Positioning Strategies Case Study

Turner-Miditech’s Planned Launch of ‘Real’ Channel in India: Will it Succeed?

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Abstract:
In the backdrop of Indian entertainment and media industry, the case study delves into the intricacies of Indian television market, particularly the General Entertainment Channels (GECs). While many factors changed the market dynamics of the industry, increase in the number of GECs redefined the role of competition. Each channel vied for more viewership, offering a variety of content to include everything from fiction and mythology to reality shows, music and movies. However, inability to change according to changing consumer psyche made GECs lose their market dominance to other emerging genres of specific content – news, lifestyle channels, and ‘only music and movie’ channels.

Amid this competitive and challenging scenario, on January 21st 2009, Real Global Broadcasting (RGB), a 50:50 joint venture between Alva Brothers’ Miditech and Turner International announced the proposed launch of a new Hindi GEC ‘Real’ in March 2009. The case study debates on various issues concerning the launch of this channel: the timing of Real’s launch vis-à-vis the prevailing economic downturn and industry lifecycle. Does niche positioning work for a GEC? How Real can win over established players like STAR Plus and emerging ones like Colors and NDTV Imagine?.

Pedagogical Objectives:

• To examine the nature of business for a GEC and identify its critical success factors
• To discuss the need for a unique value proposition and right Segmentation, Targeting and Positioning (STP) strategies to win over entrenched players in the GEC market
• To examine Real’s launch in the GEC market and its strategies to compete with established players as well as new entrants
• To compare and contrast Real’s positioning and marketing strategies with those of other GECs in the Indian entertainment and media industry
• To debate on the possibilities of success for Real in the cluttered Hindi GEC market and to identify the challenges ahead.

Keywords : Product Launch, Market Entry Strategy, Entertainment and Media industry in India, Alva Brothers, Sunil Lulla, General Entertainment Channels (GECs), Lifestyle Channels – NDTV Good Times, STAR Plus, Zee, Sony, 9x, NDTV Imagine and Colors, Reality shows, Gross Rating Points (GRPs), Distinct positioning, Competitive clutter, Target group – ‘neo Indians’, Differentiated content, Real Global Broadcasting (RGB)

Contents:

• Indian Media and Entertainment: An Overview
• Growing Presence of the GECs in the Indian TV Segment
• Getting 'Real' in the Cluttered GEC Market – The Challenges