MTV’s experimentation with soaps continues

MTV’s daily soap, ‘Kitni Mast Hai Zindagi’, was an average success, even by MTV standards. As per TAM Media research, (C&S, age group, 15-34, Hindi speaking markets), the highest TVR that the show managed was only 0.61 on November 22, 2004.

In the last two episodes, the show could only manage a TVR of 0.20 on May 9, 2005, and 0.07 on May 10, 2005.

But this hasn’t deterred MTV from trying its luck with a second soap. It has recently launched a new serial, ‘Pyaar Vyaar And All That’.

Vikram Raizada, vice-president, marketing, MTV Networks, agrees that their first attempt was not very successful.

He says, “It did go wrong somewhere, but the best part is that we have only learnt from it. In ‘Kitni Mast Hai Zindagi’, the story moved ahead to revolve around a mother, which probably didn’t go down well with MTV’s TG. But now we have decided that the storyline for the new serial will only move around the youth.”

The story of ‘Pyaar Vyaar And All That’ is based in Goa and is a topical, fun-filled roller-coaster show that addresses the real issues that teenagers face today.

He continues, “Our efforts have always been at experimenting, be it MTV ‘Roadies’ or MTV ‘Bakra’. It is a misconception that MTV is just music. It is certainly music, but it is also much more than that. It is about romance, fashion, technology, talent hunt and much more.”

Media planners such as Kajal Malik are of the view that it’s a big challenge for music channels to get viewers glued on to serials. She says, “If it is a one-time event such as a movie or an awards function, the channel can pull it off. However, the bigger challenge is in competing with general entertainment channels, which have mastered the art of creating a cliffhanger ending in each episode, which compels viewers to come back for more.”

She adds, “As far as I can see, the second attempt at having a serial on air is to garner better viewership and build loyal viewers. But I think the channel can only succeed with serials when they are able to strike a chord with the target group by bringing in relevant content.”

Debraj Tripathy, general manager, Maxus, says, “MTV is seen as a youth channel, which has music and is fun to watch. Getting a soap requires that you get a certain kind of attitude that is associated with the channel.”

He adds, “The idea is to bring in a soap that will grow beyond the regular MTV viewers. It is also to build specific appointment viewing, which is a must for any channel.”

Malik of OMS says, “We generally say that viewership is programme driven and not channel-led. However, it is also true that if a channel is for a particular genre, experimenting with new formats is risky. But the order of the day is for channels to go beyond set formats and experiment.”

She cites the example of news channel NTDV, which has gone beyond being a news channel to infotainment and then further to entertainment. The channel did a prelude to the Samsung IIFA awards, which created a lot of interest.

© 2005 agencyfaqs!