In its first week, Movies Now claims No. 1 spot in six metros

The new channel is at No. 2 in the all India market as per the latest TAM data.

Movies Now, the English movie channel from the stable of Times Television Network, managed to secure No. 1 position in the six metros and No. 2 spot in the all India market as per TAM data (Week 52, C&S, 15+ years), challenging the positions of the already established players in the category, including STAR Movies and HBO, within a week of its launch.

The channel, in its opening week, registered a market share of 33.3 per cent in the six metros, 9.3 per cent more than STAR Movies, which was at No. 1 for the past few weeks. STAR Movies had a genre share of 34.5 per cent a week earlier. While HBO is the distant No. 3 player with a market share of 14.8 per cent, its share has dropped from last week's 20.8 per cent.

In the all India market, the new channel landed straight at the No. 2 spot with a genre share of 22.2 per cent in the latest week, which is 12.7 per cent behind the No. 1 player in the genre, STAR Movies. Despite having a market share of 34.9 per cent in the latest week, STAR Movies has lost its share, which was 43 per cent in Week 51. HBO has registered a market share of 18.6 per cent, as opposed to last week's 25.2 per cent.

What has worked for the channel? "We are still trying to figure out what is working for Movies Now but the fact that it has a good lineup and is a high definition channel will certainly work in its favour," asserts Rohini Gauthaman, general manager, North, Media Direction, RK Swamy.

According to the company, the lineup of the channel is well researched and carefully selected, with a library of blockbuster titles with "high energy and panache". Movies Now was launched on December 19 as a HD English movie channel.

According to him, the channel's approach is not studio specific. "We pick up movie titles that people love to watch over and over again. We have tied up with the best Hollywood studios to provide ultimate entertainment to our viewers through MGM, Fox, Summit and Celestial," says Ajay Trigunayat, channel head, Movies Now.

Nikhil Rangnekar, executive director, Starcom MediaVest Group, says, "Being an English movie channel, its content includes only movies. So, I don't think that it can be dramatically different from the existing channels in the same space. However, maybe since it was the opening week, Movies Now must have slotted big titles and since HBO and STAR Movies have been in the space for long, they didn't see the need to alter their programming and must have kept blockbusters for the weekend."

About how the new channel in the genre is different from the other existing channels, Trigunayat says, "We believe the category awaited a Fosbury flop: while people feel new movies drive viewership, the fact is that the strength of the library actually determines a movie channel's viewership. Hence, we want to create an elaborate library of all the best movies, not necessarily the ones that have topped the theatrical charts - but the ones that are loved by people. Thus, we provide intense, engaging content and a very premium brand."

Another thing which, according to Rangnekar, must have worked for Movies Now is a strong distribution network, which propelled its growth in the first week itself. However, he adds that being No. 1 in such a niche segment doesn't mean much.

Talking about the distribution strategy adopted for Movies Now, Trigunayat says, "We want to match the reach of the lead players in the space from the time of the launch itself." The channel is available across analog, digital cable and DTH platforms throughout the pop strata of 1mn+ markets in India.

As far as marketing the channel is concerned, Trigunayat reveals that the approach is holistic. "We are leveraging the Times Group strength, width and breadth, to reach out to all urban upscale audiences across India with TV, print, online and outdoor."

The ad rate commanded by STAR Movies is in the range of Rs 8,000-10,000 per second, whereas HBO gets Rs 5,000-8,000 per second. For new channels in the genre of Movies Now, inaugural rates are 20-25 per cent lower than that of HBO.

According to a senior media planner, "Since it (Movies Now) is new in the market, it is focusing on getting the maximum number of brands in the kitty rather than making profits."

Speaking on the marketing plans, Trigunayat says, "With our holistic approach, we have all bases covered - excellent distribution, intense engaging content, a premium brand and focused communication."

Based on the premise that television movie consumption is significantly different from theatrical movie consumption, the channel carried out a quantitative and qualitative research to put together its library of movies, which is in sync with the viewing preferences of the Indian audience. "The Indian audience loves to watch popular Hollywood titles again and again. That's what we are going to provide them," signs off Trigunayat.

As far as sustaining this momentum is concerned, the channel believes that though it has got a good start, however, it has a long way to go.