content strategy

APEKSHA HARIHAR GURMAN BHATIA
A REPORT ON
THE
SOCIAL
MEDIA
STATE
OF
INDIAN
TELEVISION
INDUSTRY
THE TELEVISION INDUSTRY ON SOCIAL MEDIA HAS EMBRACED
THE MARKETING CHANNEL A BIT LATE IN THE DAY. THOUGH
THE SOCIAL MEDIA SUCCESS OF THE CHANNELS IS DIRECTLY
PROPORTIONAL TO THE TAM RATINGS, MOST OF THEM HAVE A
SIMILAR STRATEGY. NONE OF THE CHANNELS IS DOING ANYTHING
VIVIDLY DIFFERENT FROM THE OTHER. YOU NEED TO UNDERSTAND
THAT SUCCESS ON SOCIAL MEDIA DEPENDS ON THE HOW
ORIGINAL THE CONTENT IS. ON TELEVISION, THOUGH EACH ONE
HAS A SIMILAR SET OF TARGET AUDIENCE, YOU CAN TELL APART
BY VIEWING THE SHOWS EACH ONE HAS TO OFFER. SIMILARLY,
ON SOCIAL MEDIA IF YOU DO NOT ACCOMPLISH INNOVATIVE
CAMPAIGNS, IT IS NOT GOING TO WORK IN YOUR ADVANTAGE.
DURATION OF STUDY - 30 Day Sample for The Year 2013
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COLORS CHANNEL
Colors, one of the most popular television
channel owned by Viacom 18 targets a Hindi
speaking crowd in over 90 cities of India. The
channel projects a youthful personality. Soon
after its launch, the channel hit high numbers
owing to popular shows like Balika Vadhu,
Big Boss etc. Within the first 10 weeks of the
launch, Colors enjoyed a 24% market share
and reached the no. 2 spot among competitors.
Today, the viewership is skyrocketing and the
channel maintains a current average TRP rating
of 2, highest being 2.8 of Balika Vadhu.
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COLORS HAS AN IMPRESSIVE
PRESENCE ON FACEBOOK. WITH A
FAN FOLLOWING OF 1.9 MILLION,
the content strategy of the channel is pleasing.
The growth rate of the page draws a straight
line towards the top on the charts, standing at
7.4%. The PTAT score of the page is 4.9%
which is above the average industry score. A
good community size and a fine growth rate
has generated a curiosity within me to exploring
more.
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ENGAGEMENT
Looking at the growth rate, I had assumed the page boasts of a good engagement score.
And I was right. The channel has double the score of an average score in this sector. On
an average each post receives 6K likes which is excellent.
However, I attribute this score to the popularity of the TV shows more than the channel
page on Facebook. There are precisely three reasons for this.
Fans cannot post on the wall (Despite being a viewer oriented channel, it has
blocked the opportunity to take any feedback or understand its audience.)
The channel does not interact with fans
(Not a single comment has been replied or
addressed to.)
3.There are no interesting applications/custom tab (Currently, the
channel was highly promoting the launch of the new show Pammi
Pyarelal. It could have extended this promotion by creating a fun
app but did not.)
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CONTENT STRATEGY
The content on the page can be categorized into the following heads.
There is nothing unique or attractive about the content. There is no effort put into image
design, infact some images lack resolution too. Overall it is a shabby presentation. The
only effort for designing has been taken for the promotion of a news show Pammi Pyarelal.
The posts are interesting.
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Apart from this, lots of images from popular reality shows like Jhalak
Dikhlaja are uploaded as a pre promotion of an episode.
The channel page has regular updates of 2 posts everyday.
CREATIVE
As mentioned above, not all images are not
appealing due to being low quality. The cover
photos are not innovative either. A set pattern of
copy pasting images is maintained on the page.
The channel should realize that images attract the
users more and drive maximum engagement. If
the channel puts in a little effort in design of the
posts, there will be more scope for visibility.
CUSTOM TABS
There are no custom tabs and negligible monthly active
users. It is startling that the channel has not bothered
to launch any tabs even though entertainment has
so much scope in custom applications. The tabs
are mainly directing users to other social media
properties like Twitter, Youtube, Instagram and
Pinterest. Unfortunately the page also has 2 inactive
tabs which it has not removed.
SENTIMENT
Sentiment is usually analyzed on the basis of the fan
posts but since Colors does not allow this, we would
not know the sentiment on the page. However, the
interactions through comments suggest that it is a
happy world for obvious reasons that they love the
television shows.
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HOW THEY CAN
IMPROVE?
The very first thing they should
do is open up their wall for fan
posting and start interacting with
their fans. Also, the content and
design can be so much better
and interesting. Somehow it
depicts that the page is not being
handled by professionals.
They can develop some great
applications on the page which
are viral by nature. This is
will enhance their Facebook
marketing and get the fans more
engaged.
@ColorsTV
the Twitter handle of the
channel has a huge community size of a
little less than 1 lakh, 99K+ followers. The
follower growth has been excellent in the
last 3 months where they acquired 42K+
followers. This growth rate is brilliant at 75%
and showcases the importance the channel
is showering on this micro-blogging platform.
On an average, 30 tweets are sent out on a
daily basis.
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# ENGAGEMENT
Colors has acknowledged most tweets by users and replied to them within 15 minutes on an average.
This is a great ART for customer service. A total of 992 mentions and 900 retweets bought the channel
a huge fan following on Twitter.
An interesting takeaway from the charts shows that the most number of tweets are sent out between
9-12 pm which is the prime slot for shows. The hash-tag and twitter handle of Colors is flashed during
this time while the show is on, encouraging people to participate in discussions. The concept of a
second screen is supported very well by the channel.
# CONTENT STRATEGY
The channel is engaging very well with its followers through chats and QnA sessions. Recently, it
completed 5 years and celebrated this by bringing lead actors of various shows to answer questions
using the hash-tag #Colorsturns5 calling it Twinterview.
