom18 head - distribution and International Business and Sun18 COO- North Gaurav Gandhi.

Gandhi said, ?We are delighted to have Sameer join our team. I am confident that Sameer?s valuable experience in media and broadcast and his entrepreneurial mindset will be a great asset in growing Aapka Colors business in North America?

On his new role Goswami added, "In my new role, I am looking forward to working with this talented group of enthusiasts and applying my knowledge and experience to help in the growth of the network?s business in North America.?

Goswami comes in with experience across diverse International markets in advertising, FMCG marketing and entertainment industries.

Prior to joining Vision Asia, he has also worked with ConAgra Foods, Hungama.com, Leo Burnett and Lintas India.