As brands and marketers continue to tread on the road to recovery in 2021, IN10 Media Network launched a General Entertainment Channel, Ishara – Zindagi ka Nazara. The channel aims at creating an appeal through a fresh take on storytelling. We speak with Mansi Darbar, VP – Corporate Strategy and Development – Network, IN10 Media Network to understand the idea behind the launch of the new GEC, their programming, and marketing strategy in the evolving times.
Edited Excerpts:
The rationale behind launching a new channel at this time. What are the content trends observed in the GEC viewership in 2021?
Television is still the primary source of entertainment in the country. The last couple of years have seen OTT players gain momentum however when we talk about Bharat, viewers still prefer to sit in front of the small screen and consume content as a family.
As per the latest FICCI report, from around 550 million television and smartphone consumers today, the industry expects a billion screens by 2025, of which 250 million screens would be television-sized. GECs continue to enjoy the large chunk of the television pie.
Ishara is our way of celebrating life with the viewers through storytelling. Consumers have evolved over the years and want to consume content which they resonate with. Our shows are fabricated in Indian traditional values but with a more realistic touch.
What would be your programming strategy for the coming months? What can the viewers expect from the new channel?
Ishara in its launch phase has announced five original shows – the mythological show Paapnaashini Ganga, Faraar Kab Tak, romantic-thriller Agni-Vayu; and two social dramas Humkadam, and Janani. Each of them is helmed by respected content creators, feature some of the most recognizable faces on Indian television, and bring a new perspective to storytelling.
Our strategy is to have content that has a universal appeal but relatable to the GEC audience in today’s day & age.
The Indian television audience can expect a 2.0 version of the soaps on our channel. Content that is relatable, fresh, and has an out-of-the-box appeal within the parameters of the Indian culture.
Swanand Kirkire recently penned down an anthem for the channel. The idea and core messaging behind that?
At Ishara, we believe that life is to be celebrated through all the ups and downs of one’s life. Human beings have an inherent trait to celebrate their life stories under any circumstances. As no celebration is complete without music, we created a celebration anthem – The Ishara Anthem that showcases the montage of emotions with various characters in different settings. Our brand logo is a pinwheel with 7 colors, each color representing an emotion.
What are your marketing plans for the channel? What is going to be your media mix?
We have a 360-degree marketing strategy for Ishara, from television spots to outdoor to we have an alliance with all the big radio networks. We have a digital plan as well as the idea is to get maximum reach and awareness for Ishara, to make sure that the sampling of the content is done up to a satisfactory level.
Our maximum allocation has gone to buying TV spots , but we are also relying on heavily on radio , and then digital along with a lot of outdoor.
Where does social media stand in the scheme of the things? How do you plan to leverage the medium?
Today, it is important to have a presence on every medium to reach the TG. Thus, we deployed an integrated media communication strategy for Ishara. To build higher frequency across key Hindi speaking markets, we will be on TV, digital, radio, outdoor, as well as have planned city visits, mall activations, FB live chats, among others.
We are ensuring that we create enough buzz to capture the market. Videos, social, display, mobile targeting are various aspects of our digital marketing plan.
On the road to 2021, how do you plan to position the channel? What are the factors that will contribute the most to this genre’s growth?
As mentioned, the GEC pie is growing and we want to be part of that pie. Stories told on the channel will remain in-line with the Indian values and beliefs but will also be progressive and have positive plots and characters.
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