Quiz shows from today to woo Telly viewers

 From today onwards, it is the season of Quiz shows – at least for many in the Hindi- Telegu and Malayalam TV viewers. Today we have Big B coming on Sony. Gemini TV, SUN TV Network’s Telugu GEC Channel is all set to broadcast ‘Evaru Meelo Koteeswarulu’ by actor Jr NTR. ‘AnchinoduInchodinchu’–Malayalam version of the successful international format show “ARE YOU SMARTER THAN A 5th GRADER” starts today on Surya TV with Suresh Gopi. Already you have at the same time band, a quiz show Oru Kodi with Flowers TV host Sreekantan Nair. 

KBC comes with a steady loyal viewership and a host Big B . Now that is not enough in times of pandemic. The curtain raiser promo, Amitabh Bachchan can be heard introducing Gyaanraj. It is to be noted that Gyaanraaj is part of a team consisting of 100 scientists that work as advisors for Prime Minister Narendra Modi. That takes care of the Modi Bhakths as well. Channel publicists have been active as media picked up a year back old FB post of the first winner of KBC who wrote about his squandering of Rs 5 cr prize money on business as he wanted to tell journalists that he was a successful investor. Now KBC is into the 13 th year and this year the ad volume rates are very low. Even the Tokyo Olympics ad revenue took a dip. 

Moving to South. Here the two shows starting today (Aug 23) has a time slot that takes a direct face off with all favorite soaps of the rivals and leaves the weekends open for other shows to fight it off. The truth is that Surya in Kerala and Gemini in AP/TS are two crosses that the successful Sun Network has been bearing. Now pitching these two shows at 8.30 PM, it sorts of hopes to neutralize the soaps of the rival channels. The marketing guys in TV ad world says that a survey conducted post Covid 10 1 Phase says that men audience are game to sitting at home and watching quiz shows or any reality show (other than the beaten to death singing- dancing reality ones) and so also the woman and kids. 

Though no one has the name of the agency who conducted the survey, TV addicts in Kerala and AP/TS say that as such the serials in top channel in these two States in 8.30 PM are boring. Flowers TV funded by chit fund owner Gokulam Gopalan who has invested his money (or investors?) in many biz and also has a stake in the Ezhava politics is pumping money to make it the top GEC.  Sreekantan Nair or SK who drives the channel GEC and news 24 Hours is inching closer to Asianet .  Flowers TV soaps not being able to make a dent, SK put Oru Kodi quiz show at Mon- Wednesday 8.30 PM and this was a new move. Such shows came only at weekends or Mon- Friday. It was a move to break the TRP rating hold, says Ad guys, 

Surya TV guys now pitched their Quiz show at same time- same days. Now Suresh Gopi the actor – BJP RS MP has been a successful TV host and his one liner at early shows are still popular. To give a curtain raiser, we get Kunchacko Boban, youth icon as first contestant. Moving to Andhra/TS, Jr NTR is an actor whose stronghold is in rural areas. Here the ball game has a new meaning. These two States are the ones that beat all fears of exhibitors when theaters opened after the first wave and second wave. A robust theater going public is intact. Even some films that would have flopped pre- Covid time were hits. 

Gemini then adds yet another film celeb – Tammannah Bhatia as host to Master Chef show starting at August 27th - Friday- Saturday 8.30 PM. It has decided to puta new serial at 8 PM- Sundari and Kaviyanjaali at 9.30 PM – Monday – Saturday. 

For a film crazy State add a curtain raiser of Ram Charan (top draw and member of Chiranjeevi clan) coming as celeb contestant is ultimate.  The blockbuster formula is ready to unleash. Here the TV viewers did plump in a big way for Bigg Boss hosted by actor Nagarjuna (appears at weekends). It was on Star. In Kerala, Mohanlal and Lalettan magic waned in the just concluded BB show on Asianet. In Tamil, Sun will have to face Zee coming with Survivor reality show and the next edition of Big Boss in Star Vijay hosted by Kamal Haasan.  

