Karan Bajaj of Discovery Communications India talks about the group’s entry into the GEC space with Discovery JEET. Danish Khan of Sony Entertainment Television talks about the launch of its sub brand, ‘SET Originals’
WE ARE INVESTING WITH THE THESIS THAT WE ARE HERE FOR THE LONG HAUL: KARAN BAJAJ
Discovery Communications India is entering the GEC space with Discovery JEET, starting February 12, 2018. At launch, the channel will reach more than 100 million households. The channel will launch with five hours of programming and will be available in Hindi, Tamil & Telugu. Karan Bajaj, Senior Vice-President & General Manager- South Asia, Discovery Communications India tells us more...
On Discovery JEET: I believe Discovery JEET will be a disruptor because it’s built on a very powerful and strong consumer insight. The core insight of JEET is showcasing stories of the underdog who won with the ethos of ‘Hai Mumkin’. I think we will be able to strike that chord with consumers, and it will have a very strong appeal. Discovery as a bouquet had a very strong affinity reaching to the top of the pyramid, which is the top 20 million households that are pivoting heavily to Digital. If you have to have a scaleable, meaningful TV business in India, you had to enter the next 120 million households which are still very vibrant active TV viewers.
On breaking even: We are investing with the thesis that we are here for the long haul and it is the right level of investment for a GEC in India. As for the break-even period, Discovery is a very fiscally astute company, and we know what we are getting into, and the business plan is very solid. We have a very disciplined break-even period.
Tie-up with Netflix: We chose Netflix because of two reasons; if I project a longer term philosophy, their philosophy of what is differentiated content is a very good fit with our philosophy of content. Secondly, they have excellent global reach and the content will also appeal to the diaspora. When I think of them, they have the same intent that they want to be very successful in India in the long term. It’s a very good fit overall.
SYNDICATION IS A SERIOUS REVENUE STREAM FOR US, SAYS DANISH KHAN AT LAUNCH OF ‘SET ORIGINALS’
Sony Entertainment Television (SET) launched its subbrand ‘SET Originals’ with ‘Prithvi Vallabh’ being the first production to premier under this brand. With SET Originals, the channel will collaborate with new creative story-tellers to offer premium, fresh and finite content with production values and narratives that have a global appeal. Here’s what Danish Khan, Executive Vice President, and Business Head, Sony Entertainment Television has to say:
On SET Originals: With an old civilization, India has many stories and characters who we believe have a lot of global appeal. If presented well, this content will find relevance in the global market. We believe in the concept and in its ability to travel the world, and hence are willing to invest money in it. The ambition is that we are creating shows, not just for the Indian market and NRIs, but for a global audience. Hence, when you select a story, you spend that much more time in research and writing and the screenplay is slightly more global in its nature and the series has to be finite. ‘SET Originals’ is not only about budget, it’s about structuring of finance, and about a global ambition.
On Syndication: There has been immense interest in our shows ‘Prithvi Vallabh’, ‘Porus’, and ‘Yeh Un Dino Ki Baat Hai’, and we are in commercial negotiations for these shows. Region-wise, we are in conversation with a lot of people in South-east Asia, the Middle-east, Turkey and South America. A popular show on our channel is now being adapted in Turkey. Syndication is being taken as a serious revenue stream for us. With this, Sony is gradually making inroads into the global markets. The biggest win is going to be with Prithvi Vallabh’s syndication.
