STAR World becomes a man’s world after 11 pm

New Update

The channel will introduce a new slew of programmes in the post 11 pm slot

STAR World is trying to break out of its mould. Known to be a channel that caters mainly to women and family audiences, it’s re-assessing its programme schedules. A whole new range of shows are to be aired after 11 pm from October 1 to target men.

STAR World, the English general entertainment channel in the STAR India bouquet, features English content programmes such as sitcoms, drama and talk shows. Its huge chunk of audience included women and youth. The channel has now revamped its afternoon and post 11 pm slots, making them more customised. Till now, the afternoon slot (1-4 pm) used to telecast ‘Law and Order SVU’, ‘Prison Break’, ‘Kyle XY’, ‘That 70s Show’, ‘The Ellen Degeners Show’, ‘The Bold and the Beautiful’ and ‘General Hospital’. The post 11 pm program schedule contained ‘Ultimate Force’, ‘Psych’ and ‘My Wife and Kids’.

Starting October 1, the afternoon slot, now named ‘Essential Afternoon’ will air the latest season of ‘Fashion House’. The programme was earlier aired on prime-time. “The forth-coming seasons may or may not be aired in the afternoon slot,” says Prem Kamath, vice-president, marketing and communications, STAR India.

‘The Ellen Degeners Show’ and ‘General Hospital’ are soon going to go off air and will be replaced by new programmes.

“We intend to target male audiences in the age group of 25 and upwards with new reality shows such as ‘Bullrun’, ‘Cops’ and ‘IFL Fight Night’ lined up throughout the week. We hope to see greater viewership in the night-time television viewing slot,” says Kamath. The post 11 pm slot has been named ‘Men at Eleven’.

‘Bullrun’ follows the journey of 12 teams competing for a grand prize in an epic automotive rally across the US. Divested of money and phones, each week, we follow the teams as they tackle two legs of the race, The teams can choose between two routes, ‘My Way’ and ‘The Highway’. At the end of each week, one team is eliminated based on its strategy and performance, till only one team is left to claim the money and the glory of crossing the finish line first.

‘Cops’ is an American documentary television series based on the lives of police officers, constables and sheriffs. ‘IFL Fight Night’ is a league championship. In addition, there are two more programmes, ‘Most Daring’ and ‘Most Shocking’ which deal with real-life incidents.

When asked whether STAR World will air these programmes at the same time as they are aired in the West, Kamath replies, “It’s a matter that involves APAC, hence it will take some time.”

Star India Prem Kamath
Advertisment