Now we will have to wait and see whether the serial makers formula makes more money for tv channels  or the quiz masters.  As if competition to theaters from OTT was not enough, BB Hindi has a OTT version .

Sun TV to focus on Kerala- Andhra markets - focus on Reality shows and satellite rights

 

Sun Network will be investing more in the Surya TV – Gemini TV markets hereafter. It will be putting out 40-50 episode non -fiction (reality shows) got from International markets. For the time being, the network will concentrate on reality shows and finishing committed movie apart from buying movies satellite rights ,   web-series for the OTT platform is not on the cards. The present method to show medium budget films first on Sun NXT and later premiering on Sun TV  will continue.

Sun will be pumping in Rs 30 cr per show of nonfiction genre. On the movie front, the network has allocated Rs 1200 crores to be spend in 2 years. 8 movies are in the pipeline, four of them are under production. one movie is almost nearing completion. Shooting for a couple of movies are 30% to 40% complete. The fourth movie has just commenced shooting. Two of the eight movies are big ticket releases with South Indian megastars in the lead role. In view of uncertainity surrounding shooting due to Covid 19 restrictions, the network will be clearing the pending commitments. This helps as these films add to the networks film library.

v  For the stock market share investor sharp reduction in dividend payout to 13% versus average of 49% over the last five years, despite cash and cash equivalents of Rs 4140 crore, is a big disappointment. The 2020 Ad revenue fell by 26% but DTH connection subscription has risen by 10%.The promoters' massive compensations have remained intact whilst investors have been short changed. In the case of Sun TV,  promoters and friends and family control almost 80% of the stock. As of date, it has enormous financial assets, excluding non-current assets and trade receivables, of INR 3750 cr. This includes cash, bank and treasury investments. Its gross expenditure net of depreciation and amortization is approximately INR 1150 cr. In other words, the company can survive for 3 years plus with no revenue whatsoever! Surely the management does not believe the pandemic’s impact will be so grave on a company with such a robust business model! -writes Prabal Basu Roy who is a non-executive director, and an Advisor to Chairmen, of corporate boards about the stock market of the network.

 

Kamal Haasan roped in by Bigg Boss producer to create content

Banijay Asia which is to start Master Chef with Vijay Sethupathi (Tamil) , Prithiviraj ( Malayalam), Venkatesh (Telugu) and Kiccha Sudeep (Kannada) in Sun Network channels in South in a press note said - Content producer and distributor, Banijay Asia has announced its collaboration with Turmeric Media Networks Private Limited and Kamal Haasan to produce content across screens and languages. Combining the massive fan base of Kamal Haasan and Deepak Dhar’s expertise in content creation and production, the two parties will join forces to gain a strong foothold in the South. The partnership will also see the two entities come together to create long and short-form content across OTT and television.

R.Mahendran, founder, Turmeric Media, said, “We are so excited to partner with Banijay Asia. Deepak has an unblemished record of creating success out of many new initiatives in the content space. This association is going to be no different. It is an honour for us to showcase Kamal Haasan’s expertise in the entertainment business. We are confident that this team shall conjure up some brilliant content that will keep the viewers “spellbound”. 

Turmeric Media Networks Private Limited is a Private incorporated on 06 January 2016. It is classified as Non-govt company and is registered at Registrar of Companies, Chennai. Its authorized share capital is Rs. 1,000,000 and its paid up capital is Rs. 100,000. It is inolved in Sporting and other recreational activities.Directors of Turmeric Media Networks Private Limited are Vanitha Shirley, Sai Sanakkayala Dinakar, .

“We wanted to partner with someone who knew the crux of the content creation and production business. Hence we were in a conversation with Deepak for a while now. With his extensive knowledge in the field, we could see the potential of venturing into a new space of creating regional content in India with Banijay Asia. His understanding of the craft and network have been invaluable in making it a reality. We are excited to collaborate with them to create revolutionary content across all screens and languages,” signs off Kamal Haasan.