| Its content may not be as imaginative as the NDTV Imagine bosses had promised, but the channel certainly seems to have the got thumbs up from viewers in the first week of its launch. The channel which threw open its prime time band with four hours of programming from January 21, has notched up an impressive 55 GRPs (group rating points) and 1.7 per cent channel share in the first week. In fact, it has outperformed all GE channel launches in the last four years. What's more, according to TAM date for week 4 of 2008, NDTV Imagine ranked third in weekday prime time – Monday to Thursday – in the general entertainment space. Ramayan has proved to be NDTV Imagine's trump card. The great mythological epic has delivered good numbers from the markets which matter most for any GE channel — the Hindi heartland. The first episode of Ramayan rated 1.8 TVR. In the key Hindi speaking markets of UP and MP (10 million-plus towns) the show averaged more than 5 TVR. Other shows like Nachle Ve with Saroj Khan' and period drama Dharam Veer have also delivered decent numbers. Says Shailja Kejriwal, creative and programming head of NDTV Imagine, "These are very good numbers and we are delighted with the response for our shows."." In this overcrowded general entertainment space, content alone is not enough to drive eyeballs. Good marketing strategies and strong distribution contribute a lot too. www.deccan.com |