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A similar QnA session was done with Akshay Kumar during the screening
of Special26 in June with the hash-tag #Special26onColors. This is a good
strategy since followers love to chat and interact with celebs connected to their
television shows and premiers.
3 Hash-tags were created by Colors during 3 months namely #Jhalak,
#ComedyNightsWithKapil and #IndianTellyAwards. These have received good
interaction levels. Though each show has its own Twitter handles, Colors cross
promotes most of them. The content strategy is to promote interaction for latest
shows that have just begun or are going to begin.
# SENTIMENT
Positive sentiment is all over the account.
A very small number of negative updates
are present. Entertainment is about feeling
good and people are attached emotionally
to television shows. No doubt most GEC
accounts should have positive sentiment.
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# HOW THEY CAN
IMPROVE?
They can share candid pictures of
stars since this is viral in nature.
Also, fun trivia on stars would be an
interesting read for followers. Apart
from this, Colors is doing a great job
on Twitter.
On Youtube, the channel named
ColorsTV has 1.7 million views and over
3 lakh subscribers. There are more than
18K videos uploaded by Colors. The
video view growth is over 2.9% which
is more than the average growth rate
in this sector. These figures are quite
normal for a television channel since
a lot of people enjoy watching repeat
telecasts, behind the scenes and follow
other activities the channel has to offer.
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CONTENT
The quality of the videos is good since it is a replication of the same episodes shown on TV.
However, a campaign is being run on the Youtube channel called Step of the Week. The viewer
has to learn the step shown through the video and upload their video on the channel website. The
chosen winner will be gratified with an ipad or a chance to meet Madhuri Dixit who is judging their
famous show Jhalak Dikhlaja. However, with over 1.7 million subscribers the views received on
the video are negligible.
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The good thing is the channel interacts and takes part in community discussions.
Asking questions and taking feedback about the shows is appreciated.
SCOPE FOR IMPROVEMENT
There are lots of interesting videos that a
television channel can upload ranging from
star interviews, behind the scene activities
and special previews for subscribers.
These videos can further be promoted
through Facebook and Twitter. Currently,
no tags are being used to enhance the
promotion of the videos. Tagging helps in
search results.
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The Pinterest community is very small as
compared to other social networking sites.
There are only 185 followers. Even though
the growth rate of the channel is 14%, it
has become stagnant from the month of
July. Colors started Pinterest activities
only in June 2013 so it is yet to utilize
the platform fully. Brands are yet to make
their mark on Pinterest and realize the
importance of this platform.
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CONTENT
The channel has 18 boards and 194 pins. The pins could have been more interesting with
unique board names and unique images. However, the boards are about different events that
the channel has under its brand name. Some boards are also featuring unique photo shoots
of stars. This does not come across as original or exciting. There are no images that were not
seen in any other platform before.
However an exclusive board has been created for the new show 24 by Anil Kapoor which
has been creating quite a buzz. Exclusive pictures from the 1st day of the shoot have been
showcased through 6 pins.
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There is no effort to undertake any activity like commenting or engaging with the
users.
SCOPE FOR IMPROVEMENT
The channel could have launched a Pinterest content
since it was new on the platform, linking it to the massive
community on Facebook and Twitter. This would have
ensured increase in followers. For instance the board
mentioned above, 1st Day of the 24 shoot, is being
promoted on Twitter with the hash-tag #24onColors but
there is no link to the Pinterest board, motivating users to
have a look at the exclusive images.
They have quite a few pictures on Instagram which have
not been used on Pinterest.
CONCLUSION
Overall, Colors strategy on social media could have been much better. The only platform they
are using very well is Twitter. As one of the most popular channels, their social media platforms
should scream this brand image.
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STAR PLUS CHANNEL
Star Plus, one of the oldest general entertainment
channels is a part of the 21st Century FOX’s
Star India’s network. The channel has been
catering to middle aged women since 1992 as
Star TV and 1996 as Star Plus. However, with
introduction of reality shows the audience has
become widespread. Ever since, the channel
has maintained its no. 1 position till date. Though,
it has been receiving some tough competition
from Colors lately in terms of viewership and
popularity. The channel is currently stable on
243 GRPs. Diya aur Baati Hum, the top rated
show from the fame of Star Plus boasts of 3.7
TVR.
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Star Plus has a huge fan following
on Facebook and is almost touching
the 3 million mark.
Currently it has 2.9 million fans and has received
2 lakh + likes during this period. This represents
a growth rate of 9.1%. The demographics of the
Facebook page have an equal percentage of
male to female ratio and 85% of the users are
below the age of 30. PTAT of the page has a
lot of variation. We believe this is because some
posts have been boosted else a remarkable
difference of 9K likes per post and 300 likes
for another is unexplainable. Star Plus has a
3.7% score which is above the average industry
benchmark of 3.4%.
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ENGAGEMENT
The engagement score of the page is not very impressive. 3K likes per post and 1K+ comments
per post is too less considering the 2.9 million fan following. The brand is not making an effort to
interact with users through comments even though most posts are question based. It is shocking
that not a single comment/response has been given by the brand on the page. We wonder why
brands do not understand that being on social media is about engaging with their audience. Mere
posting updates do not maximize reach or solve the purpose. It is a two way communication
channel.
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CONTENT STRATEGY
The content on the page can be categorized into the following heads.
1
Questions related to the shows
2
Twitter updates
3
star updates with a link leading to
youtube channel
The content is neither original
nor innovative. The page is
relying on the popularity of the
shows. Asking questions and
more questions everyday is the
content strategy of the brand.
The post above has been linked to an episode of the serial on the Youtube brand page and
the hash-tag #Saraswatichandra has been used. The post has generated buzz and increased
views on the video. However, this is a very common content post. Users tend to pass these
posts at an eye glance since questions are repetitive. It has been seen and done before. What
will really grab the attention of the user is something that they have not seen. This could be
behind the scene videos or Instagram images of a live shoot going on at the moment. People
would love to share such interesting content.
