B.A.G Films & Media Ltd. managing director Anurradha Prasad has her plate full. Having created a long list of popular TV shows, she now has her eyes fixed on FM radio, TV channels, animation and feature films.
The company has spun separate subsidiary outfits for each of these activities. The news channels will be housed under B.A.G Newsline Network while the non news broadcasting venture will be under B.A.G Glamour.
FM Radio is under B.A.G Infotainment and is operating under the Radio Dhamaal brand while animation will be via a joint venture with Sieindesign Co.
In an interview with Indiantelevision.com's Sibabrata Das, Prasad talks of the changing face of news television with the growth of tabloidisation, the excitement of FM radio and her plans to create a vertically integrated media empire.
Excerpts:
Are TV content companies in India under compulsion to foray into broadcasting space as an effort to scale up their business? |
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Is the decision to have control over your destiny a fallout of B.A.G Films losing flagship shows like Sansani as Star News decided to do it themselves? |
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Were you looking at a model like Balaji Telefilms where a broadcaster picks up stake in the company and you venture into TV channels space enjoying an assured content supply? |
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You mean to say that this is the right timing? We have created tried and proven content. We have already set up an infrastructure and have the resource network in place. What we have to do now, and correctly, is marketing, positioning and distribution. For us, it is a very calculative challenge. |
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In the broadcasting space, why did you decide to get into the news and lifestyle genre? |
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Are Hindi news channels growing at the cost of the GECs because of crime shows and tabloidisation of news? |
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Won't it be tough as you are entering at a time when the news market is getting fragmented among 4-5 players? |
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Isn't tabloidisation the winning bet for grabbing audiences in the Hindi news space? |
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How could you establish credibility in this genre which thrives on sensationalism? As a serious organisation which is in the business of news, you can't be doing certain things which are not credible. That line between credibility and sensationalism is very thin. And it is becoming thinner because of the growth of this genre. |
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Do you see this trend growing? |
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Will we see opinionated news in your network? |
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How much will you be investing in your Hindi news channel? |
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Are you diluting 25 per cent stake each in the two broadcast companies, B.A.G Newsline Network and B.A.G Glamour, to raise Rs 2 billion? I can't comment on it. |
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Are India Bulls promoter Sameer Gehlaut and Kolkata-based High Growth Distributors individually picking up 12.5 per cent in each of the two companies? Have you raised Rs 1 billion each from them? |
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How different will the lifestyle channel be? |
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For the FM radio business, would you require to raise fresh capital in B.A.G Infotainment? |
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Are you in talks with foreign investors? |
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When will all the 10 stations get launched? |
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What is the strategy behind bidding for the stations in the northern region and the sugar belt of Maharashtra? |
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Will your stations have a common distinct personality? |
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What are the plans for the animation business? |
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How do you see growth in the parent company which will house the TV and film production business? We have also launched an international show Yeh Vaada Raha for Ary Digital, Dubai available in Pakistan, UAE, USA and UK. This is our first step towards going international. We are also foraying into Bengali feature Films with Ami,Yaseen aur amaar Madhubala. Directed by Budhadeb Dasgupta, it is set for release in October. All these efforts should give us topline and bottomline growth. |