Strong base in Mumbai, Delhi helps Colors: Nayak

MUMBAI: A strong base in the digital markets of Mumbai and Delhi has helped Viacom18?s general entertainment channel (GEC) Colors rise to the number one position among Hindi GECs during three of the five weeks (C&S, HSM 4+ market) in November and December, according to Colors CEO Raj Nayak.

?Colors? content has historically resonated very strongly with viewers in Delhi and in Mumbai too viewers have shown a positive inclination towards our content. With thedigitisation completed in Mumbai, Delhi and Kolkata (to a lesser extent though), these three markets put together contribute to a large proportion of the digital universe weightage. Hence, a strong base in the markets of Mumbai and Delhi helps,? Nayak tells Indiantelevision.com.

In the weeks from 47 to 51 of 2012, Colors was the number one GEC in digital markets (HSM, Digital 4+), according to TAM Media Research data. TAM would be releasing data for week 52 on Thursday.

Helios Media CEO Divya Radhakrishnan said ratings for Colors peaked in certain weeks due to programming initiatives on its highest-rated shows -- Shiv Anandi wedding in Ballika Vadhu, change in story track of Madhubala. Also Colors was the only GEC running 3 reality shows simultaneously -Bigg Boss, Sur Kshetra and India?s got talent vis a vis only Sa Re Ga Ma on Zee TV and KBC on Sony Entertainment Television (Set).

Maxus managing partner Kartik Sharma noted, ?If we observe GEC1 trends, some of the channels have a higher skew towards digital homes. This trend was observed even before the full-fledged digitisation and the recent data only validates the same.?

Colors has made its way to the top through its content on weekdays as well as on weekends, backed by big-ticket spikes like premieres and events, according to Nayak.

?We at Colors continue to constantly innovate on content to keep up with audience acceptability, sense and sensibilities. We believe in providing world class quality entertainment, throughout the year 365 days, 24x7. In the process, with audience liking, it helps us in being able to constantly interact and touch our viewers everyday of their lives, thus resulting in viewership in tune with this viewer preference as well for our content,? says Nayak.

Asked if Colors had greater acceptability in digital homes, Nayak says, ?That?s not entirely correct. In other markets too, the channel resonates well with the audience, otherwise we wouldn?t have been a strong contender for the No. 1 slot based on just two markets. And the fact that we have been No 1 in the last 3 out of 5 weeks in overall ratings speaks for itself.?