Zubin Gandevia, Managing Director, National Geographic Channel, South Asia
“There is no substitute for great content but the whole packaging and presentation of the property is also important. When you have identified the gaps and what people are looking for and you are delivering on those counts, it is important to make the relevant noise around it in a manner that people relate to what you are offering and come to see it.”
Actually, that’s not completely accurate. It’s important to put numbers in perspective. If you look at distribution numbers, National Geographic stands amongst the best distributed channels in the country. This is a testimony to the demand the National Geographic brand and product enjoy, and what makes it a must-have in every home. Also, when you look at viewership, it is the numbers in relevant target groups that matter. So you are catering to a specific advertiser needs by giving them that kind of audience.
Q. Please share more on programming initiatives that will soon be seen on the channel?
Currently, we’re concentrating on promoting Nokia Innovation. National Geographic Channel is looking at bringing the spirit of innovation to the doorstep of every Indian. A core property of the channel is exploration and adventure and Nokia Innovation has been designed to push Indians to explore and exploit their spirit of enterprise. Nokia Innovation will ensure that the National Geographic Channel brings its brand experience on ground to a larger set of potential viewers.
Q. Amongst other initiatives that are seen from NGC, one is of a contest where the channel internationally invites production houses with ideas. Please share more on this initiative.
Every year National Geographic Channels International (NGCI) and Singapore Economic Development Board (EDB) provide $ 8-10 million in production funding to 10-12 select Asian documentaries featuring the works of Asian directors and producers. These documentaries are then aired on the channel, worldwide. Operation Hot Pursuit, produced by Miditech, is one such example. We are currently evaluating entries for this year’s project and will announce the same shortly.
Q. Are there any other factors that play a role in making a property successful in a special interest category?
There is no substitute for great content but the whole packaging and presentation of the property is also important. When you have identified the gaps and what people are looking for and you are delivering on those counts, it is important to make the relevant noise around it in a manner that people relate to what you are offering and come to see it.
Q. This is never done internationally. Why did you want to do something like this in India?
Nokia in its own right is a credible brand known for setting global standards in innovation. This is the essence of this programme as well. It is the right fit and a double impact for the property. So we were comfortable doing it.
Q. Will you do this for other forthcoming properties as well?
Q. Speaking of competition, which channels do you consider as competition?
We compete with all genres for viewers, as we believe we provide content that are of interest to every Indian. We’ve seen programmes that we showcased on mass channels like Star Plus doing very well. In fact, it might interest you to know that wherever National Geographic programmes have been shown on terrestrial channels, they have rated at the very top. Which indicates that our target is present on other genres as well and we are trying to attract them; in that sense, this is competition.
Q. How would you look at the situation when more and more such channels are crowding Indian tubes? Isn’t it a case of supply prior to demand?
No, it is responding to growing demands of a consumer. Increasingly in every industry, there is sharper and sharper segmentation for all products. TV is no different. Channels like National Geographic have their own space on TV and a loyal audience, which is exactly what many brands look for. In essence, from an advertiser’s point of view, such channels provide a credible platform that reaches out to a net worth loyal audience.
Q. Getting more specific, what is the objective of an initiative like Nokia Innovation on NGC? What do you expect from this?
Worldwide recognition and award is regarded as the most effective way of accelerating scientific breakthroughs and inculcating and fostering the spirit of innovation. With Nokia Innovation, we are looking at bringing the spirit of innovation to the doorstep of every Indian. This is the first time we’ve shared the title of a programme with a corporate.
Q. You have recently created a separate team for ad sales. Please share more on what is the result of the move?
Extremely successful. In just three months since we moved to an exclusive team, we already got more than 20 new advertisers on board. To name a few - Perfetti, Hyundai, MasterCard, Kerala Tourism, Sify.com, Monster.com, Indian Airlines. We’ve more than doubled our revenues when one compares with a similar period 12 months ago. We’ve signed up some big deals and should be closing many more so.
Q. Looking at the kind of content that such specialist channels offer, what do you think clicks with the Indian audience well?
In a nutshell, it is the same as any other channel, a great story, told in an entertaining manner. We do this through the National Geographic prism and that seems to work really well. Aspects like stunning imagery, fascinating stories and the unique ability to get to places no one else can get to, have always delivered for us. Also, credibility is important in a genre where one is dealing with factual entertainment and then there is the added factor of localisation. It’s largely these qualities in our programming that have helped all our genres – science, culture, adventure and wildlife.
Q. What is the current way of working? Does this team coordinate with the Star team in any way for ad sale deals?
On specialty channels like NGC, it is imperative that the programming, marketing and sales efforts are completely integrated to offer great value to advertisers. That was the rationale for a specific team for NGC. In terms of coordination with the Star team, there is absolute coordination. We continue to work closely with the Star team on the strategic and operational front.
