MUMBAI: Sadhna Group-owned and Nikhil Wagle-helmed Marathi news channel Maharashtra1, which is currently under test run, is all set to launch on 1 January.
The channel is part of Sadhna Group subsidiary Sharp Eye Advertising, which owns and operates Sadhna News, Sadhna Bihar/Jharkhand, and Sadhna Madhya Pradesh/Chhattisgarh.
The new channel is sure to hot things up in the already crowded Marathi TV news market. The key players in this market include ABP Majha, Zee 24 Taas, and IBN Lokmat. The list also includes numerous other channels like TV9 Marathi, Mi Marathi and Jai Maharashtra.
The promoters have taken a conscious decision not to name the new channel under Sadhna. Maharashtra1, the company thinks, will give an independent identity to the new channel. The channel has offices in Pune, Nashik, Nagpur and New Delhi, apart from the head office and studio in Mumbai.
The management team that will run the channel is also separate from the one that manages the other existing channels. Former IBN Lokmat COO Sanjay Sharma is the CEO of the new channel. Biren Kansara, who was earlier AVP of finance, accounts & operations at IBN Lokmat, is the CFO. Former Shop CJ VP and head of new business initiatives and special projects Abhay Ojha is looking after distribution and marketing. Except Ojha, both Sharma and Kansara were Wagle’s colleagues at IBN Lokmat.
While the channel is owned by Sharp Eye Advertising, the company has formed a marketing subsidiary named Fearless Media to manage the channel. Sharma, Kansara, and Sandeep Chavan are the directors of this company.
Maharashtra1 editor-in-chief Nikhil Wagle told TelevisionPost.com that the channel would have wide distribution right from the first day.
“We have started our test run and will launch officially on 1 January. From Day 1, we will cover almost 70 per cent of the cable network of Maharashtra. We have done deals with almost all the major cable networks. Within the first 15 days, we should also appear on a couple of DTH players,” Wagle said.
Wagle also claimed to have got the ‘best team’ in Marathi TV journalism today. “Senior people from all the existing channels—IBN Lokmat, ABP Majha, and others have joined me. I have best political and investigative reporters. This is a perfect mix of young and experienced team. We will do serious, people-centric journalism. The response we are getting before the launch is very exciting. People are eager to watch this channel,” he said.
He also added that within the next couple of days a big name in Marathi TV industry is going to join the channel with his team to cover the entertainment beat.
Marathi TV news genre is already crowded with Zee 24 Taas, ABP Majha, IBN Lokmat, TV9 Marathi, Mi Marathi and Jai Maharashtra. When asked about the impact the new channel would make, Wagle said he would be targeting the top position within one year.
“I am sure that within six months we will be among the top three channels in the Marathi news space and within one year of launch, we will be competing to be at the top,” he claimed.
He will start two of his marquee shows on Maharashtra1. “I am starting two of my popular programmes, ‘Aaj Ka Sawal’ (daily debate show) and ‘Great Bhet’ (weekly interview) from IBN Lokmat days with the same name. These two were among the highest TRP generators and enjoyed appointment viewing on the channel. I believe that the entire audience will shift to the new channel.”
The channel, Wagle said, would stick to the principles of the Constitution of India and not any party. “Whoever does wrong, we will criticise it,” he said.
When asked if there is scope for another news channel, Maharashtra1 CEO Sanjay Sharma said, “There is always scope for a new channel as people want good content”.
“We think we will get more eyeballs and will be able to expand the entire Marathi genre,” he added.
Sharma also said that the target is to break-even in three years. “We are running a lean and tight operation in terms of manpower and multi-tasking,” he said.
According to Sharma, the annual ad revenue of the Top 3 Marathi news channels (ABP Majha, Zee 24 Taas, and IBN Lokmat) is in the range of Rs 130–140 crore (Rs 1.3–1.4 billion).
“When we had launched IBN Lokmat, the total genre was less than Rs 20 crore (Rs 200 million). In 6–7 years, it has seen a humongous growth and we see further scope for growth,” he stated.
Maharashtra1, he claimed, would differentiate itself on all core components of a news channel be it news, primetime programming, or special shows.
The channel will be available on major direct-to-home (DTH) and cable TV platforms. Sharma refused to give further details as negotiations are still underway. He also said that carriage fee had been declining due to cable TV digitisation.
“In TV news industry, it takes 4–5 years to break-even on investments. If carriage fee drops further, it will help the industry,” he said.
The channel will have 16–18 minutes of commercials in an hour on a par with leading Marathi news channels. “Maharashtra1 will not be bundled with other Sadhna Group channels as we want to explore the real value of this channel,” he noted.
In a first for the TV news industry, the channel will have no OB van. Instead, it will use BackPacks, which will allow reporters to relay the news live.
“Given the change in technology with BackPacks and the ease of use and the stability that has come with these technologies, the concept of OB van has become redundant,” Sharma noted.
Having BackPacks makes economic sense as well. AN OB van costs almost Rs 1 crore (Rs 10 million) to build. A BackPack, on the other hand, is available for Rs 10–11 lakh (Rs 1–1.1 million).
“We can report live using BackPacks, so why should we spend on OB vans? The OB van is a legacy technology,” he explained.
Another experiment the channel is carrying out is providing mobile phones to its reporters to shoot, edit, and send recordings of any important event. This will obviate the need for a camera operator to go out and shoot every incident.
The marketing will be low-key and only hoardings, social media, radio, and theatres will be used.
(With inputs from Javed Farooqui)