TOI: Channels now woo small towns-KTLK

Small's big even on the soapmakers'agenda. Sounds convulated? With ad revenues in the Hindi GEC genre expected to show estimated 10%-15% cent increase in 2012, advertisers and investors are looking at Tier II GECs with renewed interest.

While GECs like Life Ok, SAB and Sahara One are essentially known as Tier II channels, and have content suitably tailormade for those markets, the impressive spending power and growth potential of small town India seems to have made the prime GECs, Star Plus, Colors, Zee and Sony change their minds, as these biggies are now tweaking their content and moving their shows to the interiors of UP, MP and Bihar.

Sample this: in the last four months, a slew of fiction shows have all been based in small town India. Afsar Bitiya(Zee) is set in Darbhanga, Punar Vivaah, Mrs Kaushik Ke Paanch Bahuein(Zee) and Kairi(Colors) are set in Gwalior, Naa Bole Tum Na Maine Kuch Kaha(Colors) is set in Indore, Phir Subah Hogiis set in Bundelkhand, Kuch To Log Kahenge(Sony), Shubh Vivaahand Ruk Jana Nahin(Star Plus) are set in Lucknow.

That's not all! Even non-fiction reality shows have done their bit to cash in on the emerging markets. KBC5 carefully picked out a majority of its contestants from small towns of India, including places which were for many merely dots on the map. Motihari became the new hotspot after a resident went on to win the fab Rs 5 crore on KBC. The smart move, helped Sony gain viewership and move on to the number 2 slot among GECs, besting Colors and Zee! Indian Idol'slatest season (to be aired post IPL 5) reportedly plans a similar strategy - to target small town participants, nuggets of their struggle which in turn will give the channel its expected numbers. Aamir Khan's Satyamev Jayatealso moves to smaller cities and towns to create more hype and generate more eyeballs. Sach Ka Samna2 (Life OK) has a whole lot of participants from small towns this season. Ditto for Dance India Dance Little Masters new season.

The writing's clear. Everyone from retailers to advertisers, GECs and production houses are dashing to wow the new market and capitalise on its hitherto almost untapped potential turning it to their collective advantage. And small town India is not complaining either. It's not too often that Tier II cities are given the privileged treatement.