The television industry is keenly eyeing niche entertainment seekers with the boom of infotainment channels. Digital broadcasting is at an all time high and the tv channels are busy producing and publishing niche content for selective audiences.
Mass entertainment channels have been in existence for longa and will continue to stay for its distinct set of audience and their preference of content. More and more niche channels are added to the broadcasting list every year and digitization is helping in more than one way to ensure the delivery of the niche channels to its intended audience.
What are Infotainment Channels?
Niche channels in the space of food, lifestyle, travel, and more have cropped up in the past few years and each genre enjoy a sustainable viewership. Culinary enthusiasts used to wait for one whole week to watch one cookery episode but with the launch of food channels like Food Food, Living Foodz, and more; the food-related content is available 24*7 at the push of a button.
Apart from food there is travel, fashion, lifestyle, health, beauty, kids’ channels, regional content on movies, self-help channels, Astro-science, and more to focus on. Broadcasters are having their hands full with new content to produce based on the viewers’ response.
Big Bets on Niche Channels & HD Content
Motivated by reduced operating costs, increasing viewership, and aid from digitization; niche channel broadcasters today are bent on presenting a platter of specialized content to their viewers. Contrary to mass communication channels that have engaged Indian audiences since years with content to please diverse audience needs; the time slots for niche content to be aired remains thin leaving distinct audience dissatisfied.
This doesn’t mean mass entertainment channels are passé. Television broadcasters are striving to maintain an ecosystem where both mass and niche channels can coexist. New channel launches are received with big bets owing to its distinct viewership profiles and a 12-minute cap on advertisements. There are more than a plenty of DTH offers in India by all DTH operators to increase their subscriber base.
Broadcasters are placing their bets on HD content as a means to increase subscription revenues. With more than 2 million HD set-top boxes subscribers in the country, it clearly indicates people are more than willing to pay for differentiated content. Niche segments are easier to access with digitization kicking in with more than a handful apps to watch niche content online.
Niche is the Future
Niche channels are proving to be a potent source of subscription and advertisement revenue for their broadcasters within the initial years. Once difficult to penetrate a soap-opera driven Indian television show market, niche channels have truly turned the tables around.
Broadcasters can aim their targeted audience and advertisers can gain through targeting the distinct audience through niche channels. On the plus side, Indian DTH consumers lands up in a win-win situation from here as he only gets to pay for the content and channels, he is genuinely interested in watching. Way to go!
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