Colors announces grand plans for 2009

Ankit Jain - Televisionpoint.com | Mumbai
Colors, the number two Hindi general entertainment channel (GEC) from the Viacom 18 stable, is gearing up for the new year with the announcement of a fresh programming line-up. The channel is also looking at beginning feeds in international markets such as the US, UK, Middle East and Africa.

Rajesh Kamat, chief executive officer, Colors, says, "Presently, the reach of Colors is higher than any other channel in its segment, which implies that our plan builds a faster connection with the viewers, if not equal to the leader, and we are expecting for that kind of revenues also."

The programming basket will comprise fiction and non-fiction shows. In the fiction segment, the channel will launch three shows – Is Des Na Aana Laado (which takes up the cause of female infanticide), Mere Ghar Aye Ek Nanhi Pari (from the DJ stable) and a horror show called Koi Aane Ko Hai (produced by Balaji Telefilms). The channel would be wrapping up Mohe Rang De soon.

These shows will be launched in a phased manner through the year, with Is Des Na Aana Laado being the first fiction show to go on air. Currently, Colors has 21 hours of original programming in a week in comparison to the 38 hours of programming of market leader Star Plus.

Among the non-fiction shows, the two new launches will be India's Got Talent, produced by Synergy Adlabs, and Chhote Miyan Bade Miyan by Endemol India. Besides, the next seasons of Fear Factor - Khatron Ke Khiladi and Bigg Boss will also be launched this year.

The channel will also air premieres of movies, starting with Jaane Tu Ya Jaane Na. Five movies from the Studio18 - Ghajini, Golmaal Returns, Sarkar Raj and Kidnap – will be aired. Till now, Colors has indulged in second airing of movies.

With the IPL looming ahead, Kamat feels that the GEC market will get impacted in terms of spends on the series in the first two months, namely April and May. "We are hoping that gets offset by the elections and I believe that in all probability, the GECs stand to gain from the elections." Kamat says.

Looking at the road ahead for Colors, Kamat is very optimistic about its growth. He adds, "We currently have in our league about 200 advertisers, and we still have to get about 70 to 80 more GEC advertisers. When Colors was launched in July last year, most of advertisers had committed monies to others and firmed up their plans. This year is going to be a big one for us because we are getting into the year from day one and getting our annual commitments in place."