DOORDARSHAN IN DOLDRUMS
Article Abstract:
India's biggest telecaster - Doordarshan - is losing its viewership to private cable and satellite channels. An Indian broadcasting newsletter, Cable Waves, has estimated that cable channels penetration will be 60 percent by 2001 AD. Cable and satellite channels, which have a 15 percent penetration in rural India, are spreading in these areas too. Even advertisers are abandoning Doordarshan. Hindustan Lever Ltd spent 40 percent of its advertising budget of Rs650 crore on cable and satellite channels in 1998-99 (25 percent in 1997-98). Nestle spent around Rs40 crore on the cable and satellite channel, Zee TV, during January-November 1998 against Rs13 crore spent on Doordarshan. As per the Current Opinion & Future Trends, a television advertisements monitoring agency, cable and satellite channels accounted for 77 percent of the total number of advertising seconds on television bought by 10 of the top advertisers. Doordarshan's gross billings are estimated to fall to Rs400-425 crore in 1998-99 (Rs490 crore in 1997-98). Zee TV expects its billings to increase to Rs370 crore from Rs296 crore. Sony Entertainment Television expects its advertisement revenues to soar by 150 percent to Rs220 crore. At least 25 product categories, such as premium toiletries, chocolates and soft- drinks, have shifted their adspends to satellite channels. The transmission of Doordarshan also is poor in some parts of India. Producers are also deserting Doordarshan as they have to bear the cost of the programme, pay a telecast fee as well as woo advertisers. Private channels commission programmes and use their marketing infrastructure to book advertisers. Private channels like Sun TV and Eenadu are also marginalising the regional channels of Doordarshan. In Chennai, Sun TV earned Rs97 crore in 1997-98, while the Tamil channel of Doordarshan netted Rs60 crore. (tsm) (kvr)
Publication Name: BusinessWorld
Subject: Business, international
ISSN:
Year: 1999
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SONY DRAWS UP A BLOCKBUSTER SCRIPT
Article Abstract:
The Japanese conglomerate, Sony plans to supersede Zee TV in the Hindi entertainment segment by 2000 AD. The Indian operations of the Sony group comprises Sony Entertainment Television India (SETI), Sony Music India (SMI) and Columbia TriStar Films of India (CTFI) and Sony India. The group plans to increase its aggregate turnover from Indian operations to Rs500 crore in the next two years. SETI posted a net profit of Rs14 crore on a turnover of Rs100 crore for 1997-98 while Zee TV posted a net profit of Rs44 crore on a turnover of Rs181 crore. SETI plans to launch a pay channel, SET Asia in the US and UK in 1998. It also plans to launch AXN, an action movie pay channel in India. SMI proposes to increase its turnover from Rs18 crore to Rs100 crore by 2000 AD. It has acquired the music rights for several Hindi films. It has a 30 percent market share in India. It plans to tap the Rs42 crore Indi pop market. CTFI has targeted 40 percent of its earnings from dubbed English films by 2000 AD. It plans to distribute Hindi films overseas and also take up production of Hindi films. (vv)
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Plans to supersede Zee TV in the Hindi entertainment segment by 2000 AD
Publication Name: BusinessWorld
Subject: Business, international
ISSN:
Year: 1998
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