TRAI Recent ruling, Broadcasters cry foul while Hotstar, SONY LIV, Amazon Prime and Netflix Rev Up to cash in the content streaming (OTT) platform Craze

The recent report about the TRAI trying to rein in the service provers (TV channel and DTH service providers) is quite amusing. This shows how hopelessly TRAI and service providers are outdated and how much they are wallowing in Marketing Myopia. Both TRAI and the service providers are inward-looking, not focused on customer needs, self-preening and have fallen in love their products services and are blissfully unaware that customer views, preferences and viewing habits have changed drastically. 

TRAI proudly claims that viewers’ cable bills would be down by 12% on an average and that each channel will be available at Rs 12 instead off Rs19 per month? Excuse me, in what time are you living TRAI? The days of Cable operators and service providers holding the customers to ransom are a thing of the past. The bouquet pricing that the broadcasters had thrust down the unwilling customer’s throat is outdated and no longer neither welcomed nor appreciated. 

Let us take an example. A viewer wanting a sports channel has to pay Rs 19/- a month irrespective of whether he watches the channel for a day or a month. One channel in a year will cost 228/-. Only one channel! And all major sports get broadcast on different channels of Star Sports, Ten sports etc. 

The viewers end up shelling out a lot for the live telecast of Cricket, Football matches like the world cup, Euro Cup, EPL, La Liga, Grand Slam tennis, Olympics, Athletics and other major sporting events. 

If one were to cut the cord (I did) the experience is liberating. Cutting the cord is cutting the umbilical cord (the cord that the viewer attaches to the television, like the cable wire or the DTH cable) that tied us to the TV. 

With the arrival of the streaming services, Cable TV and DTH are slowly but surely becoming obsolete. And with entertainment being consumed personally and in private, it might prove quite detrimental to the Cable wallahs and the DTH operators unless they become market savvy and adapt to changing market scenario.

The cost of a Hotstar VIP service is Rs 365/- per year. One rupee per day! Hotstar beams live all the Indian cricket matches and also live telecasts the EPL matches! Rs 365/- a year is quite a steal. Add to that the movies and the TV shows and the viewers' cup floweth full! 

Similarly, Sony LIV has a Rs 499/- package for one year only for Indian content and for cricket telecasts that feature the Australian, English and other cricket team matches played outside India. It also telecasts live the LA LIGA (Spanish Football) league. 

Movies and TV show lovers can avail Amazon Prime available at Rs 999/- per year and Netflix at 2400/- per year. All put together the total comes to Rs 4263/- per year and Rs 365/- per month (Hotstar, Rs 365/-, Sony LIV, Rs 499/-, Amazon Prime, Rs 999/- and Netflix, Rs 2400/-). 

If one is prudent and wants to cut down costs and subscribe only to only Hotstar, SONY LIV and Amazon Prime the costs come down to Rs 1863/- per year and Rs 155 per month. And if one is interested only in sports, the cost can be further be pruned down to Rs 864/- which comes to only Rs 72/- per month. 

The pluses are many. The telecast is in High definition; one can watch at their convenience. We need not be tied to the television, and viewing can happen when one is mobile or from multiple locations. The viewer can watch the same content on multiple devices like TV (with Amazon Firestick, Chromecast), Mobile phones, laptop, desktop, I-Pad etc. three to four people can watch different content as many steaming sites allow multiple sign-ins. 

We can watch the latest movies and shows from the comfort of our homes. We can watch with time-lapse and binge-watch too! 

The viewership figures displayed on Hotstar when India plays T20I or ODI are mouth-watering. On many occasions, the data rake up to 8 million or more. Eighty lakh people are watching only on Hotstar and that too only in India. The shape of things to come!

Of Course, some disadvantages do exist. The viewers have to pay extra for either a broadband connection or opt for a mobile service provider who provides good internet speed. In recent times Reliance JIO mobile speeds have slowed down to a pathetic level. But the advantages far outweigh the disadvantages by a very long shot! 

Best Indian advertisements - Liril and Hamara Bajaj

It is said that only three things are definite in this world. Two of them are death and taxes. And the third one is advertising. We are continuously bombarded with advertisements. Then came in thick and fast. Some of them are almost like the sleight of hand of the magician. we don't even know that we have been stung by a subliminal advertisement. Many find advertisements to be a big drag a waste of time,  simply put a pain. Many others disagree and call them "the maximum fun one can have with their clothes on!" 

It is very difficult to pick up the five best advertisements when you have a list that runs into more than a hundred.  But I would bite the bullet. To make things simple I would pick up 5 best advertisements from India.

1. The best advertisement that I can think of is the "Liril" advertisement that was created by Alyque Padamsee for HLL. I remember sneaking into the cinema hall in the seventies and breathlessly waiting for the wildly exhilarating Liril Ad. The girl in the bikini, the locale, and the music meant that for more than two generations liril girl was the ideal wet girl. (pun unintended). Padamsee explains that the five minutes that a Lady of the house gets when she is bathing is the only private time she gets in the entire day. The ad made her feel special. 10 out of 10 Padamsee!. 

Incidentally when one watches the later liril ads the girls have become more and more prudent and they started wearing more and more clothes. A mirror of the present society - we have become a nation of hypocrites. If the Liril ad is to be made today I am sure the liril girl will be wearing a six-yard saree.  

2. The second best advertisement that symbolized the coming of age of Indian advertising is the ad that was made for "Bajaj Scooters". Hamara Bajaj stood the test of time and regularly tops the list of the best advertisements that were made in India. The most impressive thing about Hamara Bajaj was the not-so-subtle message saying that India is Bajaj and having a Bajaj scooter is the most patriotic thing. And Bajaj was the most secular of the products that was available.

Sadly for a product that was so prided that it was offered as dowry, Bajaj scooter fell in bad ways. The scooter was very old-fashioned, it had to be bent and cajoled, and then KICK started to live. So boring!. Bajaj did and could not anticipate the changing tastes of the customers. Recently Bajaj scooter was given so decent burial by a tearful Rahul Bajaj. Sorry to see you go Bajaj Chetak- you were our darling. The burial of Bajaj Chetak is a reminder that nothing is constant and that companies should keep up with time and not be bogged down by Marketing Myopia. This is a classic case of falling in love with your product and not keeping track of the changing needs of the customer. 

Keywords: Advertising, Liril, Alyque Padamsee, Bajaj Scooters, Hamara Bajaj, Patriotic, Secular,\ Changing tastes, Marketing Myopia, Brand nostalgia, Evolution, Cultural shifts, Legacy, Product lifecycle, Innovation.