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‘HIT LIKE IF YOU LIKE THE PICTURE’ is definitely not a strategy. This is especially not
expected from a brand like Star Plus. They could have certainly come up with something more
interesting and engaging.
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The channel promotes a lot of Twitter activities through
Facebook. It seems like more importance is being given to
Twitter as a platform for conversations than Facebook. The
brand needs to understand that Twitter has a completely different
kind of audience and it needs to make similar engaging content
on Facebook too.
There can be campaigns on upcoming premiers too. The channel currently changes
the cover image to display the upcoming movie but it can surely create more buzz
around it.
CREATIVES
The post images are great in terms of resolution, dimensions and design. An effort has been put into
designing these posts. The cover photos are updated and effectively used as an announcement for
various activities that the channel undertakes. Masterchef Cover photo is one of the most creative
cover photos and has received a great engagement. Emphasizing on design is key to Facebook
marketing success.
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CUSTOM TABS
The channel has interesting custom tabs on Facebook, promoting the shows. However, there
are an average of a negligible 22 monthly users using the application. Infact, the applications
are not even promoted through posts. It is next to not building any application. Building apps
do not necessarily attract users. Promoting an application through an interesting campaign is
the best way to build engagement.
SENTIMENT
The sentiment towards the channel is very positive. There are hardly any negative posts which is
a given for a leading entertainment channel. Talking about their favourite shows and connecting
with an audience who loves the shows automatically results in a happy atmosphere among users.
Negative sentiment in such sectors mainly arises when a character of the show is replaced or the
story does not climax according to personal interests.
HOW THEY CAN
IMPROVE?
The channels prime concern at the moment should
be about building interest around the applications
they have created. Probably, concentrating on 1
application at a time will yield results and increase
views.
Secondly, they should concentrate on improving
post content and include interesting activities in
their strategy. This can involve some unseen
images of the upcoming episodes to generate
curiosity. Star activity on the sets could be
another fun element on the page. The images
can be branded and designed in a much better
fashion.
And lastly, the most important step is to start
interacting with users by replying to their
comments and appreciating their interest in the
shows.
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The community size exceeds 113K followers
which is an excellent number. The channel
is chasing a growth rate of 200+ users per
day. This does not come as a surprise for
such a popular channel that carries out an
excellent content strategy.
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ENGAGEMENT
The brand is engaging very well with users. On an average, each tweet receives 5-6 retweets and
replies. The users love commenting on channel updates about shows and are eager to interact
with stars given an opportunity. It clearly shows that they are very closely attached and regularly
follow the shows and star lives.
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CONTENT STRATEGY
The channel regularly tweets and retweets. An average of 20 tweets and retweets are sent
out on a day. This increases depending on activities conducted like chats or quizzes.
The tweets are highly interactive and viral in nature. Star Plus is doing a good job on Twitter.
Questions are asked, chats are conducted and show reminders are constantly tweeted
through the channel account. The header image is also very well used to announce an
upcoming IIFA awards on the channel.
The content strategy includes the following:
#Show Reminder
Various individual hash-tags like #Veera, #DABH and #SaraswatiChandra have
been created for popular shows and these are used to create buzz around the show.
Along with this, show reminders are tweeted which are very crucial for the GEC
sector. Users who are reminded about an upcoming show or an important episode
will definitely like to be followers of the channel. It also generates curiosity.
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#Live chats
Star Plus conducts Live Chats with contestants of its reality show India’s Dancing
Superstars. With the hash-tag #IDSChat, users send tweet their questions and the
channel replies to them. This activity creates immense visibility and reach for the
account since many users are excited to chat with contestants.
Another interesting GK quiz was initiated through the hash-tag #SabseBadaChampion,
to promote the new reality show by Eijaz Khan.
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#Emotional Connect
The channel capitalizes on emotionally bonding with users. The emotional attachment
that a viewer has with TV soaps is replicated in the Twitter space.
#Interactive
Interactive posts like questions, captions and votes are taken through Twitter.
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#SENTIMENT
There is a roar of positive sentiment on the channel page. People seem to
love the channel, the shows, the stars and everything related to Star Plus.
They regularly comment on images which shows that they are happy everytime
something is posted.
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HOW THEY CAN
IMPROVE?
The channel can post some exclusive
images of the stars since people are
eager to see this and this type of content
has a shareable nature. The content is
quite similar to what other channels are
doing. Star Plus should try and create
some unique content to differentiate from
competitors.
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On Youtube, Star Plus has over 3 lakh
subscribers and 2 billion views. Between
May and July 2013, the channel had an
excellent growth rate. It received over
5 million views and 1 lakh subscribers.
With video length of an average of 5
mins and 4 seconds, Star Plus uploaded
a total of 1108 videos on the channel.
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CONTENT
Most of these videos are show telecasts and that is the reason why it receives so many views.
However, there is interesting content that the channel has started promoting recently. Quick
videos are created where stars speak about how they love user comments on Twitter and
Facebook, followed by the link of the social media accounts.
The link to the video is http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=T4M0sgjbb5A
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Apart from this reality show contestants are also communicating with users through
videos and directing users to chat with them on Twitter. This is a nice way of making
the most of two social platforms.
The video link is http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KUu_bhJsJSI
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This is the kind of content a channel should upload on the channel. It’s exclusive and
is a great way to bring the viewers closer to their favourite stars.
The video quality is good since the channel shows are republished.
HOW THEY CAN
IMPROVE?
The channel should create more and more
exclusive content for the Youtube channel
and promote it on other social networking
sites. Integrating of all three platforms will
ensure maximum reach and visibility and
boost the channels online presence.
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The channel has 378 followers and a
total of 30 boards. Star Plus started its
Pinterest activities in June 2013. The
channel received a total of 559 repins
and over 1000 likes during this duration.
However, after the 10th of July the growth
in followers is stagnant.
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CONTENT
There are some interesting boards and interesting activities that the channel is initiating on
Pinterest. One of the boards is dedicated to a romantic star couple and users are invited to
share some photos of them which will be pinned by Star Plus on this board.
