| Kalanithi
Maran
 Kalanithi
Maran proved yet again how he could cruise along in a year of global economic
storm while the other media barons were scaling back their expansion plans. Far
from groaning under financial woes, he searched for new growth. And
the architect of the Sun TV empire found them in the areas of DTH, TV broadcasting
and FM radio.
Sun Direct is the fastest growing DTH company with a subscriber
base of 5 million. Built on mass pricing, the business model is to grab market
share while waiting for opportunities to lift ARPUs (average revenue per user)
that stayed below Rs 100 in 2009.
Critics say Sun Direct is leaning heavily
on subscribers from the four southern states and predatory pricing can't be sustainable.
But certain facts stay formidable in Maran's favour. His DTH company has the lowest
losses on a per subscriber ratio, possibly because of hard bargaining to stay
away from minimum guarantee deals with broadcasters. Also,
Sun Direct has 80 per cent of its customers from the south, a rock-solid base
that would provide him economies of scale as he starts scratching into the other
markets where he doesn't have a distinct advantage. In
the TV broadcasting arena, as the industry reeled under an advertising slump,
Maran posted a robust revenue growth of 35 per cent. He fortified his position
and launched two kids and a comedy channel during the course of the year, blocking
out possible gaps in the marketplace. A
master strategist, Maran believes that viewer tastes change every 3-4 years. He
introduced a big-ticket weekend non-fiction programming based on the international
format show Deal or No Deal that not only gave him viewership but also revenue
spikes. The show ran across Maran's flagship general entertainment channels: Sun
TV (Tamil), Gemini (Telugu), Surya (Malayalam) and Udaya (Kannada). Sun
has emerged as one of the leading FM radio broadcasters, setting up a pan India
presence. In 2009, Sun brought its FM radio stations outside Tamil Nadu and Pondicherry
under the Red FM umbrella, offering advertisers a wider listener base and an opportunity
to capitalise on a unifying programme format across key cities. Since
the summer of 2009, Maran also corrected a single deficiency in his rapidly-growing
media empire: He widened the talent pool, making a series of senior appointments
including Ajay Vidyasagar as CEO and Ravi Menon as programming head. So
what does the roadmap look like for Sun in 2010? Maran is tapping subscription
revenues more aggressively, has floated a UK subsidiary to accelerate international
revenues, hiked advertising rates after a gap of two years, and is readying the
release of the mega-budget movie Enthiran. Looks like another blockbuster year
for the man who rules the southern media landscape. Man
Jit Singh
 His
is a radical turnaround story. When he took charge of Multi Screen Media Ltd (the
company that runs Sony Entertainment Television), Man Jit Singh had several tasks
to handle. CEO Kunal Dasgupta had left suddenly in the first quarter of 2009,
his flagship channel Sony was doddering around in the doldrums with sinking ratings,
morale was low and the organisation had few clues as to how they could deal with
the rapidly changing dynamics of the GEC business. Newcomer NDTV Imagine had beaten
it to the No 4 slot, a far cry from its heydays when Sony was scrapping for the
No. 1 slot in the early part of this decade. As
interim CEO, Singh took the bit in his teeth, lopped off 50 staff, letting go
off channel head Albert Almeida. He initially focused on seeing through a successful
IPL as the network had invested for its channel Max while acquiring the rights
for the cricket extravaganza. In the reworked deal, BCCI sold the worldwide rights
for Rs 82 billion and parceled out the India rights to Sony.
That out
of the way, he began the hunt for someone who would take up the corner office
as CEO, apart from launching a new prime time programming band along with COO
NP Singh and programming head Gurdeep Bhangoo The search for a CEO proved futile
as did the new lot of programmes. He aborted both - hoisting himself into the
CEO's seat and started scouting for a channel head. He found one in Ajit Thakur. The
programming was rejigged and a low cost idea plumped for: telecast reruns of its
long running award-winning and successful thriller and horror fictional shows,
CID and Aahat. In the meantime, a new programming head was appointed: Ajay Bhalwankar
was brought in from Zee TV. In
no time at all, the ratings shot up and Sony had got back into the reckoning,
toppling NDTV Imagine from the No 4 slot. From 70 gross rating points Sony was
clocking 170-190 GRPs, ahead of Imagine and close enough to possibly play catch
up with Zee TV and Star Plus which were generating between 240-270 GRPs. The channel
garnered almost two and half times more ratings within six months of the revamp. Along
with his team, Singh sewed an exclusive content agreement with leading film production
house YRF for a programming block which would help differentiate it from the regular
fare. While the initiative generated a lot of hype, it did not generate the mass
TRPs that were expected. For
Singh, 2010 will be a crucial year with IPL 3 on it way in the next two months.
Also, a rejuvenated and cash loaded NDTV Imagine (following the Turner deal) is
definitely going to make a serious and concerted effort to reclaim its fourth
place in the Hind general entertainment space. Steve
Marcopoto
 2009
was Turner's fifteenth anniversary of operating in India. And 2009 was the year
when the network clearly signaled that it was no longer satisfied in having a
minor league play in India. In the first part of the year, it announced that it
was launching WB Channel expanding its presence in the English entertainment channel
space. In the second half of the year, Turner announced that it was pitching its
tent in the rough Hindi general entertainment channel space. And leading Turner's
charge into the big stake game was Turner Broadcasting System APAC head Steve
Marcopoto. Marcopoto
winged his way into the country on several occasions before he signed on the dotted
line of a deal which resulted in Turner acquiring a 92 per cent stake in NDTV
Imagine for $117 million. It took months of negotiation between the NDTV management
and him and his team before a deal was hammered into shape. And it surely was
a moment of triumph for him, making him one of the key media executives in India. For
years, Turner has operated in India through channels such as CNN, Cartoon Network,
Pogo and through a distribution joint venture with Zee TV, labeled Zee Turner. It
has maintained its leadership position in the kids' segment with Cartoon Network
and Pogo, currently ranked No. 1 and 2 respectively on an all-India basis. Growth
has been steady and India revenues account for 25 per cent of its regional operations,
making it Turner's largest and fastest growing market. During
the year, Marcopoto persisted with the Turner mission to further develop the Indian
animation industry. Along with Pogo and Cartoon Network India head Monica Tata
and creative director Vishnu Athreya, he made various acquisitions, co-creations
and initiatives such as Snaptoons (Short New Asia Pacific Cartoons), bringing
the pre-school series Sesame Street to India in a local avatar - Galli Galli Sim
Sim and nurturing one of the most successful homegrown, animated heroes - Chhota
Bheem, amongst others.
2010 will come with its set of challenges: he has
to ensure a smooth transition of Imagine into the Turner fold, and work closely
with CEO Sameer Nair to draw up strategies to make the investment pay off in the
medium-to-long term. Marcopoto will also have to create compelling content and
build the Turner brands across every possible platform, including TV, online,
merchandising and mobile. | 
