According to BARC ratings of week 14; viewers chose LF for content on food and lifestyle as the channel tops the list with 2468 GTVTs(Wk-14 NCCS AB; HSM Urban).LF is curating some of the best of shows and segments to keep their audience informed about the do’s and don’ts during this time of pandemic and helping them acquire numerous hobbies like easy and DIY cooking as we are all at home. The channel has something to offer every member of the household, from 15+ years old. The content created is well researched, well presented, local, informative, apt for millennials as well as for all mothers who don the chef’s hat at home.
Medianews4u spoke to Amit Nair, Business Head, LF about the changes experienced during the Covid-19 pandemic and how the business has been shaping up.
Edited Excerpts.
If you had to define the brand LF how would you do that in say less than 100 words?
Brand LF stands for the best around three pillars of Food, Travel and Culture. From daily food ideas to long format large scale travel shows the viewer can expect to be taken on a journey that starts with a single bite across TV and Digital mediums.
What is your core TG and what is that makes you the true leader of the lifestyle category on television?
Our core TG has been 25 to 40 females from metro cities while the larger interest group comprises of anyone who loves to eat and looks forward to a great story with food at the center or the starting point.
Coming to Covid-19… what has been the impact of the Covid-19 lockdown been on your channel?
We have seen our numbers go up by about 20% compared to pre covid as more and more people tune into Lifestyle content that helps them not only to build their skills around cooking but also more positive stories around food and travel that is a bit different from the genres which don’t have original content for now.
Tell us about your programming strategies during the lockdown… since all shoots have been shut down to curb the spread of the virus, how are you continuing your original content production, if at all you are?
Every month we have several new initiatives from a programming point of view, this month we have brought back Hello Summer that focusses on Summer specials. We are also curating a band with shows that focus on eating healthy and building your immunity called ‘Don’t Worry, Eat Healthy’. This also has messages from our Chefs on staying at home, wash hands regularly and follow official sources for the right information.
A Ramzaan special will be starting from the 25th of April with shows and recipes that best symbolize the festival. We are currently not shooting any new content but have a couple of shows that are at ready and should come on air post the ending of the lockdown.
How do you effectively integrate the digital offering Livingfoodz.com with the traditional TV offering to continue to provide lifestyle and entertainment content and increase engagement from both ends of the delivery pipe?
Living foodz.com over the last many months has grown in numbers and we are happy with the progress. We concluded March’20 with 3.2 Mn Unique users and it is increasingly becoming a preferred destination for food and lifestyle lovers owing to its quality content around food trends, lifestyle-related topics from home décor to destinations and several others. The television medium and the website are cross-promoted and many of the shows are available for catch up as well. There are further developments in the plan that will enhance the engagement of the website in the coming weeks.
What are some of the consumption trends that you have observed during this nation-wide lockdown?
Well, a lot more Men are watching food content, we see a preference for easy to make recipes, the interaction on our social platforms have increased as we have started a new property called – ‘Ask us anything’ where users can tell us the limited ingredients in their fridge and we can tailor-make a recipe with only those ingredients. Watch time across dayparts has seen an increase across markets.
How are you capitalizing on the same trends?
Today it is essential to take a step further and involve the audience to make it a two-way communication. We have started with UGC on the website called ‘Your Recipe’. This gives users a chance to upload their recipes and 10 winners will be announced each week from the same. It is essential to include the users in the business and they enjoy it thoroughly when they are a part of it. The contest is live and we are expecting a good response for the same.
We also started a new show called ‘Don’t Worry, Eat healthy’ as soon as the lockdown started. This show was a quick curation of easy recipes to make at home, keeping in mind the need of the hour and was promoted by the leading chefs. This curated content is layered with a communique of eating home-cooked food that is the best during this time. The channel’s digital platform – Livingfoodz.com curates interesting isolation anxiety buster activities to indulge in at home, baking healthy sourdoughs, or feature celebrated names like Kainaz Messman, Rachel Goenka, and more walk the audience through simple DIY baking recipes that make for a good companion as we social distance. The website has also incorporated a list of healthy tiffin services in India that enable in making the quarantine phase healthier and easier for bachelors.
