| MUMBAI:
The Hindi general entertainment channel (GEC) space is constantly changing and
churning out fresh opportunities. In
my opinion, it has been a year of shows rather than channels in spite of what
everyone would like to say. The viewer has been totally spoilt for choice with
the wide and eclectic array of entertainment options being laid out in front of
him / her to savour and to get hooked on to. Channels have had to outdo themselves
in terms of their offerings - leave alone outdoing their competition to attract
eyeballs and to keep them glued to their show / channel. As viewership gets fragmented,
diversification of content on TV is the need of the hour. It is an extremely challenging
scenario that a broadcaster faces today. Also,
the market has disintegrated into smaller units with niche regional preferences.
Even the share of Hindi general entertainment within the "Hindi Speaking
Markets" vary considerably. One extreme is represented by the Hindi belt
markets like Madhya Pradesh and Uttar Pradesh which are heavy Hindi GE viewers
and the other extreme is represented by markets like West Bengal and Maharashtra
which are heavy regional consumers. We saw this as one more opportunity to create
higher level of viewer satisfaction. With
competition heating up and the saas-bahu image that Star Plus had to shake off,
we came up with a host of innovative, fresh and creative content to entertain
our audiences this year. The channel also decided to increase its physical connection
with our audience by creating consumer experiences out of our programmes. Let
me share with you some examples of this year's programme launches and corresponding
activities we undertook. We started the year with the launch of 'Yeh Rishta
Kya Kehlata Hai'. Star Plus had the mega launch in the exotic gardens of Rambagh
Palace, Jaipur. 50 couple winners, which were a result of a compatibility test,
took their marriage vows for a second time in celebration of their love for each
other. This programme topped the TRP charts with its sustained performance week
after week! Upholding traditional Indian beliefs and value systems, the show soon
captured every Indian household's fancy, becoming the most promising primetime
show on Star Plus after the departure of the 'K' series from the channel. With
the launch of 'Sabki Ladli Bebo' in April 2009, Star Plus announced its
annual property Ladli Week Celebration where the brand partnered with the KC Mahindra
Educational Trust NGO- to start Project Nanhi Kali. A
fund raiser initiative called Star Plus' Project Laadli celebrated the Girl Child
Week from 13 - 17 April and received tremendous response from the viewers and
media. Children from Project Nanhi Kali had fun spending time with their
favourite stars - Bebo (Shiv Shakti) and Kuku Narang (Kanwaljeet) from 'Sabki
Laadli Bebo' on the sets.
Little girls from Nanhi Kali had the opportunity to eat fun meals at McDonald's
with Akshara (Hina Khan) from Yeh Rishta Kya Kehlata Hain, Shaurya (Saurabh
Pandey) and Suhani (Sriti Jha) from Shaurya Aur Suhani. We set up Signature
Walls for consumers across 52 Big Bazaar and 21 Sia Jewellery outlets in India.
These received more than 51,000 messages during the Laadli Week Celebration, out
of which more than 30,000 viewers contacted Nanhi Kali to contribute for
this noble cause! In
June 2009, came 'Star Vivah' - the first ever matrimonial show on Indian
television for all those searching for their ideal life partner. 'Star Vivah'
provided the biggest platform for prospective brides and grooms to find their
life partner, thus simplifying the process of the most important and sacrosanct
decision of one's life i.e. marriage. The show took a huge social step by propagating
an anti-dowry stance and promoting gender equality on the show. All participants
were dissuaded from exchanging dowry. The show also featured socially oppressed
people such as widows, handicapped individuals and divorcees, hence giving them
a chance to start their lives afresh. August
2009 saw Star Plus launch an emotional, inspiring & heart warming chat show
'Tere Mere Beach Mein' with ace choreographer turned director, Farah Khan.
