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We could be stretching it a touch when we say this, but the newly appointed CEO of Multi Screen Media (MSM) appeared almost as calm as the Buddha painting in his plush cabin, when we met him yesterday.

NP Singh has grown within MSM from CFO to COO (a position currently vacant) and now, CEO; 15 years after joining the 18 year old company, he will now run it his way. And if we take his word for it, his working style is not too different from that of Man Jit Singh, MSM's non-executive chairman, from whom he took over recently.

"This is something we laughed about... that two people in two different rooms can take the exact same decision nine out of ten times," he marvels at the chemistry the two share. So we take it his team has nothing to worry about then.

Among the things that worry NP Singh, though, other than the performance of Sony, are economic uncertainties, unstable markets and the impending elections. Excerpts.

Q. As CEO, what are your biggest challenges?

My biggest priority is the turnaround of our flagship channel, Sony. Our weekend programming is strong but our weekday fiction bit is something we are working on. We have recently launched two new shows, Ek Nayi Pehchaan and Main Na Bhoolungi, and have received good feedback for both. Our historical show Maharan Pratap continues to do well. We will soon launch another fiction show and will bring in concepts/ideas that appeal to a larger cross-section of viewership. We will try and make our content more inclusive for smaller towns; that is an opportunity for us.

Q. Speaking of smaller towns, MSM is perceived as an 'urbanised' network. Is that why you have shied away from regional expansion so far?

That's a misconception. The appeal of Sony in small towns is not very high and we are working towards making it more accessible in these regions through our content, communication and scheduling. Our other channels like Max cater to both, small and large towns; Sab cuts across all SECs, genres, demographics and geographies, and it's the same for Sony Mix. Pix and AXN, by definition, cater to one million+ SEC AB audiences. Sony Six (which also airs IPL) cuts across consumer segments too and our Bengali regional channel, Sony Aath, is doing well. So, the network is not focusing on urban towns per se but yes, the perception exists and we will change it over time.

We are keen to get into regional markets. As announced a couple of years ago, we are looking at one of the markets down South. We have been engaged with Maa TV and are in conversation with them, as we speak. Our strategy is acquisition-led; we are not close to organically launching our own channels in the regional markets yet.

Q. You were in the running for the CEO's position in 2009 when Man Jit Singh took over. Was it disappointing at the time? Did any friction ensue?

Not really. We faced some challenges during the transition period, but clicked very well. It's been a pleasure working with him these last five years. He came in with a fresh perspective which helped me and the company.

Q. Let's talk about what went wrong with Sony...

There were a few things that happened. In 2012, when there was a TAM blackout for nine weeks, in two of those weeks Sony was number one but we couldn't report it. Also, the post- digitisation flux had started to impact some of our popular shows. We saw a decline in ratings of those shows when the data was released. We tried to correct whatever we could on those shows, during which time the universe of TAM was updated and contribution of LC1 (towns with less than one lakh population) to the overall viewership, in terms of reporting, was increased to 25 per cent. This impacted Sony.

Sony has been very popular in 0.1 million to 1 million+ markets with SEC ABC viewers. So when LC1 representation increased, we saw a dip in our ratings. Post that, we launched a lot of fiction and non-fiction shows. Some have done well (Indian Idol Junior and Maharana Pratap) but lot of our fiction shows did not perform as well. This also had a negative impact on the channel. Now we are in the middle of course correction and making some changes. We plan to launch Jaya Bachchan's fiction show pre-IPL and Amitabh Bachchan's fiction show later this year.

Q. Sab, on the other hand, has done very well. Are you more happy about Sab's success or sad about Sony's performance?

It's not a question of being happy or sad with one or the other. We are a robust network and there will always be challenges here and there. Yes, Sony is a challenge and Sab has done really well. There are some issues in some parts of the country as far as distribution goes. We are in the process of correcting those and are also trying to increase the overall reach of Sab. We are confident Sab will continue to grow.