Another interesting board is about food and recipes and for each pin, the hsh-tag #Masterchef
is used to promote the reality series. Behind the scenes is another board which interests
the users. The pins of this board have unique pictures on the sets of the show and are
exclusive for Pinterest users. The remaining boards are about different shows on television.
HOW THEY CAN
IMPROVE?
To boost its presence on Pinterest, the channel
should drive some exciting campaigns on this
social platform. Dress up like your favourite star,
captioning images, Predict the story ahead etc.
can be interesting activities on Pinterest that
will engage the users.
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SONY ENTERTAINMENT
TELEVISION
Sony Entertainment Television, launched in
1995 and is owned by Multi Screen Media Pvt.
Ltd. Popular shows on Sony include Indian Idol
Junior, Bade Achhe Lagte Hai, and Adaalat.
According to TAM ratings Sony is on the fifth
place.
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Sony Television Limited has a lesser fan
following on Facebook than most general
entertainment channels. 254K is not a very
big number in comparison with other channels.
However the channel had a good growth rate
of 28.6%.
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ENGAGEMENT
The channel has more people talking about them than most channels. 7.8% of the community is
engaged in brand conversations. This is a good sign that shows that the channel has started taking
its social media marketing more seriously. A small glitch however is that the wall is closed. It would
do the channel some good to keep the wall open for user posting.
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CONTENT STRATEGY
Sony TV has a fine content strategy in place and showcases a professional approach
towards Facebook marketing. On an average, the channel posted 4-5 posts a day which
means it keeps its page regularly updated with content.
The channel takes special effort into designing every post which are branded with Facebook
page and Twitter account of the Sony Television. The channel promotes new shows, show
reminders, asks questions related to the show in an interactive manner and even takes part
in conversations. For instance, a post on the new show was updated with a very creative
design, integrating a question in the post.
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SONY KEEPS ITS USERS ENGAGED BY ASKING SEVERAL QUESTIONS IN FUN WAYS.
Some of these styles include spot the difference, comparison between stars and favourite
shows. The channel is making use of the hash-tag #SonyTV in every post. Spot the
difference is one of the common ways, Sony uses to interact with the users. Screenshots
from within the show are used. This lets the user spend some time on the post, encouraging
their interest in the show. Though these posts do not receive many likes or shares, the
comments section is filled with excitement.
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Topical content is also a part of the content strategy. A show is related to general interest
stories. For instance, a star in the show does a very different kind of makeup. Using this as
a subject, Sony created content with makeup which is a general interest story.
A very noticeable fact on the Facebook page of Sony account is that all the posts
are highlighted. The images too are designed in that fashion. On an average, each
post received 266 likes. Though some posts received less engagement, some posts
received great engagement, probably because some were boosted. For instance,
a question related to favourite thriller show was asked. This is a general question
which has been asked many times on the wall. The question is why did only this post
receive 900 likes, 36 shares and 907 comments? This is a good way to understand
your consumer behavior and take audience feedback.
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In contrast to the above post, Sony adopted a passé content strategy to increase the likes
and shares of a particular post. This should be avoided since there is so much scope for
creativity. These kind of posts do not substitute a good campaign. If a brand is looking to
increase engagement then it should be innovative. Unexpectedly, there were no campaigns
run during these 3 months. Campaigns are a great way to boost your organic reach and
maximize the viewership of upcoming shows. Instead, a post like this was updated on the
page.
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Lastly, a very good strategy undertaken by the channel is uncovering Behind the Scene activity. Photos
and videos are posted showcasing stars. A video has been shot where the stars are encouraging people
to get onto the Facebook and Twitter pages of Sony to interact with them on a regular basis.
CREATIVES
The creatives are excellent considering that they are high resolution, well designed and good
quality. The cover images are changed from time to time, announcing upcoming movie premiers,
new shows and award functions. Each and every post is well designed to suit the dimensions of
the posts.
CUSTOM TABS
The two main applications that the channel has created are Shows and Events. Both the applications
have a list of shows and events. There is no creativity involved. Also, these apps are not promoted
since the average monthly users are only 145 on an average. These apps are active since last
year and no initiative has been taken to create anything new. Surely, the channel can do better
than this. Interesting applications should be created to make the page viral.
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SENTIMENT
The sentiment on the page cannot be tracked since it is based on user postings on the wall. Since
this is closed, it cannot be evaluated. However, through the comments section it is evident that
there is more positive sentiment than negative.
HOW THEY CAN
IMPROVE?
The channel can improve in various ways. It
should incorporate more hash-tags like names
of the show or stars in the posts. Hash-tags
make the search easier. They should be used
like keywords. A high priority should be given
to opening the wall for user posting.
The channel should understand the reach
of applications. This can be a great way to
increase fan growth. Combining this with an
interesting campaign will surely enhance the
page reach.
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Sony has over 15K followers which is a
very small number among the GEC sector.
This is probably because the channel has
recently set its foot on Twitter. During
3 months, the channel gained over 5K
followers. The growth rate of the channel
was 64% which is a highly encouraging
number. Since Sony is already a brand
name, this is expected.
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ENGAGEMENT
The channel, on an average, has been posting 19 tweets per day, out of which 10 are proactive
tweets. It has been receiving 4 retweets per tweet and 2 replies per tweet on an average. This
is extremely negligible considering the number of followers the channel has.
CONTENT STRATEGY
The content strategy of the channel is nothing compared to other channels in this sector.
Sony is simply copy pasting similar content from Facebook rather than trying to differentiate
itself on Twitter. It is important for brands to understand that different social media platforms
have different set of target audience and marketing to them differs.
Most tweets have old-fashioned content promotion strategy. Asking users to retweet to
express their opinion about a particular show does not make any sense. Instead, creating
interesting content to make the content shareable in nature is what the channel should be
aiming for.
Most tweets did not have any addition to them like photos or videos. Photos and videos add
an interactive character to a tweet. They also make the tweet go viral since most people
would retweet a picture or a video.
