At Hallmark, prime time begins at 11.00 pm

Non-prime time is prime time for Hallmark Channel.

While the ‘janta' is hooked on to those never ending family dramas from 8.00 pm to 11.00 pm on myriad channels, the late night slot has very little to offer to the hyperactive urban insomniacs desirous of novelty. Niche channels have discovered their core audience by bridging this gap. Which is why The Hallmark Channel has begun fixing its long-term programming line up keeping this audience profile in mind.

In essence, at Hallmark prime time begins at 11.00 pm.

The channel has lined up two one-hour programmes in the 11.00 pm to 1.00 am band. Hallmark brands that time band as the Sci-Fi band. Early Edition is the first programme in this band, which is telecast from Monday to Friday at 11.00 pm. It is followed by Star Trek Voyager between 12 o'clock midnight to 1.00 am.

"We have been observing a consistent upward trend in late night viewership for the past six to eight months. Once the family viewing of the soaps is over, solitary viewership gains momentum. This happens partly because there aren't any interesting programmes on the general entertainment channels after 11.00 pm, and partly because of the very profile of the viewer who wants to experience different genres of programmes," explains Laxmi Hariharan, associate director, marketing (Asia Pacific), The Hallmark Channel. For example, on weekends the top three general entertainment channels (STAR, Sony and ZEE) register weaker viewerships owing to unexciting programmes, whereas this English channels' viewership peaks precisely for the same reason.

Thus, pitching Hallmark as the destination for 11.00 pm, Hariharan is banking on science fiction-based programming to do the trick. "Viewers seek excitement and engaging entertainment. Here science fiction works well in comparison to serials and movies," she adds. Interestingly, the programme Early Edition has been acquired by Hallmark only for the audience in India. Star Trek Voyager, which was being shown at 11.00 pm before the acquisition of Early Edition, has been shifted to 12 o'clock (midnight) now. Hariharan feels this shift will not affect the loyal viewership of Star Trek Voyager. "Anybody who likes Star Trek Voyager will not mind watching Early Edition." In line with the programming strategy at Hallmark, Guardian, that was being screened at 8.00 pm on Sundays, has been moved to 11.00 pm now.

The task now is to reach out to its audience and invite them to sample Hallmark's offering. To this end, the channel has tied up with Bazee.com and has bought some radio spots as well. It has earmarked an investment of Rs 1 crore for its marketing initiatives. In addition to this, Hallmark will spread its message through the net via mailers.

All said, Hallmark's identity remains that of a channel for made-for-television movies, reminds Hariharan. "While, we are looking at an incremental viewership in the 11.00 pm brand, the core Hallmark viewer remains the one who tunes in to watch the Hallmark Movies at 9.00 pm," she avers. © 2002 agencyfaqs!