MUMBAI: Regional might be the new national but when it comes to monetisation of content the fastest growing segment in the Indian Media & Entertainment (M&E) still lags behind the Hindi entertainment broadcasters.

Star India Head of Content Engine Gaurav Banerjee pointed out how Marathi and Bengali channels continue to be under-leveraged compared to the Hindi general entertainment channels (GECs), despite having a bigger viewership pie in markets like Mumbai and Kolkata.

He claimed that regional GECs in Mumbai and Kolkata perform better than Hindi GECs during the 8 pm prime time band. Therefore, it is imperative that the ad rates of regional GECs in these markets should reflect the viewership that they deliver vis-?-vis Hindi GECs who continue to command higher rates.
 
?The viewership of regional channels is greater than Hindi GECs in markets like Mumbai and Kolkata, particularly in prime-time 8 pm. But we are still not getting the right ad rates from media agencies and advertisers, despite the ratings that we deliver,? Bannerjee said during a panel discussion on regional markets at Ficci Frames.
Perception, he believed, was one of the reasons why regional channels get a raw treatment from advertisers. The only way to correct ad rates was by changing perception of advertisers that regional delivers better than national channels in their home markets, he stressed.

The cost of producing content on regional channels has increased over the years but the revenue side has not kept pace, ?We need better ad rates to take our content to the next level,? he declared.

On an optimistic note, Bannerjee said that the regional market is on the cusp of growth that will be second to none.

AsiaSat Telecommunications Sr Regional Manager Paulus Chau pointed out how regional broadcasters can tap into the diaspora population in other Asian markets like Hong Kong, Malaysia, and Singapore.

The average revenue per user (Arpu) in these markets is also high for regional broadcasters to start looking at them seriously, he said, adding that the cost of transponders has softened a bit for broadcasters to distribute their channels in these markets.
 
?We can give focussed localised beams to regional channels to reach out to more viewers,? Chau said.
Indiantelevision.com Group CEO and Editor-in-Chief Anil Wanvari, who was the moderator for the session, said while regional is growing at a phenomenal pace it needs to exploit other revenue streams like distribution in digital platforms and international syndication.

?Regional channels should export their content to other markets by dubbing or sub-titling it. With the quality of content that is produced by regional channels, it would certainly appeal to a discerning audience,? Wanvari noted.

Ravi Sharma, the Executive Director of Shree Venkateish Films, reminisced how regional films had to compete with Hindi films to get them screened in theatres. But all that has changed now with regional films also gaining in popularity due to improvement in production values, packaging of films, and marketing.

He said that the Bengali film market produces 150 films every year with 10-12 becoming blockbusters. The average cost of producing a Bengali film has also jumped from few lakhs to Rs 50-60 million for a blockbuster.

Big Synergy CEO Indranil Chakraborty said the key to regional?s growth will be how it manages to retain talent which is veering towards Hindi film and television market.

He also said that a production is like solution provider which has to give feasible rates to the broadcasters in addition to providing quality content to the viewers.

He also stated that the regional version of Kaun Banega Crorepati (KBC) in Bengali, Bhojpuri or Tamil is a prototype of the international format rather than being a carbon copy of the Hindi version.

Giving the perspective of a news broadcaster, Tamil news channel Puthiya Thalaimurai?s TV News Director S. Srinivasan said the South Indian news market is besotted with news channels with vested interests.

He bemoaned the fact that most of these so-called news channels are political mouthpieces of their political masters.

The reason for Thalaimurai TV?s success in a tough market like Tamil Nadu is due to its non-partial coverage of politics and focus on civic and social issues. Unlike other regional channels who are obsessed with Entertainment and Cricket, Thalaimurai TV has a right mix of content.