However, Sony did take an initiative to be interactive with some tweets. The images were
designed to appeal to tweeples. However, as mentioned before, they have already been
posted on Facebook and do not offer the fans any reason to follow them to Twitter as
well. It almost seems like Sony does not want to take the effort to roll out serious social
media strategies for its different social platforms. Having said this, it is a nice way to take
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Whether in form of questions or quizzes, the tweets are mainly about constant reminder to watch
various shows. There is nothing that can excite the fans about any show.
During the month of June, the channel ran a campaign for the event TOIFA awards that it was
screening. Questions were asked by quizzing the fans. A hash-tag #TOIFAonSony was created,
asking people to express their views about the awards. This was an interesting hash-tag since it
had the brand name as well as the event name incorporated within. The campaign however was not
out of the ordinary. If the brand needs to increase viewership, it needs to get innovative.
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A similar contest was run for the promotion of a new series Maharana Pratap. Again, a
similar quiz contest was initiated by the channel. It is disappointing to see that a channel
like Sony which premiers many interesting shows for its target audience cannot come up
with pioneering campaigns on social media.
Currently, the channel is mainly using Twitter for awareness. However, if it really wants to
make a mark, the content strategy will have to be revamped.
SENTIMENT
The sentiment on the Twitter account is largely positive. Fortunately, the GEC sector can be
happy about the fact that most of their fans will have positive sentiment regardless of the content
owing to the popular shows on television.
HOW THEY CAN
IMPROVE?
There are majorly 3 ways in which the
channel can improve:
-Getting innovative with campaigns and
conducting live chats with stars. Pushing
more creative content to capitalize on the
potential of the micro blogging site.
-Using branded hash-tags more often
by incorporating them within a tweet or a
campaign. More so, pushing these hashtags to trend by generating shareable
content.
-Integrating twitter activities with other social
networking sites like Pinterest, Instagram
and Youtube. Posting links to these sites
will hekp maximize the reach of the channel.
52
The Youtube channel of Sony has
over 2 million subscribers and over 7
billion views. The channel increased its
subscriber base by over 5 lakh during
May, June and July. The channel is
growing its fan base at a good rate of
10.3%.
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TYPE AND QUALITY OF VIDEOS
The videos are mainly different episodes of the shows. The quality is very good for obvious
reasons that they have been picked from the episodes that were shot for television and uploaded
on the online channel. Though this is a necessity for entertainment channels since viewers want
to catch up on missed episodes online, it is also essential that Sony understands the viral nature
of Youtube.
Apart from posting links in the discussion forum, Sony does not interact with users in the community.
HOW THEY CAN
IMPROVE?
Some key suggestions for enhancing the Youtube channel by Sony TV
include:
-Create exclusive content like new show trailor first on Youtube probably
just before launching it on television. This will give subscribers novelty.
-Content generation should incorporate videos apart from episodes. Quick
star interviews, social messages or even behind the scene activities should
be circulated via Youtube.
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Sony is not on Pinterest currently. They
should try and build their presence on this
social networking site since it gives the
channel an option to explore storytelling
through images. Good content generation
on this platform can result into a healthy
number of followers. As suggested for
other channels too, Sony should try and
incorporate behind the scene images as
exclusive pictures for Pinterest users.
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ZEE TV
Zee Tv, a popular General entertainment
channel was launched in 1992 and is owned by
Zee Entertainment enterprises. The channel
mainly targets female viewers for its family
dramas and reality shows. The channel gives
a tough competition to Colors and Sony TV.
After Star Plus and Colors, Zee Tv grabs the
third spot according to TAM ratings. Popular
shows like Qubool hai, Dance India Dance
Super Moms and Pavitra Rishta have a good
TRP. Sapne Suhane Ladakpan Ke is the most
popular show with a 2.1 TRP rating.
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THE CHANNEL HAS A COMMUNITY SIZE OF
418K WHILE 21K+ PEOPLE ARE TALKING
ABOUT THE PAGE.
The PTAT score of the page is considerably
falling each day and this should alarm the
person in charge of the page. The growth rate
is 40% which is remarkable considering the
content strategy and the engagement levels
on the page. This is probably because the
brand is indulging in paid promotions. Since
some posts in the month of May have an
average post like of 200 and suddenly from
late June to July hike up to an average of
1000 likes per post, nothing can explain this
jump other than ads.
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ENGAGEMENT
Zee Tv has a decent engagement level which has a huge scope for improvement. The channel
needs to be more interactive through posts. However the good thing is that it interacts with its fans
through comments, unlike many brands who choose to ignore this completely.
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CONTENT STRATEGY
Zee Tv definitely does not come under a great social media example. The content strategy of the
channel on social networking sites resembles that of an amateur brand. Being one of the most
popular channels, this comes across as a very disappointing marketing attempt. Not only is the
channel haphazard in something as basic as the dimensions of post creatives but is also careless
with the timings of post updates. The content strategy of Zee Tv is totally disorganized.
Though a total of 339 posts were posted in 90 days, which amounts to an average of 3 posts
per day, the frequency of the posts was irregular. There were days when 4-5 posts were up on
a single day while the next 4 days did not have a single update. Irregular updates reduce your
chances of maximum visibility.
The fact that the channel page has not opened up their wall for their fans is another faulty attitude
of the channel. Being in the entertainment industry, audience feedback on shows is what should
keep the channel going. However, this does not seem to be important for Zee.
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The page mainly focuses on asking questions, posting updates on Live Twitter Chat and announcing
new shows. Most of the GEC strategies on social media follow the same routine. Zee Tv has done
nothing to differentiate itself.
Posts containing questions receive the most engagement.
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The channel also does a few interactive posts which are interesting. Only if they did it on a
regular basis, the engagement would definitely grow. However, I noticed only 2 such posts
in 3 months.
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Between 27th May and 11th June,
the channel ran good creatives
to promote the new show,
‘Connected Hum Tum’. However,
everyday a post only about the
new show was posted. This was a
wrong strategy when the channel
had other shows to talk about
too. The audience views repeated
content for 10-15 days and is
saturated within a couple of days,
missing out on most updates
selectively. Also, the channel did
not use Facebook ads to boost
the promotion of the new show.
