The Times Network has just released a multi-media campaign themed ‘Raise your Standard to High Definition’ campaign to promote the consumption of English Entertainment channels in High Definition ‘for maximum viewer delight’. The campaign began on the morning of Monday, the 2nd of May, and urges viewers to raise their standards and upgrade from SD to HD, will pun, ‘It’s time to raise your ‘standard’ to high definition’.
tvnews4u.com caught up with Vivek Srivastava, SVP and Business Head – TIMES NETWORK English Entertainment Cluster, for a quick chat on the campaign, the market potential for greater HD subscriptions, and more. Excerpts.
1) The English Entertainment cluster of channels (MN+, Movies NOW HD and Romedy NOW HD) from the Times Network has come out with an HD campaign. But isn’t there already an HD campaign, from a sports network, promoting consumption in High Definition?
The HD campaign from our English entertainment channels is promoting not just our channels, but the consumption of English entertainment as a genre and category, in High Definition. As a genre of content, the best of Hollywood and international movies and tv series have the best in world technical standards of production, and such content can be best enjoyed only on High Definition.
Times Network has been a pioneer in the HD space, and we have a full-fledged HD offering with Movies NOW HD, Romedy NOW HD and MN+. We hope that this campaign will persuade viewers to subscribe to the HD packs.
There is no other English entertainment player who is currently category-selling for HD. Since we are the leader in the English Entertainment space with 26% share, we have taken the category leader stance in the communication. (*Source: BARC TG: NCCS 15-50 AB, Market: All India 1 Mn+, Period: Wk 40-52′ 15). We have taken this stance because the campaign will benefit not just our network, but the entire television industry.
2) What is the opportunity you see in the consumption of HD channels in India?
That’s because there is a huge potential to increase the HD subscription base in India. There are an estimated 12 million LCD and LED panels sold every year, but only around 7 million HD subscriptions.
Another reason for this HD campaign is that HD has been growing exponentially. The 6 to 7 million HD subscribers account for 15% of DTH subscribers (FICCI KPMG report). Also, HD channel viewership has shown a 93% increase as compared to last year. And the English movie channels are growing at a much higher rate of 163%.
The ad volumes are almost doubling every hear. Also look at the number of HD channels in India now – there are more than 55.
3) So you hope to influence around 5 million of those TV set owners to make the switch, or upgrade, to HD?
Yes. Movies are an excellent genre that can drive adoption. Hollywood entertainment is a port of entry for adopters of HD since it has a robust content pipeline and has greater perceived value when viewed in HD. The action, glamour and special effects of Hollywood are best experienced when it is being watched in HD.
4) Tell us about the campaign and the film.
Well, the campaign is designed to compel the viewers to make the shift from SD to HD with the persuasive proposition that ‘if you are a fan of Hollywood entertainment, you need to experience it in high definition’. ‘It’s time to raise your standard to high definition’ is the line.
The film is a fun take on how Hollywood is viewed in India. By entering the timeframe between our central character’s hand clicking the remote to the TV actually getting switched on, we get into the mind of the character and create an absolutely perfect environment around him that will elevate his movie watching experience. Coupled with catchy music, energetic edit pattern and of course, seamless and photo real VFX, we have tried to create a world of illusion in the mind of our character and present it in the most classy fashion.
5) Why did you need to use a celebrity for the campaign? After all, you have a massive library with the best of Hollywood movie shots and footage. And why Purab Kohli?
A celebrity will definitely build a stronger awareness for the campaign. Purab Kohli is suave and has been associated with work on English content with Sense 8 and now he will also be featuring in the remake of the popular Homeland series.
6) How do you plan to market your new HD campaign?
It will receive extensive promotion through our network channels and reach-based television channels. There will be extensive promotions on digital platforms, along with high-impact ads in TOI group publications, plus interactive activations in agencies where we are giving out HD subscriptions.