This was not your regular celebrity chat show about fame and stardom but about
their lives away from the arc lights! Digital
teams created online bidding and auction with Ebay. On the show celebrities gave
away various items from their personal favourites for auction and the proceeds
were shared with an NGO Sneha. Viewers in large numbers participated to bid for
these items on Ebay. The show garnered a whopping 3.3 TVR with its opening episodes,
becoming the only television chat show to open with such numbers! Star
Plus started a movement with the second season of 'Aap Ki Kachehri' with
the intention to empower viewers taking the message of "television se zindagi
tak" literally. We organised a 'Walkathon with Dr Kiran Bedi' in Indore,
Ahmedabad and Lucknow along with eminent social workers, educationists and media
personalities. In Mumbai, we tapped the life line of the city - the local trains
- to create awareness of the "Aap Ki Kachehri" movement. This
train ride with Kiran Bedi attracted a huge number of viewers as they joined her
in the movement impromptu. In
October 2009, 'Aap Ki Kachehri' took another meaningful step forward by
launching a path-breaking CSR initiative 'Aap Ki Kachehri - Aap Ke Dwaar'
in Delhi and Lucknow. This involved a programme that trained people in dispute
resolution; trained NGOs in dispute resolution and effective mediation with the
aim to work towards building a more peaceful and productive society. The
second season of 'Baa Bahu aur baby' was launched in October 2009 with
baby's wedding - the biggest wedding on Indian television. The entire cast traveled
across key cities in Gujarat to collect wishes for Baby. Star Plus dressed up
Ahmedabad to welcome Birju's baraat - a grand, visual treat that completely floored
people. Baa, Pravin Bhai & Gattu (prominent characters from the show) greeted
Birju atop a decorated horse. The event was accompanied by music and many Ahmedabadi
baraati's dancing away reliving the experience, which was followed by Baby &
Birju exchanging garlands. This was the first ever fiction show to be back in
season two on viewer demand! The second season of the show also gave consistent
performance on the charts. A
large percentage of India resides in the villages and towns and many of them come
to our metros to earn their livelihoods. Taking cognizance of this fact, Star
Plus came up with 'Tere Mere Sapne' in October 2009 - a story depicting
the journey of one such migrant who steps into a challenging new world and how
he endeavours to come to terms with a new life and city. To connect with our audience,
Sarju, the protagonist of the show, visited Lucknow where he learnt auto driving,
cooking and vegetable selling - skills that he will need to survive in the tough
city of Mumbai. In Delhi, Sarju visited a migrant colony to learn about their
difficulties and how they cope with it.
The show touched the hearts of
viewers and it received the highest recall in its launch week amongst its target
viewers as they were able to relate to the concept, culture and emotion of the
protagonist!
With
'Sach Ka Samna', Star Plus took programming to a new level. It completely
floored audiences as they didn't know what to expect from this show! We created
platforms for people to show courage and bare their soul by speaking the truth
through a medium that is visually impact full. We, therefore, created Saccho Ki
Toli which by its movement and appearance in high catchments areas gained momentum
and buzz.
21 promoters wearing pure white long robes with numbers 1-21
on their robes and a funny 'Sach' about them behind their back moved in groups
at VT station, Mumbai and lined up in chronological order. Rajeev Khandelwal,
the host of the show, made a public appearance with the 'Saccho ki toli' and invited
people to come forward, take a T-Shirt, write their truth and wear this T-shirt
to join the 'Saccho Ki Toli'. 'Sach Ka Samna' proved to be the first Indian
reality show with a launch episode gaining 4.2 TVR, the only reality show to have
received such number in last two years. The show maintained a constant high through
the season on the TRP charts in the late primetime segment. With
the recently launched 'Pratigya', Star Plus' newest protagonist Pratigya
gathered support from hundreds of women who joined in a Human Chain organised
at Nariman point as a part of Star Plus' 'Meri Pratigya' campaign. This Human
chain also attracted protagonists from Star Parivaar who stood together and pledged
their support against disrespect and mistreatment of women. At
Star Plus, we've had great success with industry-defining shows like 'Yeh Rishta
Kya Kehlaata Hai' and 'Sach Ka Saamna' and are ending the year on a
high with our recent launches - 'Pratigya' and 'Music Ka Maha Muqabla'.
Going forward, Star Plus is going to further raise the bar in programme innovation
and will ensure that its audiences will have the best that televised entertainment
can offer. | 