This explains extremely negligible
engagement on these posts. If
the channel had a proper content
strategy in place, this could have
been avoided.
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CREATIVES
The post designs are selective in terms of shows and updates. For instance, a new show which
is being promoted will contain good quality images and well designed posts. However, other
posts are hardly attractive. One of the most unacceptable aspect of the page is that it does not
follow image dimensions. The posts are always showcasing a Twitter follow sign at the bottom
right however, it gets cut out when you view it on the page because the image is not designed
according to the highlight image dimensions.
This is how it looks on the page.
This is how it looks when you open it.
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This is another shabby example.
Good quality and well designed post images attract more engagement on the post. Following
simple guidelines go a long way in establishing a better connection with your fans.
The cover photos are used well mainly to promote new shows, special episodes and
announce festive greetings.
CUSTOM TABS
The channel has launched an application called ZeeTv Housewives which encourages users to
share images of housewives acknowledging their achievements. A lucky housewife will be gratified
with prizes. There are a total of 64 monthly active users who have been on the application which
is too low a number to measure the success of the application. Probably, the channel should
focus on promoting the application through posts and cover image. Another application Umeed ka
Diya was created which hardly had any users on it. Custom Tabs should be an important part of
a brand’s social media strategy.
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SENTIMENT
There is more positive vibe on the wall than negative. The negative sentiment infact is negligible
at 3.6%. However, this is imcomplete information since Zee Tv does not all fan posting on the
wall and the sentiment is mainly based on that so it is not possible to comment on fan behavior.
HOW THEY CAN
IMPROVE?
Zee Tv can better its content strategy by regularly updating the page with
posts rather than following haphazard timings. It should serve content in a
more interesting way and try to tap on the viral reach of social networking
sites. Exclusive content for its fans could encourage more users to like the
page. For instance, the channel can treat its fans with a sneak peek of the
upcoming episode of a particular show.
Opening up the wall for fan posting is a must. Unless the channel does not
communicate with its fans there is no purpose of creating a Facebook page.
The page needs to work on exciting applications. It further needs to enhance
them by promoting it.
The last and the most important suggestion is the channel should look into
designing the images according to the dimensions of the site and lay more
emphasis on the design of the content.
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Zee Tv has a sizeable community of 71K+
on Twitter. This is a good number as far
as the GEC industry is concerned. The
follower growth is a decent 9.1%.
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ENGAGEMENT
The channel engages very well with its audience. It has maintained an average of 15-20 tweets
per day and retweets when a user appreciates the shows. Unlike other channels, Zee Tv is quite
prompt in replying to comments too.
CONTENT STRATEGY
The content strategy of the channel is a set pattern of questions, videos and live chats which are driving a
lot of interactions. Zee Tv has created hash-tags which are related to individual shows. This is a common
strategy among most channels. However, Zee Tv is also creating topical content with common hash-tags
which are great for conversations on Twitter. For instance during the rainy season, the channel created a
hash-tag #MonsoonMemories and posted the image of a rain scene in a show. People instantly connect
to such a tweet and enthusiastically begin answering.
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The show related questions are very general too. This is a good thing since more users
participate even though they do not follow a show. For instance there is a show called
Connected Hum Tum and to promote the same, the channel indirectly asks questions to
increase interaction.
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During the three months, the channel promoted two activities namely, Gold Awards and
Live Chat. During the telecast of Gold Awards, the Twitter account not only reminded the
audience to start watching the show but also constantly gave updates of the activities while
it was being shown on TV. This was a great way of encouraging tweeples to watch the show
out of curiosity and increase viewership.
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Most often channels undertake Live chat activities with stars where users can ask
questions and they are answered by the stars themselves through the channel account.
Zee Tv adopted this on its Twitter account too.
ZEE TV IS CREATING SOME GREAT CONTENT ON TWITTER. UNLIKE OTHER CHANNELS,
IT OFFERS BEHIND THE SCENE VIDEOS AND IMAGES TOO
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HOW THEY CAN
IMPROVE?
The channel is doing a good job on Twitter. It can definitely
incorporate some contests to engage its audience further.
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ZeeTv India has 27 boards, 305 pins and a
total of 114 followers. In the month of June
and July 2013, the channel increased its
follower count by 20 which is negligible. It
clearly shows that the allocation of time on
this social network is very less compared
to the other two giants, Facebook and
Twitter.
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CONTENT
The boards are related to individual shows, events and behind the scenes. There is nothing that
I can rant about since most boards look incomplete and are haphazard. However, an interesting
board is Arts and Artifacts which showcases the important inanimate objects from Jodha Akhbar
show. This will increase the audience’s observation during a particular show and engage them.
Unfortunately, the channel is not bothered to add more pins or drive conversation.
The board Sapne Suhane Ladakpan Ke has
the maximum pins while the board Punarvivah
has the highest number of repins per pin ratio.
The boards have received a total of 156 repins.
While there are only 2 comments among all the
pins, there are 433 likes.
HOW THEY CAN
IMPROVE?
Zee Tv should come up with quirky board names
and interesting pins. It should define its objectives
on Pinterest since it is not clear what the channel
is trying to achieve. The best way to increase
followers and reach would be to launch an exciting
campaign/contest on this platform. Driving traffic
from Facebook and Twitter to this platform will be
a good idea.
The channel has added Pinterest tab on its
Facebook page which pulls all the boards added
on the account to the application. However, the
channel should instead direct users to get onto
Pinterest website so they can follow, comment,
like and repin.
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The Youtube channel of the brand has
over 6 lakh subscribers and has crossed
4 billion views. In 3 months, the channel
received over 22 lakh new views and
over 2 lakh new subscribers. Zee Tv
had a negative growth rate of -9.91%
which is alarming. It had a steep fall in
the month of June.
