On
October 1, Discovery launched a primetime time band, from 9 pm to 10 pm
daily, during which it showcases some of its best programmes. The time
band, which was called Ultimate Discovery, has programmes centring round
themes such as science, technology, the natural world, adventure and
exploration.
The
time band met with a fair amount of success and the channel has now
launched the second phase of Ultimate Discovery. During this phase,
Ultimate Discovery will air shows such as Cool Stuff, Discovery Project
Earth, Republic Day Special, Jaguar Adventure, Discover India, Into the
Unknown with Josh Bernstein, Next World, Cosmic Collisions, Holi Special
and Time Warp. The second season of Man vs Wild will also be shown in
this time band.
As
per data from Tam Media Research, (C&S, 15+, Six Metros), Discovery
garnered GRPs of 242 between October and December 2008. This is an
increase of 48 GRPs over the previous quarter, July-September 2008. The
channel’s GRPs have increased from 18 in July-September to 25 in
October-December specifically during the Ultimate Discovery time band.
Rahul
Johri, senior vice-president and general manager, India, Discovery
Networks Asia-Pacific, says, “This is a sizeable increase in viewership,
especially in our prime time band. We will continue to launch big
ticket shows under Ultimate Discovery.”
Johri hopes that the channel will attract a new set of viewers and, thus, increase its appointment viewing.
afaqs! sought the opinion of a few media observers on the viewer response to Ultimate Discovery.
Rahul
Johri, senior vice-president and general manager, India, Discovery
Networks Asia-Pacific, says, “This is a sizeable increase in viewership,
especially in our prime time band. We will continue to launch big
ticket shows under Ultimate Discovery.”
Johri hopes that the channel will attract a new set of viewers and, thus, increase its appointment viewing.
afaqs! sought the opinion of a few media observers on the viewer response to Ultimate Discovery.
Tarun
Nigam, executive director, India, North and Pakistan, Starcom
Worldwide, says that Ultimate Discovery has helped the channel increase
appointment viewing in the prime time band.
“Ultimate
Discovery is a channel driver. In the infotainment genre, there are
tent-pole properties and special events, which help channels claim
leadership positions. Ultimate Discovery is one such property.”
Jyoti
Bansal, executive director, West and South, MPG, is of the opinion that
Ultimate Discovery has helped improve the perception and image of the
channel and also increased appointment viewing, as the TAM figures
indicate.
As
per industry estimates, after the launch of Ultimate Discovery, the
channel has also managed to increase its ad rates by 15-20 per cent.
Industry sources say that the channel is now asking for a premium of
25-35 per cent on its regular ad rates.
Johri
says he believes that the channel’s pricing is very competitive, which
is working in their favour during a time of global crisis. “We are not
thinking about changing our marketing strategy. In fact, all our slots
are running packed with advertisements, which shows that our marketing
strategy is working fine,” he says.
Bansal
seconds his opinion, “Discovery’s inventory is running almost full,
which proves that the time band is doing well by them.”
Discovery plans to launch three new channels this year, once they are cleared by the Ministry of Information and Broadcasting.
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