There seems to be no end to the TRP war, with Star and Sony always ready to take each other head on. Sony’s efforts to beat Star may not have always met with success, but the network has not given up trying.
The two camps have now unleashed Bollywood blockbusters as the latest weapons in this battle. If Star Gold is offering viewers the Super 6 package, Sony’s Max plans to reign supreme in the 1 pm slot on Sundays.
From January 2006, the channel will feature one hit after another on Sunday afternoons. “On Sundays, 9 am to 9 pm is a very fertile slot for movie channels. The viewership reaches a peak around 1 pm and it is this particular time that we are aiming for,” says Albert Almeida, the executive vice-president and business head of Max. “We would like to market the films as part of family hours.
The line Saal ke sabse bade blockbusters will kick off the slot. The films that we will air will be an absolute treat for our viewers,” he says. The movie list includes Waqt, Dus, Iqbal and Veer-Zaara.
On December 10, Star Gold had unveiled the Super 6 package, in which six blockbusters are aired during weekends — three each on Saturday and Sunday — from 1 pm. “Bollywood films are the second biggest genre on television after Hindi general entertainment . As the movie channel consumption increases during weekends, we thought of giving our viewers this ultimate movie entertainment experience,” says Ajay Vidyasagar, the executive vice-president (marketing) of Star India Pvt Ltd.
{{/usCountry}}On December 10, Star Gold had unveiled the Super 6 package, in which six blockbusters are aired during weekends — three each on Saturday and Sunday — from 1 pm. “Bollywood films are the second biggest genre on television after Hindi general entertainment . As the movie channel consumption increases during weekends, we thought of giving our viewers this ultimate movie entertainment experience,” says Ajay Vidyasagar, the executive vice-president (marketing) of Star India Pvt Ltd.
{{/usCountry}}However, Sony denies revamping Max to counter Super 6. “Star Gold merely pulled up its socks as it was not doing so well among the movie channels. As far as Max is concerned, we were always popular with the viewers. If we have gone on an aggressive movie-buying spree over the last six months, it is because we wanted to give back something to our viewers.
It has got nothing to do with Star’s move,” says Almeida. “I don’t want to go into any comparison between the two,” says Vidyasagar. As of now the network seems confident of sweeping the viewers off their feet with Super 6 in its kit.