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Its new programming mix is a clear indication that AXN is getting serious about India
After spicing up the 8.00 pm slot or the Prime Zone (Monday through Friday, 8.00 pm to 9.00 pm) with a new series titled Alias and fresh episodes of the AXN existing series, VIP, Beastmaster, Sheena and Seven Days, the action and adventure channel, AXN is readying its viewers for an adrenalin rush during the 9.00 pm-10.00 pm X Zone time band. Among the new programmes to be telecast during X Zone are Amazing Race, Who Dares Wins (with an exclusive India special in November), and two big-ticket movies, Vertical Limit and Charlie's Angels. Currently, the programmes on air from Monday to Friday on X Zone are Fear Factor, Ripley's Believe It Or Not!, Guinness World Records, Courage and Who Dares Wins (WDW).
Amazing Race, a reality TV show, will premiere on October 3, 2002. It is going to be shown live in the US, and the repeat telecast in India would be at 9.00 pm. Amazing Race would have a total of 12 teams, and each would be assigned a different destination. The fun part is, these destinations are alien to the racers. And the team that reaches its intended destination last gets knocked out. The process continues till a final winner is found.
However, the one programme that AXN is really upbeat about is the Who Dares Wins India special. It is the first ever local programming effort by AXN. Produced by TV 18, the six-episode (one-hour each) programme will debut on Indian television on November 17 (Sunday).
The WDW India special team will travel across five cities - Mumbai, Delhi, Kolkata, Bangalore and Chennai - daring people to ‘street dares' or ‘mini dares'. Six people will be short-listed through a lucky draw for the ‘main dare', which is going to be held in Australia. In fact, the WDW India special took off from Mumbai on September 19 (Thursday). Host Mike Whitney and the crew went around various public places (the jogger's park, Planet M etc) getting people to dare. "The experience was overwhelming. The impression that Indians are a little conservative and that they would shy away from participating turned out to be a myth. People in Mumbai were more excited and eager to participate than people back home. It was great fun in Mumbai," says Whitney, the ex-Australian test cricketer turned TV host. Delhi is next on the WDW India map.
This particular venture is critical to AXN's India centric programming. If the WDW, India special is a hit, the channel might look at a second run. "Who Dares Wins - India special is AXN's pioneering attempt at reality TV. This is a milestone for the channel and an evidence of our commitment to our viewers to provide the best in action-adventure entertainment," says Gregory Ho, vice-president, marketing, AXN, Asia.
Given the fact that the channel has invested a little over half a million US dollars in this India exclusive programme, officials are optimistic about the viewer response. Currently, WDW's TVR hovers between a low of .5 and 1. However, with the launch of WDW India special, AXN hopes to see a 50 per cent jump on its current TVR.
According to the AXN brass, while the weekday programmes on X Zone give AXN ‘incremental TVRs', movies give it an exponential boost. "Movies give a spike to the TVRs. On an average, movies would contribute 1.1 to 1.2 TVR points to the average monthly TVR. So I am really looking forward to the screening of Vertical Height and Charlie's Angels," adds Ho. While, Vertical Height will be premiered at 9.00 pm on October 27, Charlie's Angels will be shown on December 22.
One thing is clear. AXN has realised wooing the Indian viewer is a dare itself. Localisation of content is perhaps the first indication of this fact. And if the new programming mix helps in pushing up its TVRs, one could safely say AXN has got its India strategy on track. © 2002 agencyfaqs!