Ormax Media, the consumer knowledge and consulting firm for the media and entertainment industry, has entered into its fourth year of operations with plans to expand its product offerings and business.

Launched jointly by research specialist Vispy Doctor and former Filmy business head Shailesh Kapoor in July 2008, the company boasts of growth across sectors, including television, radio and media agencies.

In an interview with Indiatelevision.com's Gaurav Laghate, Kapoor talks about the trends in entertainment television across genres - GEC, Sports, English entertainment and infotainment.

Excerpts:

What are the significant changes you are witnessing in the Hindi GEC space, both in terms of programming and marketing?
There has been a definite movement towards light-hearted treatment of content. Stories may still be based around families and social change, but the treatment is less heavy and emotional than what it was before. Meanwhile, reality shows are going through a tricky phase, with no new ideas coming up, except Satyamev Jayate. We seem to have saturated the formats available to us.

How do you see GECs getting affected from IPL this year?
There is definitely diversion of viewer attention, but like Bollywood, GECs too have realised that at some point, they will have to take the IPL on. The key is to identify which programmes to focus on during IPL and which to duck. Understanding of IPL viewing behaviour becomes critical for that.

What do you think of all the sports entertainment properties that are coming up...like Super Fight League? Will they gain traction?
Mixed Martial Arts, being presented through UFC and SFL, is a very popular International sport. It should surely find its audience.

What are the trends in sports viewership? Are non-cricket sporting events growing?
Yes, the growth is there, but slow. Marketing is the key. I'm glad that a new channel (Sony Six) has launched, as any channel launch always gives impetus to sports in general.

Your view on declining viewership of IPL?
All trends and data we have suggest IPL viewership is actually 20 per cent higher than last year. I will not like to comment on the ratings.

Is too much cricket causing viewers’ fatigue?
A lot of it depends on India's performance. Having said that, we have a fairly lean period over the next few months, so cricket should be back in its full glory later this year.

What are the trends in English infotainment and niche programming? Do you see language feeds getting more eyeballs?
Language feed is the way forward as C&S penetration will continue to increase in smaller towns. Subtitling has helped English language channels a lot, and so have language feeds for English infotainment.

And what about programming trends in the English general entertainment space?
The genre needs some Indian programming desperately. The issue is – are the costs affordable. But a good Indian show, especially comedy or non-fiction, can definitely prove to be a game changer.

What do you think about English music channels – now three... Will they manage to get viewers share without appointment viewing?
The genre is very niche and its business model is based largely on imagery, perception, innovations and client servicing. So viewership doesn't matter that much.

How has been the year for Ormax Media in terms of revenue and business growth?
2011-12 has been an excellent year. We showed 62 per cent growth in our revenue, and added 24 new clients. Our proprietary product line now stands at 19 in number. Film research has been a big growth area for us last year, and should continue to grow this year too. But overall, growth has been across sectors, including television, radio and media agencies.

What all new clients and new tools and products the company has launched or is launching in the near future?
We recently launched the third edition of our IPL ad tracking study, Day After Cricket. Our music countdown product 'Heartbeats' is now available in a Kolkata edition also, where we track Hindi and Bangla music in the Kolkata market. Our flagship products Cinematix and Showbuzz recently went through major market expansions. Cinematix expanded from 6 cities to 16 cities, while Showbuzz expanded from 6 to 14 cities. In the coming months, we have a huge product launch lined up. Without revealing much, we can say that it will be a product every advertiser and media agency will find extremely useful and relevant.