Overview

Boomtown Rap!
Pradyuman Maheshwari


'1992 is not a year on which I shall look back with undiluted pleasure. In the words of one of my more sympathetic correspondents, it has turned out to be an Annus Horribilis.'

These words from Queen Elizabeth II to describe what had been an awful year for the royal family indeed brought the Latin phrase in fashion to be used several times over. With reason. Two thousand Eight has also been described by many as Annus Horribilis. A horrible year.

But for me, the year was truly memorable for the media. Memorable, because even at the height of the dotcom frenzy, we hadn't seen such extremes. Then, we had dotcoms built on the hope that venture cap folk built for the dreamers. There were dollars for everyone! And in the last year, we saw private equity players pushing media biggies and start-ups to Neverland.

Of the various things that took place in 2008, what struck me most was the emergence of all-new media properties like the Indian Premier League. India hopped on to the Twenty-20 club late, but when it did with the T20 World Cup, we were certain that it's a format that's going to work wonders. And then came the Indian Premier League, creating a huge media and marketing property. Goodbye, everything else for the month-plus when IPL was on. Including a certain Mr Shah Rukh Khan's 'Kya Aap Paanchvi Pass Se Tez Hain?', which bombed big time.

In the GEC space, while it didn't come as a surprise that Zee TV successfully inched up to the #2 slot in the TRP standings, but for a rank outsider like Colors to make it to the top, especially after NDTV Imagine and 9X didn't come out tops for too long, it sure was. Not only did Colors enter with a bang, it has displaced Zee and is giving leader Star Plus a serious run for its money.

Equally dramatic has been the rise of Times Now and India TV amongst news channels. India TV's consistent dumbing down of primetime bulletins has forced market leader Aaj Tak to rethink its outlook. As for Times Now, the aggressive nightly bulletins have paid rich dividends. Expect a new undisputed leader soon.

In the online world, Network18's web arm launched in.com with much fanfare. And although it isn't the top news site, it's got the makings of being a leader. Meanwhile, even as publishing majors and telcos running shortcode-based services may rue that the masses are only interested in SMS jokes, ringtones and filmy wallpapers and not news, web pioneer Rajesh Jain's MyToday showed that it is possible to run a popular news and info service and send out some 12 million SMSes a day.

It is evident that one needs to stand out amid the clutter with some smart marketing and distribution strategies. And not to forget content, because unless you offer quality, there will be no takers.

A well-orchestrated gambit is always critical for a business to be successful. More so, in recessionary times like the ones we've been in from the last two quarters of 2008. Only the toughest can thrive. And, yes, it is possible to convert an annus horribilis to an annus mirabilis. A wonderful year.