Channel Eight to launch exclusive channel for Bengali Movies

Channel Eight, a Kolkata based production house, will launch a special channel dedicated to Bengali cinema. Called Channel Eight Talkies, the channel will run under the banner, Bangla Entertainment Pvt. Ltd. The launch is likely to take place in early December.

Shubhojit Kumar Ganguly, business head, Bangla Entertainment, says, “There is huge demand for movies in Bengal. Hindi channels such as Zee Cinema and STAR Gold are already doing well in the region. Apart from Hindi movies, the audience also has a craze for Bengali cinema, but ironically, there is no particular channel that is addressing this need. Regional channels do feature Bengali cinema once in a while, but they also have other content apart from movies. An exclusive channel featuring only Bengali movies has a huge potential for success here.”

The channel is targeted at people in the age group, 18-34 years, in segments SEC B, C and D. Ganguly says that the channel has already garnered a collection of more than 1,000 films. The initial plan is to show at least five movies every day, without any repetition, continuously for a stretch of four months. In the afternoon, the channel will show old classics; in the evenings, movies for the young; and at night, movies that are bold and beautiful.

The positioning of the channel is such that it will appeal to the masses. The tagline says: ‘Enjoy Movies Sitting at Home’. Bates David Enterprise is taking care of the creative duties of the channel. The first campaign will be launched 10 days before the launch. The media mix includes print, television, radio, outdoor advertising and on ground promotion activities. The overall advertising spend for the channel is around Rs 4.5 crore.