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CONTENT
The Zee Tv channel is stuffed with episodes of various shows. There is nothing exclusive or new
about the channel. It is a given that users mainly come back to watch missed episodes on the
channel and this is an important part of the Youtube content strategy. However the channel should
understand that they can tap into 6 lakh subscribers to make videos viral and garner more reach
from them. The videos will definitely go viral if there is an interesting content that is shareable in
nature. This could include star interviews and funny behind the scene videos.
The discussions forum is full of negative comments that are not being responded to. Either Zee Tv
is not serious about its image on Youtube or does not have a team to handle the channel which
has a lesser possibility.
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HOW THEY CAN
IMPROVE?
As mentioned above, the channel most importantly needs
to begin replying in the discussion forum. They need to
take part in the discussions, look for opportunities to
build more viewership and generate positive comments.
Secondly, it needs to get a content strategy in place.,
Being a GEC how much time does it take to shoot a 1
minute video of a star or behind the scene activity. It
is infact the easiest activity for channels. Launching a
campaign for a new show will only get more eyeballs if
this is done.
CONCLUSION
Overall, Zee Tv is achieving decent engagement
on Facebook and Twitter. The channel is not doing
exceptionally well though and has a lot of scope for
improvement.
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SAHARA ONE CHANNEL
Sahara One, a part of the Sahara India
Pariwar, is an entertainment channel launched
in the year 2000. The channel has not been
very popular since its inception, attempting
various tactics to increase viewership. It
features shows like Haunted Nights, Jai
Jai Bajrangbali, Piya Ka Ghar Pyaara Laga
etc. These shows gather a good rating but
are nowhere in competition with the other
channels. It is evident that Sahara One
should be using Social Media all the more to
their best.
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On Facebook, the channel has a community
size of 265K, which is the lowest in comparison
among other channels which are a part of this
study. The channel is infact looking its fans
and has an extremely slow growth rate at
3.4%. Sahara One managed to acquire only
8K+ fans in the period of 3 months.
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ENGAGEMENT
The number of people talking about the channel fell drastically in the month of July. This is
probably because there is a steady downfall in the social media space, as much as loosing fans
by -73 in 7 days currently. In a community of 265K, if the PTAT score is only 1.7%, the channel
ought to make serious changes in its social media strategy. Needless to say, the channel does
not interacts with its fans through comments or even replies to wall posts.
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CONTENT STRATEGY
In 3 months, though the channel has an average of 3 posts per day, it does not follow a
set pattern of posting on a daily basis. Infact, in the month of July, the channel made only
13 posts. It is obvious that they do not have any content strategy in place.
The posts are neither designed well nor are the dimensions taken into consideration.
Random images are being picked from the picture library of the channel and being posted
on the Facebook page. There is more focus on religious sentiments to promote the show
Jai Jai Bajarangbali. Though such posts have the highest number of likes, it has more to
do with the religious sentiment of a user rather than the popularity of the show. What else
explains 400 likes v/s 30 likes for other posts.
The channel has also included Hindi translation along with English while posting various
show updates. This does not seem to be helping the channel, but makes sense since it is
an entertainment channel.
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Apart from this, it continuously posts links of its Youtube videos on the wall which hardly receive any
engagement. It also promotes movies being telecasted on the channel. However this is done only
once a day prior to the premier. It also makes highly irrelevant posts. For instance, a Coke banner
was uploaded with no relation to the brand.
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The channel did not take the initiative of running any campaigns or contests. With such a disinterest in
social media marketing, it is questionable why is the brand even present on Facebook.
CREATIVES
As mentioned, there is no effort put into creatives of the posts. This is one of the most important
aspects of good marketing on social media since images play a critical role in success of content
strategy. The cover images too are not aiming to achieve anything. They are about greetings on
occasions, generic image of all the shows and random images from shows. It seems that the
page is being handled by an amateur person and no professional interest by the brand has been
shown.
CUSTOM TABS
The channel has created applications using Static iFrame tabs. The apps are about Program
timings, movies of the month etc. However, neither do these tabs have custom tab images
nor are they complete in design. Infact, most of them do not work. This only adds to the whole
incompetent content strategy of the brand.
SENTIMENT
The sentiment is mostly neutral and does not boast of any negativity. However, this does not
substantiate the fact that their social media strategy is not in place.
HOW THEY CAN
IMPROVE?
The brand immediately needs a social makeover to
achieve any kind of objectives. Right from post designs,
post copy, frequency of posting, inclusion of hash-tags,
replying to users on comments and posts as well as
increasing engagement. In short, the channel is in a
desperate need of a good content strategy.
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The community size on Twitter is a
mere 492 followers. It seems that the
channel has recently started using the
micro-blogging site to its advantage.
Though it has already managed to
send out 1K+ tweets, this number is
too small in comparison of with other
top channels. The growth rate of the
fans is 9.3%.
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ENGAGEMENT
A total of 852 tweets were made during the three months period which is on an average 11 tweets
per day. The channel retweeted 43 times. What is surprising is, that it replied only 6 times in 3
months. Sahara One was mentioned only 14 times
CONTENT STRATEGY
Alike Facebook, Twitter too has no content strategy. Usually, replies from brands are template lines but
Sahara One uses tweets itself as template lines. There is a set pattern for every tweet and most of them
are about shows on the channel, timing reminders and a line summarizing the story of the show in Hindi.
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Sometimes, the brand also links the followers to their promotions on Youtube channel.
There is nothing worthwhile the channel is doing that can be mentioned. Inspite of knowing
that there is no retweet or comment received in any of the tweets, the channel is not
bothered to transform their social media marketing strategy, if there is one
SENTIMENT
Since there are no comments, sentiment cannot be measured.
HOW THEY CAN
IMPROVE?
They can do the following things:
-Create hash-tags that will enhance the branding of shows as
well as the channel
-Conceptualize and run contests and campaigns to promote
new shows or upcoming movie premiers.
-Understand followers behavior and take feedback to shape a
superior strategy to increase viewership of shows.
