January 16-31, 2020 Volume 8, Issue 14 `100 16 INTERVIEW ABHISHEK REGE, CEO, ENDEMOL SHINE INDIA 6 TRAI “Who is TRAI to Decide Which Channels “INDIAN OTT are Unwanted?” 24 NEEDS MORE MOST-VIEWED ADS Best Creatives SHOW-RUNNERS” 26 CEO of Endemol Shine India on leaping MOVEMENTS/PEOPLE Who’s Where from reality TV to fiction on OTT. EDITORIAL This fortnight... Volume 8, Issue 14 nline video content is all around us. I paused a tutorial I was watching on EDITOR Sreekant Khandekar O YouTube to attend a meeting to finalise the agenda for vdonxt asia, our PUBLISHER upcoming event on the business of online video, before settling down to write this Sreekant Khandekar January 16-31, 2020 Volume 8, Issue 14 `100 note, a preamble to an interview with the chief of a content studio – Endemol Shine EXECUTIVE EDITOR Ashwini Gangal 16 India’s Abhishek Rege. INTERVIEW ABHISHEK REGE, PRODUCTION EXECUTIVE CEO, ENDEMOL SHINE INDIA Andrias Kisku In the bargain, I am reminded of a chat I had over a year ago when the Indian ADVERTISING ENQUIRIES OTT space was in mid-bloom, with Ormax’s Shailesh Kapoor, about how the Shubham Garg Indian streaming world is running on sensibilities borrowed from Hindi feature films 81301 66777 (M) Noida and why online dramas tend to be literally and metaphorically dark. We have since 6 Apoorv Kulshrestha TRAI interviewed many a decision maker from the online video space; each time we’ve “Who is TRAI to 9873824700 (M) Decide Which Channels “INDIAN OTT are Unwanted?” Noida 24 looked at the same subject, from a new lens. This time, Endemol’s Rege helps us NEEDS MORE MOST-VIEWED ADS Best Creatives appraise the content ecosystem from a production lens. Nikhil Jhunjhunwala SHOW-RUNNERS” 26 CEO of Endemol Shine India on leaping MOVEMENTS/PEOPLE 9833371393 (M) Who’s Where from reality TV to fiction on OTT. Mumbai Rege’s lens is particularly interesting because Endemol is best known for producing Vijayalaxmi Yadav reality shows on television, including Bigg Boss. Now, the team is bullish on web 9930547767 (M) Mumbai content, because Rege sees tremendous potential in scripted, versus non-scripted, web [email protected] content. MARKETING OFFICE B 3, Ground Floor, Sector 4, Another thought provoking part of the discussion was around the way OTT trends Noida-201301 Uttar Pradesh. have influenced TV shows; going forward, broadcasters, per Rege, might experiment with MUMBAI finite shows a lot more, instead of flogging endless storylines with no closure in sight. 302, Makani Center, 3rd Floor, Off Linking Road, Bandra (W), Mumbai-400050. Our reporter also discussed one of my favourite subjects with Rege – what makes a show premium? I’ve always wondered whether it’s got more to do with the production SUBSCRIPTION ENQUIRIES [email protected] budget – locations and costumes – or the popularity of the director, the glamour quotient of the cast or the marketing spend pumped into promoting the show. Rege’s Owned by Banyan Netfaqs Pvt Ltd and Printed and Published by answer was one I’ve never heard before. Streaming platforms, he says, are more Sreekant Khandekar, at 7-A/13, Ch. Ratan Singh Complex, “balanced” today than they were a year or so ago... and we thought evolution took Jawala Heri Market, Paschim Vihar, place over millennia. New Delhi-110063. Printed at Artz and Printz 208 DSIDC Sheds, Okhla Industrial Area, Phase 1, New Delhi-110020. Ashwini Gangal [email protected] CONTENTS VIJAY SUBRAMANIAM “Living Room 12 19 Experience is Growing” FORD The director and head, Taking the Road content, Amazon Prime Video Less Travelled India, shares his expectations from the six-episode series It’s the third film in ‘The Forgotten Army – Azaadi Ford’s social content Ke Liye’ and the importance series and it builds an of quality entertainment. emotional narrative. 21 20 8 ARTISTES PULSAR 23 NIRMA Leading the Way Zooming Along Facing the Wrath Brands are choosing rising stars A look at the brand’s journey Consumers aren’t too pleased for their ads. Here’s why. so far through its ads. with this Akshay Kumar ad. afaqs! Reporter, January 16-31, 2 0 2 0 5 MEDIA TRAI “Who is TRAI to Decide?” The amendment directs broadcasters and distributors to submit the revised channel prices by January 15 and 30, 2020, respectively, with full implementation from March 1. By Anirban Roy Choudhury t is evident that the amendments to the New Tariff Order (NTO) Iare based on the premise that the regulator believes that “unwanted” The heads of leading broadcasters addressed media in a channels have been clubbed with the conference organised by the Indian Broadcasting Foundation “driver” ones by broadcasters through “In the interim, heavy discounting in a bouquet. advertising will formation of bouquets restricting subscribers’ choice.” In February 2019, the Telecom by the broadcasters vis- TRAI went on to ask the Regulatory Authority of India suffer a lot. à-vis sum of a-la-carte stakeholders, “What other measures (TRAI) rolled out an NTO for Overall too, channels, the Authority may be taken to ensure that the TV industry. While earlier, the advertising will prescribed following unwanted channels are not pushed digital platform operators made twin conditions to to the consumers?”