AgTalk | "24" will up the game for fiction programming among GECs: Nayak

Living up to its name, it is all set to usher in a new trend and change the Colours and Contour of television viewing in India or the manner in which GECs will approach & present content to viewers in future. Colours TV recently unveiled the first look of its highly anticipated trailer of the upcoming espionage series starring Anil Kapoor in the main lead. From the initial looks the thriller promises viewers world-class quality in entertainment and to leave everybody on the edge of their seats.

Adgully tried to know more about ’24’ The Race Against Time especially the business aspect of this mega show and spoke to Raj Nayak, CEO Colours on the various aspects pertaining to the new offering. Following is the excerpt of the brief conversation

Adgully: In the past we have seen that International Reality formats have attracted & enthralled the Indian television audience, but it seems this is the first time that the international fiction format has been licensed to re-create the story for Indian audience. Do you think that this is the new beginning and apart from Indian Idol. Master Chef, Dancing With the Stars, Bigg Brother, now we will see international fiction formats on Indian TV sets...

Raj Nayak: We believe this is a first for Indian Television, a big leap we are taking in creating a fiction show not only on an international format but also on international scale in terms of the quality of production.

AG: What was the reason behind choosing this action/ thriller format...Was it because of the success of the international "24" or is it because of the persona of Anil Kapoor?

RN: The fact that 24 has been one of the most successful shows internationally was definitely one of the main reasons but then we wouldn't have been able to do a show like this without Anil Kapoor. He has acted in the International series, understands it and more importantly is so passionate about it. I don't think anyone else could have played the role of Jai Singh Rathod, (Jack Bauer's role in the international series) with the same conviction that Anil has. He is a brilliant actor and has put his heart and soul behind this project.

AG: From the promos and the star cast it is evident that its quite an expensive series, do you think it’s going to be profitable from its first series...

RN: Yes the show is mounted on a big scale with International quality of production. It is a very expensive show. First season we may not make profits, but we have gone into this with our eyes wide open. We believe this product will start giving us better ROI from season 2 onwards.

AG: The programme line-up of Colors looks international formats heavy is it by choice...

RN: Yes it is by choice. If something has been tried and tested it is a safe bet. Why reinvent the wheel ? However this will not stop us from experimenting with our own formats too. Comedy Nights with Kapil is our home grown format.

RN: The nature of the show is such there is a lot of usage of cars, computers, mobile phones etc. Tata Motors has the wisdom and vision to partner us from the early day of the shoot... . You will see the usage of their vehicles inside the show.. and Safari Storme is just the perfect brand fit for a show like 24.

AG: Surely you may not be satisfied with a single sponsor, what about the other set of sponsors, are they finalized?

RN: We are in advance stage of discussions with other sponsors... You will see quite a few of them before the show goes on air. We are asking for big monies, this is a BIG Ticket show like BIGG BOSS, so negotiations take time.

AG: We have seen in the past that when you launch big properties like this, you paint the town red, do we see the heavy marketing push for "24" as well?

RN: Yes we have a big marketing plan around the launch of the show. You have just witnessed the way we released the trailer... The entire marketing is planned like a film release including market visits with Anil Kapoor. This show will be promoted heavily on Digital and will have a 360 degree marketing plan which includes TV, Print, Outdoor, Radio, Cinema etc.

AG: Since there is a visible thought of bringing international fiction format to India, do we see the thought extends with other International fiction formats as well?

RN: The success of this show will determine how the future will pan out. But one thing is for sure, this show will up the game for fiction programming for the GEC genre India.

AG: According to you, how this show is going to define your position among the GEC genre in India?

RN: Colors as a channel has always seen to be cutting edge and being a trend setting brand. I think we are continuing to live up to our reputation.