How
many
times
did
you
switch
on
your
TV
set
in
the
mood
to
watch
a
romantic
or
a
comedy
show,
but
ended
up
only
switching
channels
in
search
of
something
apt?
It
is
to
eliminate
this
gap
and
to
provide
a
one-stop
destination
to
viewers
that
a
slew
of
genre-specific
channels
surfaced
on
Indian
TV
in
2014,
experts
said.
The
year
saw
the
TV
space
go
through
a
number
of
changes
-
be
it
long-running
shows
like
Pavitra
Rishta
or
Bade
Achhe
Lagte
Hain
going
off
air,
or
the
arrival
of
Pakistani
serials
on
the
small
screen
through
new
channel
Zindagi.
But
the
one
factor
that
stood
out
this
year
-
and
is
expected
to
continue
in
2015
too
-
is
the
emergence
of
genre-specific
channels.
Historicals
has
been
an
evergreen
flavour
on
TV,
but
a
channel
named
Epic
is
now
dedicated
to
the
genre.
It
was
launched
Nov
19.
Pal,
introduced
Sep
1,
came
out
with
an
aim
to
resonate
with
the
ethos
of
the
traditional
yet
modern
Indian
woman.
Then,
Reliance
Broadcast
Network's
BIG
MAGIC,
described
as
'India's
Humour
Destination'
with
the
tag
line
'Chatpata
Har
Pal',
which
was
launched
in
April
2011
in
Uttar
Pradesh,
went
national
this
year.
Discovery
Turbo
also
repositioned
itself
as
a
'men's
only
entertainment
channel'
starting
Dec
1.
Rahul
Johri,
vice-president
of
marketing
of
Discovery
Networks
Asia-Pacific,
felt
it's
time
to
present
a
wide
platter
of
content
to
the
audience.
"We
have
reached
an
era
of
24
hours
of
well-defined
channels
where
you
cannot
be
everything
for
everybody," Johri
told
IANS.
Food
and
lifestyle-based
channels
have
been
around
for
a
while
now,
but
more
differentiated
channels
saw
the
light
of
the
day
this
year.
The
trend
will
only
blossom,
Shailesh
Kapoor,
CEO
of
media
insights
firm
Ormax,
told
IANS.
"A
digitised
environment
enables
niche
and
special
interest
channels
to
flourish.
As
the
market
gets
more
fragmented,
we'll
see
more
channels
being
launched
to
cater
to
specific
niches
and
special
interest
or
genres," Kapoor
added.
There's
no
dearth
of
content
on
the
small
screen,
but
Mahesh
Samat,
managing
director
of
EPIC
Television
Network
Pvt
Ltd,
noted
that
similarity
of
shows
across
most
channels
in
recent
times
has
infused
a
need
to
segment
the
audience
and
focus
on
"occasional
viewing".
"One
of
the
things
we
realised
was
that
TV
is
getting
homogenous
and
there
is
a
need
to
experience
different
genres.
As
fragmentation
happens,
segmentation
is
important,"
Samat
told
IANS.
"The
global
trend
also
testifies
to
the
change
in
the
audience
preferences.
Most
of
the
channels
launched
in
US
were
segmented.
We
are
not
aiming
for
everyday
viewing,
but
focusing
on
occasional
viewing,"
he
added.
Echoing
this,
Johri
said:
"We
believe
that
viewers
want
to
go
to
destinations.
There
should
be
a
channel
to
cater
to
whims
and
fancies
of
the
audience
at
a
particular
point
of
time".
However,
Kapoor
said
that
while
such
channels
may
not
cater
to
the
masses,
they
surely
boost
the
loyalty
factor.
"The
reach
of
genre-specific
channels
may
be
low,
but
stickiness
would
tend
to
be
higher
as
the
channel
is
catering
to
a
specific
viewer
taste.
Hence,
good
content
could
lead
to
high
time
spent
on
these
channels,
but
by
a
small
set
of
viewers,
not
a
wide
mass,"
he
said.
The
overall
television
industry
in
India
is
estimated
at
Rs.417
billion
($6.5
billion)in
2013,
and
is
expected
to
grow
at
a
CAGR
of
16
per
cent
over
2013-18,
to
reach
Rs.885
billion
in
2018,
according
to
the
FICCI-KPMG
Indian
Media
and
Entertainment
Industry
Report
2014.
Over
the
years,
there's
no
doubt
that
family
dramas
have
etched
out
a
place
in
the
viewer's
hearts.
Serials
like
"Uttaran",
"Sasural
Simar
Ka"
and
"Saath
Nibhaana
Saathiya"
stand
testimony
to
this.
However,
it
is
"unfair"
to
compare
genre-specific
channels
to
general
entertainment
channels
(GECs).
"We
want
to
provide
an
alternative
(to
watching
GECs)...it's
a
new
concept
and
will
take
time
to
settle.
I
feel
it's
unfair
to
compare
segmented
channel
with
GECs,"
Samat
said.
The
emergence
of
genre-specific
channels
is
also
a
win-win
situation
for
advertisers,
Johri
pointed
out.
"It
helps
both
the
viewers
as
well
as
the
advertisers
as
they
want
to
reach
specific
audiences.
It
is
an
efficient
platform
to
engage
with
them," Johri
added.
The
channels
are
now
geared
up
to
add
a
new
wave
of
content
in
2015.
"We
will
see
more
variety.
But
eventually,
what
works
is
what
will
set
the
trend.
So,
unless
we
see
a
genre-specific
channel
doing
very
well,
the
mainline
GECs
would
continue
to
define
the
trends,"
Kapoor
said.
Johri
said
the
content
on
Discovery
Turbo
will
be
renewed
after
every
quarter
with
a
focus
on
adventure,
excitement
and
thrills,
whereas
Epic's
Samat
revealed
that
the
line-up
for
2015
will
be
innovative
and
exciting
with
an
eclectic
mix
of
fiction
and
non-fiction
shows.
Highlights:
*
Audiences
moving
toward
an
era
of
24-hour
well-defined
channels
*
With
the
current
fragmentation
of
audiences,
segmentation
is
the
need
of
the
hour
*
Genre-specific
channels
may
cater
to
a
small
section
of
the
audience,
but
are
expected
to
boost
loyalty
*
Advertisers
also
benefit
by
such
channels
as
they
can
focus
on
their
target
*
More
channels
are
expected
to
follow
the
trend
to
cater
to
specific
niches,
but
future
depends
on
the
success
of
the
already-launched
channels
*
Genre-specific
channels
are
not
looking
to
compete
with
general
entertainment
channels,
but
to
survive
with
them
as
an
alternative
*
Expect
variety
on
these
channels
in
2015.