"DD being a terrestrial network, monies for it are firmly carved out by default, but that base is rapidly shrinking now": Mukesh Kumar, DD Sahyadri

Doordarshan's Marathi channel DD Sahyadri has launched a fresh line-up of 10 new shows which have gone on air from November 2 onwards. Nine of the shows are fiction series and have been made by various production houses, while a non-fiction chat format called 'Doosri Bajoo' has been produced in-house by DD Sahyadri, and will have renowned Marathi actor Vikram Gokhale hosting it.

Sharma's main mandate is DD Sahyadri, but he wears various hats in the organisation, one of which is his role as the additional director general of the commercial and revenue department, which looks at sales revenues for the entire DD network, including DD National. On the recent rural-inclusive viewership ratings released by BARC, where DD National has risen up the ranks, Sharma says, "In these two weeks of BARC if the regional channels perform well, then it is genuine and will work well, but if you see the national channel performing then it was because of the cricket matches in that period, and we need to cross our fingers for ratings in the coming weeks. DD National will always perform well during cricket events, because of the fact that is FTA. But, if DD Sahyadri has done well, then that's great news for us."

Sharma's stint at DD Sahyadri is his second one. He claims that the channel was doing well in his first stint which ended in 2007. But, when he was re-appointed its head a couple of years ago, there was too much of a lead by other channels, and that DD Sahyadri needed to undergo a programming revamp and a new programming strategy for the prime-time slot. Thus, the slew of brand new shows was announced on Friday.

According to Sharma, the channel always raked in money. "Even when the channel was not getting good eyeballs, we still made money, and we didn't need to work that hard. For instance, in 2014-15, DD Sahyadri picked up almost Rs 50 crore in ad revenue. Ours being a terrestrial network, monies are firmly carved out for us by default. But, that base is firmly and rapidly shrinking now. So this time, for the 10 news shows, I wanted to concentrate the satellite audience," says Sharma.

On the investments made in for the new line-up, Sharma says, "For a regional channel, anything above 2 lakh per episode is a good budget. In budgeting, the norm is that you can either increase the number of episodes in a week, or you can make one or two episodes per week, for a given amount. I could allot anything between Rs 1.5-2 lakh per episode, but that decision really depends on the theme of the show. An outdoor show like the one that is based in Konkan, will obviously need more money. I basically look for shows that can have a longer shelf life. The advantage of making well-produced shows is that they can go for reruns, and I can also dub them for other channels catering to the north and south regions," says he.

On marketing the new shows, Sharma says there aren't enough funds for big-scale marketing. "Print has always supported us editorially, and for the new shows we may do some advertising and hoarding on bus shelters, apart from a small budget for print advertising. Other than that, social media will be a focus too, and we also have our new websites."

How were these particular shows selected? Sharma replies, "We had a selection committee, where none of the members were from Doordarshan. They had to select purely on the basis of content. We put all the money into content that the panel graded the highest."

He adds that the current lot of young producers are impressive, and that he will anyway recover his money by next year, as these shows are a part of the terrestrial network, apart from being accessible on DTH platforms, and cable networks. "The monies that advertisers keep aside for terrestrial, still run into several crores, and this advantage will still last a couple of years more. The notional monies will keep coming in until then, but we need to work harder to ensure a place among DTH, and satellite channels" Sharma explains.

Speaking about FMCG companies being the biggest advertisers, Sharma says, "My biggest client is Unilever, and they spend more than 100 crore across the country on terrestrial. There are also companies like P&G and Godrej. Of course, we also offer volume-incentive schemes. On an average, for very big spends, one can get up to 28 per cent of free ads. There are even schemes for spends starting at 10 crore.

Will other regional DD channels too go on a programming revamp now? Sharma replies, "They are all supposed to, but we have taken a lead over the years. Our channel will be a litmus test."

Sharma further adds, "In the transition phase during the programming revamp for DD Sahyadri, I took up the best programmes from the network, and dubbed them in Marathi, instead of sticking to the channel's same old line-up, which had many 'devotional programmes'. There were some protests from locals, but I needed something fresh during the in-between time, till we had our new line-up ready."

Responding to a query on the performance of other channels in the network, post the release of the latest ratings, he says, "In the last two week's ratings, DD Sahyadri has gone up a bit, while DD Punjab has been the top performer. Before the rural-inclusive data came out, DD Podhgai and DD Malayali were doing well, but they have now slipped, probably because they prefer DTH satellite access, and their programme preferences, too, are probably more urban due to the high literacy rates."

On the road ahead for the network, Sharma says, "We are technically no longer under the government, which will take care of employees only till 2017, and anybody taken in after 2007 is not eligible for pension and other benefits. Post 2017, Prasar Bharati has to ensure that they make their own programmes, and make their own money."

Sharma is hopeful about the new line-up as the output according to him has been very good. He says, "Our in-house programmes at DD Sahyadri are also looking very professional, but these still have to become a benchmark for the overall network. The idea is to get younger people to work for us. The network has done large-scale hiring, and has recruited almost five-six thousand people across technical and programming departments."