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20K+ subscribers for a television channel
is negligible. However, 3 million+ views
is not bad. During the 3 months period,
it received over 3 lakh views and 2K+
subscribers. Only 337 new videos were
uploaded during this time period. The
channel is growing at 10.5% which is a
slow and a steady growth.
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TYPE OF VIDEO AND QUALITY
The Youtube channel is stuffed with episodes of various shows. There is no creativity involved in
terms of campaigns, fun videos or different content. Asmentioned already, Sahara One’s tweets
are all about linking to the episodes stored in the Youtube channel. The channel could have
instead made some good videos apart from episodes and linked them though the Twitter account.
HOW CAN THEY
IMPROVE?
There is a huge scope of improvement needed on
the Youtube channel of the brand. Apart from all
the suggestions given for other channels, Sahara
One can do the following:
-Use Facebook and Twitter to generate more
traffic on the the Youtube Channel
-Launch a campaign integrating all three platforms
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Sahara One is not on Pinterest currently.
They should try and build their presence on
this social networking site after improving
their Facebook and Twitter pages, since
it gives the channel an option to explore
storytelling through images. Good content
generation on this platform can result
into a healthy number of followers. As
suggested for other channels too, Sahara
One should try and incorporate behind the
scene images as exclusive pictures for
Pinterest users.
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On Facebook, Sony has the highest growth while Sahara One has the lowest. Sony’s PTAT
score too is the highest while Sahara One is the lowest. Closest to Sony in terms of PTAT
score is Zee Tv.
When it comes to engagement, Colors TV is a clear winner while Sahara One again looses
it with only 58 likes on an average per post.
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Out of the 5 channels, I would rate the over all success of the channels on a scale of 1-5,
5 being the lowest.
1. COLORS
2. SONY
3. STAR PLUS
4. ZEE TV
5. SAHARA ONE
On Twitter, Colors and Sony are doing an excellent job and have the best
engagement. Colors is leading with an average of 11 retweets, 6 replies and
7 favourites per tweet.
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Sony has the most number of views while Colors TV has the highest video views as well as
highest growth rate of 23%. On Youtube too, Sahara has not seeded any innovation. Sony and Sahara One are not on Pinterest. Out of the remaining three channels, Star Plus
has the most number of followers while Zee Tv has the highest growth.
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WHY COLORS AND SONY HAVE THE
BEST CONTENT STRATEGY?
Colors on Twitter and Sony on Facebook have a good content strategy. Colors supports the concept of
second screen and engages very well with its followers. The channel also takes only 15 minutes on an
average to reply to tweets. Sony, on Facebook has a very professional approach towards content. The
creatives are well designed and posted frequently. The channel promotes new shows, show reminders,
asks questions related to the show in an interactive manner and even takes part in conversations through
comments.
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WHY COLORS ON TWITTER AND SONY ON
FACEBOOK HAVE THE MAXIMUM ENGAGEMENT?
Since their content strategy is the best, success follows through high engagement numbers for both the
channels. Colors retweets and replies the fastest while Sony interacts through comments which none of
the other channels do. As mentioned above, some have even closed their walls to fan posting.
CONCLUSION
Though most channels follow a similar strategy, some do it differently. We suggest
that the channels should have individual strategies and they should avoid copying one
another.
SOME KEY INSIGHTS:
-Star Chats on Twitter is hot.
-Channels are using Twitter as a second screen, flashing hash-tags while the shows are on,
encouraging users to interact.
-Campaigns or contests are not a part of any channels strategy. Therefore no interesting
applications have been built.
-Most channels have a similar content strategy on both the platforms. Each one needs to build a
unique strategy.
-A fan following build on both the profiles is more because of the popularity of the show than the
engaging nature of channels on social platforms.
-Nothing innovative has been attempted by channels on Youtube. Overall, it is stuffed with
episodes of the shows.
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EXPERT VIEW
The general entertainment channel sector
has advanced towards social media recently
and can be referred to as a newbie. However,
even though they have arrived a little late,
they have huge fan following owing to their
existing popularity.
Most of the channels are following a similar
strategy as far as campaigns are concerned.
Every channel swears by live chats on
Twitter, taking advantage of the popularity of
their star actors. However, Colors TV stands
out when compared to all for its consistent
planning and execution of activities,
especially on Twitter. They have constantly
been executing live chats at every given
opportunity. It’s reality show Big Boss 7, for
instance, created ripples on Social Media.
Sony has also portrayed very interestingly
through its Facebook updates, characters
with interesting thought bubbles. The channel
is offering something more to its users which
the fan is so emotionally connected to. This
increases engagement and interaction.
Most channels must work on their Youtube
strategy. Being a visual medium it has a
great creative scope for being a parallel
screen which complements the personality of
various shows. A video journey showcasing
the making of shows, star interviews etc.can
be effective in building an emotional connect
with fans of the channel.
Star Plus is executing a good Youtube
strategy since it has short interviews of stars
who acknowledge the comments
and tweets of fans. The channel has a rich
visual representation of behind the scenes of
various popular shows.
The concept of second screen is a key trend
with most channels. While self promotional
strategies are largely present on Facebook,
Twitter is used as an engagement tool. This
shift has been gradual but nevertheless
happening for over a year now.
While Sahara One and Zee TV are not doing
so well on public platforms and more over are
not clear about their strategy. Picking parts of
other channel’s campaigns and merging with
their own will get them nowhere. Innovation is
key and they need to figure out a strategy that
suits their brand.
Having said that, I believe the GEC sector can
still do much better in terms of innovation and
content. They are still weak on Facebook and
have to figure out what they plan to achieve
through the platform. The two possible ROI’s
for a TV channel would be to either increase
interaction or increase viewership.
The influential association that has developed
between television and social media is a great
example of how channels can engage in a
versatile, harmonious relationship, enhancing
the experiences through both mediums while
at the same time generate new experience
not possible with either alone.
Expert View by Rajiv Dingra Founder & CEO
of WATConsult – An Award Winning Digital &
Social Media Agency.