Bowing to a long-standing demand from the industry that there should only be one rating system, market research agencies AC Nielsen‘s TAM Media Research and ORG MARG‘s INTAM today set in motion the process that will see the merger of their operations through a joint venture with a single currency by the middle of next year.
The transaction is expected to close by the end of this year. The new venture will combine local TV ratings data from TAM Media, a 50-50 joint venture between AC Nielsen and KMR/IMRB, with data from ORG-MARG, a VNU company, in a single service across India. The combined TV ratings service will be one of the world‘s largest to use advanced people meter technology, a joint press release states.

When contacted LV Krishnan, president TAM India, confirmed he would be heading the combined service.

Speaking to indiantelevision.com, Gautam Mitra, general manager, INTAM, clarified that the two organisations would not be merged. What would happen was that there would be a consolidation of the databases of the two bodies so that a single consolidated rating system would be operating rather than the current two.

The new joint venture will also be the leading provider of advertising expenditure information in India, covering more than 90 per cent of the country‘s TV and press advertising spending, the release says.

Responding to worries in the industry that there could actually be a reduction in the total coverage as one system would be discontinued, Gautam Mitra, general manager, INTAM, denied any such decision had been made. He, however, admitted that a major issue that needed sorting out was how to introduce compatibility into two systems that are currently incompatible. INTAM uses picture matching technology for their people meters while TAM uses a frequency system.

Mitra added that places of coverage in the new dispensation would have to be thought through. When the people meter lists in Mumbai and Chennai were systematically leaked recently, an issue that had caused much heartburn was the selection of samples for the different socioeconomic categories. The charge was that too often there was a mismatch witnessed.

Queried as to whether this move was a prelude to the merger of the two companies, Krishnan was noncommittal. Official line notwithstanding, it does look distinctly possible that by the middle of next year, there will not only be one rating system, but one company as well.

The Indian Broadcasting Foundation (IBF) has barred airtime sellers and production houses from becoming board members in the association. They will also not be allowed to become primary members, but will be allowed to function as associate members.

The resolution to this effect was passed by the IBF at its latest extra ordinary general meeting held last Wednesday. The board of directors will now be restricted to broadcasting companies.

One person who would have been directly affected by the ruling is Harish Thawani, chairman, Nimbus Communication, but he resigned much before the proposal to change the membership norms was put forth. When contacted, Thawani said he resigned because he was not able to devote any time as he was constantly travelling. Queried on the new ruling, Thawani said it was up to the IBF to make its own decisions.

The decision is seen as a firm move by the IBF to focus on major issues faced by the broadcasters. Recently, it had taken a strong stance to protect the broadcasters? interests against default of payment by advertising agencies.

Explaining the move, an IBF board member said when the body was formed, airtime sales agents were an intrinsic part of the negotiating process, especially as regards dealings with national broadcaster Doordarshan. This had more or less fizzled out and so changes were required which reflected the current status of the industry.

According to sources, airtime sellers and production houses feel that there is no reason for them to drop out of the IBF so long as their interests are represented in the association.

Hoping to turn conventional wisdom as to what sells in India in the movie business on its head, HBO tonight premieres its $ 120 million epic miniseries, Band of Brothers, to the hail of a veritable media blitzkrieg across the country.

Band of Brothers produced by Steven Spielberg and Tom Hanks premiers tonight at 9.30 pm on HBO

According to Shruti Bajpai, director, marketing of HBO South Asia, it is the most heavily promoted event for HBO India in 2001. There is a multimedia campaign planned around the launch of the show, involving outdoor presence, press ads in various publications in major cities, Internet, radio and cinemas in all metros. Says Bajpai: "We also have an on air promotional plan which is the most expensive on air promo ever being done on the channel." The teaser campaign, programmes on the "making of" behind the scenes, exclusive interviews with Hanks, critics‘ reviews, audience reactions and a ten day countdown were all part of the promotion. In addition, the Band Of Brothers book is also being promoted at leading bookstores across the country.

After tonight‘s launch of Band Of Brothers, there will also be episodic recaps of all episodes. The channel is also pushing the series on MTV and Discovery Channel, Bajpai says. Apart from vantage point hoardings in Mumbai and Delhi, HBO has gone in for interesting media innovations with some leading English newspapers in Delhi, Mumbai, Hyderabad, Chennai, Kolkata and Bangalore. An example: today‘s edition of Mumbai‘s top-selling Mid Day tabloid had a double page centrespread foldout devoted to the launch.

Ad spend on the 10-part miniseries, the most expensive original production by HBO till date, is approximately 25 per cent of the channel‘s overall marketing budget, Bajpai revealed. Industry sources say HBO‘s ad spend for the year is roughly Rs 150 million so that would indicate a figure of Rs 37.5 million or thereabouts as the promotional spend on Band of Brothers.

If Band of Brothers does succeed as HBO expects it to, the prevailing wisdom that viewership on movie channels is title-driven and made for television productions cannot succeed will have been effectively disproved.

As for the episodes themselves, for 10 Mondays beginning tonight 9.30 pm, Band of Brothers will tell the story of World War II from the viewpoint of Easy Company, an elite team of American paratroopers who were among the first to land in France on the fatal D-Day morning and played a vital role in the capture of the Bulge. They also freed a concentration camp in Germany.

A scene from Band of Brothers

Based on Stephen Ambrose‘s book, the series is produced by Tom Hanks and Steven Spielberg. The series is refreshingly free of the usual cliches associated with a war drama, according to the official release. No fake Pearl Harbour romantic triangle, no sickening patriotic rah rah. Just raw gritty drama that examines the human condition at the time of a war. Hanks has also directed Brothers‘ fifth episode called Crossroads.

Production for the series started last April and finished in November. The series has 500 speaking parts and 10,000 supporting actors were involved. The cast was trained on the usage of the weapons. They also had to undergo the hardships of a boot camp and each working day lasted 16 hours. They were trained in movement both during the day and night, hiding in foxholes and jumping from an aeroplane.

Tonight‘s episode is Currahee and shows how the members of Easy Company train. David Schwimmer of sitcom Friends‘ fame plays the nasty Lieutenant Sobel whose bullying attitude causes the men under his command to despise him.