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Originally posted by: diksha_16

wht info 😕😕😕

The info of II 7 FG ending in two weeks and how the voting will be done

Originally posted by: lovelyprincesst

The info of II 7 FG ending in two weeks and how the voting will be done

pls tell me also someone 😕

Originally posted by: diksha_16

pls tell me also someone 😕

1-2 page pichche ja kar check karlo..yahi par hogi info.

Originally posted by: me&my2cents

1-2 page pichche ja kar check karlo..yahi par hogi info.

pata hai...bore ho raha tha 😆

SMS & TV: A winning formula

V Kumara Swamy in New Delhi | November 02, 2005 13:11 IST

There are more mobile phones in India than cable & satellite homes, and television channels across all the genres and mobile operators are approaching this medium not only to communicate and interact with the audience but also as a major revenue stream.

It all started in a big with 'Indian Idol' viewers voting via SMS to choose their favourites - 60 million SMSes in all! And now Kaun Banega Crorepati II and 'Indian Idol 2' have taken it to a new level.

"SMS is a medium which is very powerful and has caught on across all age groups due to its ease of use and SMS is only expected to grow as telecom companies look at this medium to increase their ARPUs (average revenue per unit)," says Tarun Katiyal, business head, Sony Entertainment Television.

When it comes to revealing the revenue earnings, the television channels and mobile operators alike are touchy about the issue. But, if numbers are anything to go by, they are sitting on a gold mine.

Lakhs of 'Indian Idol 2's aspirants auditioned over mobile phone at premium rates and recorded their songs. According to Airtel, over a million minutes were recorded within a few days of opening the lines. Sony's Fame Gurukul participants received more than 10 million sms votes in the final stages!

"It gives us an all India presence to be associated with top programmes and speaking in terms of revenue, it is not the most important source for Airtel, but is generating almost the same as a few of our value added services do," says Mohit Bhatnagar, senior vice-president, value added services and alliances, Bharti Televentures Ltd.

According to some experts in the field, it is just the beginning. "I see television programmes actually being built from day one around audience participation and this will be further enhanced as handsets get faster data speeds and better audio visual capabilities," says Raj Singh, director, Active Media.

Active Media provides back end support for television and mobile operators for interactive television programmes.

It is estimated that mobile operators retain around seventy five percent of the earned revenue and the rest is passed on to the channels. But this may soon change, as in some western countries it is just the other way around.

It is not just the entertainment channels that are jumping on to the "participation TV" bandwagon. Every genre has its own way of connecting to the audience.

"Amongst news channels, polls and feed back are popular in real-time environment, they connect with the viewer's pulse. Contests work well for entertainment and sports channels to build more excitement around programming," says Raj Singh.

Initially most mobile operators were not sure of a successful marriage between TV and mobile, but they had to change fast. "We have built our networks to deal with huge spurts of interaction that we are witnessing now," says Bhatnagar.

As for the participation of the audience, it is still largely limited to the big metros, but it could all change and, television channels could also be in a position to know the audience better.

Is it a phase or a trend that is likely to continue? Nobody is certain, but if international trend is anything to go by, it is not long before, that you can send an SMS and vote out all the irritating characters in television serials.

Originally posted by: diksha_16

yahan...main hun na 😉 😆 😆

😆😆😆hum hi hum har jaga chaiye huye hain.

Originally posted by: infiniteattract

😆😆😆hum hi hum har jaga chaiye huye hain.

kyon nahi..😉

mujhe toh lagta hai yeh hamara adda hai , more thn coll or work or home, i spend time at IF-FG 😆

Originally posted by: diksha_16

kyon nahi..😉

mujhe toh lagta hai yeh hamara adda hai , more thn coll or work or home, i spend time at IF-FG 😆

😆me too, i m addicted

i agree pagal_topi 😉 😆 😆

it sure is a lot more than addiction