Movie channels celebrate producer-multiplex row

Even as the dialogue between producers and multiplex owners over the revenue-sharing issue drags on, movie channel executives are making the most of the situation.

For instance, UTV World Movies has seen its gross rating points (GRPs) shoot north, making it the fastest growing channel in the English movie genre, outgrowing Star Movies and HBO.

GRPs represent the percentage of the target audience reached by an advertisement. TAM data suggests that Star Movies, which still leads the viewership ratings, has grown as much as 15.9 per cent while UTV World Movies has grown by 22 per cent between March and April.

Manasi Sapre, head of programming, UTV World Movies, bets that the present multiplex dry-out could bring a larger audience. “We may, in the long run, get more new viewers. The Indian urban population — our target group — has obviously had one source of movie viewing closed to them with the multiplex strike and it should attract people to the movie channels per se,” she says.

Himmat Butalia, head (marketing), Sony Pix, too, is strategising a movie line-up to capture eyeballs. “Owing to this unexpected and indefinite incident, although nothing can be planned, we will have ‘Summer Innings’ , which is a strategic line-up of Hollywood blockbuster films, in addition to the other movies.”

This year’s Indian Premier League (IPL) has garnered a TV rating of 4.6, which translates to around 28 million viewers, an audience that is estimated to grow as the series move towards its final on May 24 in Johannesburg.

NDTV Lumiere, which has its distribution reach capped owing to higher carriage fees demanded by DTH and cable operators, has decided to capitalise on the present drought of Bollywood content in multiplexes through its world cinema library.

With much-admired movies like Silent Light, The Class, Three Monkeys and Persepolis, Doshi hopes to attract movie buffs, who otherwise have little choice.

Meanwhile, movie channels are building their programming mix as their audience base grows steadily.

Sony Pix, amid a new line-up of movies, has redesigned its schedule around cricket everyday between 7 pm and 11.30 pm.

“This scheduling has seen a positive increase in viewership and our ratings,” admits Butalia. Sony Pix recently bought more than 100 new movies, from Oscar-winning performances to some of the biggest hits in recent years.

Sony has also bought the exclusive telecast rights for its channels Sony Pix and Sony MAX through a license deal with Fox Star India.

UTV World Movies is launching a twin-pronged programme, In Focus, that will introduce new viewers to the masters of world cinema with a lot of information, online initiatives and contests. The channel will also air seasonal specials like Cannes Konnection that will give new viewers a peek into world’s best cinema. “Activities like Movie of the Month, Festival specials, thematic slots and high end properties like In Focus — wherein we focus on one director every month — are initiatives that have helped in driving new viewers without compromising the loyalty factors that our staunch followers love on the channel,” says Sapre of UTV World Movies.