TV, Radio Channels Tune Into The Youth Band  ( May '16,2003, FE)

Prime time entertainment is only for the youth. That’s the message many television broadcasters are sending across. The band that these channels are cashing in on is mostly across 25 to 34. The earning and the consuming lot, and of course people in this group watch a lot of television too. Take for instance, some of the recent programme launches.

Sony Entertainment Television’s latest announcement, ‘Naam Gum Jayega’, falls in the 25-34 category. According to executive vice president of SET Sunil Lulla, this is a demographic group which is an advertiser’s dream. Keeping that in mind, Sony is gearing up to make its prime viewing completely youth-oriented.

Among the other soaps that fit into the young definition of the channel are all the summer releases: ‘Ab Ayega Mazaa’, ‘Kuch Kehti Hai Yeh Dhun’, ‘Sambhav Asambhav’, ‘Patrol’ and ‘Boogie Woogie’ in a new avatar. According to Mr Lulla, people between 25 and 34 (Sec ABC) spend 67 per cent of their TV viewing time on prime band programmes.

Switch over to another entertainment channel, say for example, Star Plus, and the young are again a coveted lot. Although the Star spokesperson says that there aren’t any strips fixed for programmes targeted at the youth, market sources say that the ad slots on the channel are often sold to media buyers with the same young tag as their USP. The ‘saas-bahu’ sagas that this channel is popular for are targeted more at families, rather than specific age-groups, say industry experts. But, single TV phenomenon in Indian households is one of the reasons behind programmes/ channels getting labelled as family-type, says Star vice-president (Communications) Yash Khanna.

Among the Star programmes which are focusing typically on the young are in the early primeband, says Mr Khanna. Among these are ‘Kyun Hota Hai Pyaar’ and ‘Khul Ja Sim Sim’. Even the new release on Star Plus, ‘Josh’, is an action thriller and youth-oriented.

Clearly wooing the young segment are advertisers such as consumer durables, automobile companies and electronic giants. Some of the channels have even thrown in some educational schemes during the breaks.

But, it is not television alone, where entertainment is being dished out to the young in plenty. Even private radio companies are following the same route. In the case of radio, however, the spread is wider—15 to 35 SEC A&B, in one of the cases. With a lot of people in this age group being the driving types who like to listen to music in car, radio players are trying to catch them young. Even housewives in this band are a good potential for the radio companies. While stating that the core target listeners are in the 15-to-35 group, managing director of Entertainment Network India Ltd (which runs Radio Mirchi) A P Parigi claims that the station is really for the ‘‘young at heart’’.

But look at the figures, and you’ll know. According to an IMRB research in Mumbai, listenership of Mirchi amongst the 20 to 24 year olds is pegged at 70 per cent, while it is 51 per cent amongst the 45 plus age group listeners.

Another private station—Radio City (Music Broadcast Pvt Ltd)—insists that its target group is anything from 15 to 50, but its contents are more youth-oriented, with some elements of Channel V thrown in. Even All India Radio has renamed one of its FM stations as Rainbow, keeping the young in mind. Ultimately, the young win!