. their bouquet and the local cable suffer...” ensure that price of On January 10, 2020, the operators billed a standard amount SUDHANSHU VATS a-la-carte channels does broadcasters displayed their show to a particular locality, TRAI’s not become illusory: of strength. The heads of leading NTO mandated that to change. i) The sum of the broadcasters in India – Star India, The new regulatory framework all Doordarshan channels. The a-la-carte rates of the pay channels ZEE, Sony, Viacom18, ETV, asked customers to subscribe to broadcasters argued that these (MRP), forming part of a bouquet, Discovery and the India Today the channels of their choice and channels are FTA in nature and shall, in no case, exceed one and Group addressed media in a then pay for whatever they watch. it is unfair to charge customers half times the rate of the bouquet of conference organised by the Indian Accordingly, the broadcasters for channels that are otherwise which such pay channels are a part; Broadcasting Foundation (IBF). “We announced the maximum retail price available for free on platforms like and never did something like this where of their channels and formed their DD Freedish (government’s free ii) The a-la-carte rates of each we all have come together to address bouquet offering too. DTH platform). pay channel (MRP), forming part of an issue. We believe our job is to TRAI observed that the cable In response to the broadcasters’ a bouquet, shall, in no case, exceed tell the story and not be the story, TV cost per house has increased allegations against NCF, the three times the average rate of a pay but this is way too serious,” said manifold and then issued a operators pleaded with TRAI to not channel of the bouquet of which Uday Shankar, president of The Walt consultation paper to correct the reduce the NCF, but instead sought such pay channel is a part.” Disney Company Asia Pacific, and course. The broadcasters pleaded an increase in it, as that is the revenue Apart from that, the Authority chairman of Star India and The Walt with the regulator to avoid any major that gets shared between the MSOs also decided that only those channels Disney Company India. amendments as that would mean (DEN, Siti Cable, etc.) and the which are having MRP of `12 or less The IBF members mentioned disruption for their businesses. The local cable operators. They said this will be permitted to be part of the that the “smaller channels” will DPOs alleged that the broadcasters money is essential for them to service bouquet offered by broadcasters. find it difficult to survive following have priced their channels too high their customers adequately. “These amendments were the the amendments, which will force and, thus, the cable TV cost had After going through all the writing on the wall and it is surprising organisations to lay off employees. gone up. They also alleged that comments from stakeholders and that the broadcasters did not foresee N P Singh, CEO, Sony Pictures because of the increase in price, organising open house discussions, it,” says an analyst working with a Television Networks India (SPNI), many cable TV subscribers have TRAI announced the amendments consultancy firm. He sheds light on a told afaqs! Reporter, “Who is TRAI resorted to cord-cutting. to the NTO on January 1, 2020, just point that was mentioned in TRAI’s to decide which is an unwanted The broadcasters, in response, nine months after first implementing consultation paper released in August channel and which are the driver said it was the network capacity fee it. Among the many amendments, 2019. TRAI had shared that because ones? There are viewers for those (NCF) which is the single largest the one that the broadcasters said there is a huge difference in the channels too. You are the consumer reason behind the price rise, and not will impact their revenues is the bouquet and the a-la-carte pricing, and you make the choice about the pricing of the channels. NCF is introduction of ‘twin conditions’ it had observed “perverse pricing the content you want to watch and the mandatory minimum of `130 – something that the DPOs urged of bouquets vis-à-vis individual pay whether that content is relevant to (excluding GST) that a subscriber the regulator to do during the open channels”.