Q. You discontinued some good non-fiction properties (Fear Factor, Jhalak Dikhhla Jaa and Bigg Boss) which were later taken up by competitors. They are doing well now. Any regrets? Any plans to launch a new reality format in India?

I don't want to comment on the circumstances that led to those properties going away from Sony but post that we have created a lot of our own successful properties. We launched Kaun Banega Crorepati and created 'Entertainment ke liye kuch bhi karega', which did well. Meanwhile, Indian Idol has grown. Weekend shows like CID, Adaalat, Crime Patrol and Comedy Circus have done well. We have done what we had to do with our own content.

We are always looking for good quality content for our viewers. Whenever we find an interesting format in the international market, we will bring it to the Indian viewers.

Q. Let's talk about IPL... the ratings and ROI are growing concerns. How do you plan to revive the property?

Again, it's a misconception. There was so much buzz and excitement around the property this season, both in-stadium and on-air. Around May 5, 2013, in the middle of the season, the TAM universe was updated and the cumulative reach numbers were not reported. Our estimate is that it would have reached 225 million or more viewers.

Ratings are not the only indicator of the success. Even advertisers don't look at ratings alone; they look at the overall reach of the property. This year there will be lesser number of games because only eight teams will be playing. Also, there will be fewer afternoon matches. This will have a positive impact on the overall viewership.

Q. What are your plans for MSM Motion Pictures?

It is a very new and fresh division. Initially we want to focus on making small and mid-size movies (Rs five to 15 crore). Our next movie (Darr At The Mall) is releasing in February. Post that there are three movies lined up. We plan to make five to six movies a year under the banner. All will be co-produced with established producers. In the future, if it makes economic sense, we will make big budget movies as well.

The series started airing early March and will continue through the month, and sees two of Sony's longest running crime shows - CID and Crime Patrol - showcasing actual crime in the city.

Sony has come up with a comprehensive marketing strategy to promote its Mumbai special on CID and Crime Patrol.

Speaking of CID, the channel has flagged-off a campaign where Mumbaikars can participate in a plethora of fun-filled activities across prominent areas of the city. Twenty-five to 30 localities are on the radar where functions are held every week to felicitate the winners of what Sony calls the Heroes initiative'.

Sony SVP head marketing Gaurav Seth says they wanted to re-energise Brand CID that has successfully completed 17 years and 1,000 episodes. "Plus, we've been noticing that Mumbai, which had become a key market for CID and Crime Patrol over the years, is responding in a lukewarm manner to CID over the past few months. We wanted to bring back the show to this market and make it alive for consumers here once again," he adds.

Sony has ensured that the message of Mission Mumbai' goes out everywhere, with over 500 outdoor hoardings, bus shelter hoardings, bus panels, platform boards and inside train panels dedicated for the purpose.

The channel has tied up with 10 to 15 McDonalds' outlets where kids will participate in a contest by answering why they want to meet the CID protagonists. Writers of the best replies will get to interact with CID actors.

Further, SET has tied up with Radio Mirchi where the listeners can nominate their near ones or themselves for the Mumbai ke Heroes' contest. One more initiative on the FM channel called Mumbai bana CID will have radio jockeys quiz Mumbaikars about their city. The one who gives the most correct answers will get to feature in one of the CID episodes.

What's more, the channel has collaborated with certain local cable operators to get TV audiences direct transmissions of these one-off events. It is also promoting the Mumbai special on regional news channels to target the local, Marathi-speaking junta with over 1,000 spots.

Seth claims the response received in the very first week has been fantastic. "Over 2,500 people turned up for the event and over 1,000 people interacted and played games during the three-day pre-promotion phase. We reached over 1,000 households and invited them for the main event," he says.

"We are extremely happy, we have always been doing ground out-reach programmes in terms of how people react to our programmes. This gives us a good feeling that the brand is alive and people love the show and the characters and the channel."

Buzz is, SET plans on more specials like Mission Gujarat and Mission Delhi but is testing the waters with Mission Mumbai first.

But no CID- Mission Hyd? 😒