Bengali channels grow on fast lane

National broadcasters take backseat in general entertainment segment.

Regional channels in West Bengal are having their cake and eating it too.

Despite a sizable population that understands and speaks Hindi, Bengali-language channels in West Bengal hold the three leading slots, in terms of market share, amongst the top 10 channels in the general entertainment category (GEC) with a combined share of over 32 per cent.

While Star TV's local offering, Star Jalsha, is the outright leader with 17.6 per cent of the market share, Zee Bangla comes a distant second with 8 per cent and ETV Bangla, one of the oldest horses in the stable, retains a 6.6 per cent share, according to figures available with TAM Media Research.

Trailing behind the local pack, the top three national players — Zee TV, Colours and Star Plus — notch up a mere 12 per cent market share in the state.

The numbers are not only indicative of the phenomenal growth that West Bengal's broadcast entertainment industry has witnessed in recent years, but it also demonstrates the Bengalis' love for their language, in what is a staunchly culturally aware region.

“The West Bengal market behaves quite differently from other regional markets. Although many understand Hindi and English, there is a lot of pride in the primary language which is spoken at home. This is why Bengali-language channels as well as vernacular newspaper do very well in the state,” says broadcast media consultant Sanjay Salil.

“The sort of growth the Indian broadcast scene went through in 2001-02, the Bengali-language channels have witnessed in the last 3-4 years. Advertising as well as ratings have picked up significantly. On a conservative scale, advertising rates have trebled in the last couple of years,” Salil adds.

Apart from the southern markets of Tamil Nadu and Andhra Pradesh, where Hindi-language channels have minimal spill, West Bengal, in spite of its demography, is emerging as a stronghold for regional players. If the top 10 programmes in the last four weeks across all channels are anything to go by, Bengali-language channels have established a near monopoly.

According to TAM Media Research, nine out of the top 10 programmes in the state have been hosted by Bengali-language channels and, moreover, eight out of these top nine programmes are aired on Star Jalsha.

“The regional GEC category has picked up very well over the last few years. Apart from sports, regional channels are clocking the fastest growth and advertising spends have grown between 15-20 per cent year-on-year. The West Bengal market is now about Rs 300 crore and it will continue to grow,” said Anand Shah, a media analyst with Angel Broking.

But that's not to say that this robust growth wasn't anticipated. In a TAM Media Research study undertaken in 2004, compared to Delhi and Mumbai, Kolkata's inclination towards regional channels was telling.

While over 50 per cent of Kolkata's viewership watched regional channels in the early mornings, only 20 per cent of Mumbai and 5 per cent of Delhi tuned in to their local broadcasters. In the afternoons, only 3 per cent of Delhi and 13 per cent of Mumbai watched regional channels compared to 33 per cent of viewers in Kolkata. During late nights, too, regional channels in Mumbai and Delhi took a beating with 6 per cent and 2 per cent of viewership respectively, while 21 per cent of Kolkata retained their interest in the regional broadcasters.

Five years hence, Bengali-language channels continue to script a growth story.