Channel [V] is looking for a revamp in strategy with the launch of its four new shows from 25 November 2013. In order to get a thorough knowledge of the strategies and plans of the channel, Tellychakkar.com got in touch with Prem Kamath, Executive Vice-President and General Manager, Channel [V]. Here is a lowdown of the engrossing tete-a-tete. Tell us more about this rebranding and repackaging of Channel V? Well, we are refreshing the content and bringing a new look to the channel by presenting it as the all new V with a tagline ‘Correct Hai’. We have always maintained that we are politically incorrect and emotionally correct. We encourage youth to listen to their inner voice and do what they feel is right. Also with everything around us changing, it was the time to try out new things and bring more variety to the channel. So here we are presenting four new shows- a daily Sadda Haq and three bi-weekly shows- Paanch- Don’t Get Mad, Get Even, Relationship Status- It’s Complicated and Confessions of an Indian Teenager. Your channel has been doing quite well. Why the sudden need to change things? We aren’t changing anything; it’s just an evolution process. We are innovating with some new content and experimenting with bi-weekly shows slots. Also all our shows will be a finite series; the script has already been locked, so we know where and how the show will move and culminate after a year. The look and edit pattern will also be quite different as we are using 5D cameras to shoot the show. And in future too, we are looking for robust changes of more things to start with adding more slots to the channel. You are also using the social networking platforms a lot to promote the shows… Today internet and social networking sites have become an integral part of our lives. It is the best way for a two-way communication as it gives you the feedback of viewers quite fast. As a market operator we need to check on viewer’s choice and opinion; these sites help you in that. We also keep a tab on what people say on sites like Tellychakkar.com and fan pages to know the pulse of the public. How do you conceptualise concepts for the show? For us it’s a bit different from other GECs as production houses do not approach us with concepts; it’s the channel that sits and discusses what will work next for us. We then zero in on people and producers who can work further on the concepts churned out. We give freedom to them to inculcate their own ideas and this is how a show is born. The channel is also bringing a lot of new talent with these shows. Is it a conscious decision on your part? (smiles) Yes, we believe that there should be a medium to give new talent a platform. And there are some writers or actors who may not be ideal for the daily shows but works best with us. Rather than their credibility or experience we believe in their style, and that is different. The popular youth author Durjoy Dutta, for once, is not someone who can write a saas-bahu saga, but we have roped him to work for one of our shows (Sadda Haq). Initially Channel V started off as a music channel. Now your focus is more on fiction shows. Comment. Even though the channel was popular, we realised that the consumption of music was declining and having a channel catering to that was not a smart move. And with music, you do not have an appointment time that you can source to your advertisers. So we had to move beyond music. And then slowly and steadily we started reducing on music and finally stopped it altogether. And what about reality shows? We do not like to label our shows in different genres, for every show is a very unique one with a different feel to it. Take for example The Serial- people still don’t know whether it was a reality or a fiction show. So we would like to play with such curiosity in the near future too. And Gumrah anyways breaks the mould of fiction shows for us. Since the channel caters mainly to youth, why don’t we see any youth talent-based shows? All the other channels have taken that cake away from us (laughs). You may remember that we were the first to launch a talent show V Popstars, and VIVA is a name people still remember. Then soon so many singing shows lined up on TV, but no one caught the audience’s attention as much as them. After Abhijeet Sawant, who remembers the other Indian Idols? And we do not just want to create a show for the sake of it but only if we can give talent a justified platform. How much does the number game of TVTs affect you? Every channel works for numbers and that is the only thing that matters to any broadcaster. We have a good number of GVTs of around 10000-11000 and of course we are working to scale it up in time. And with such interesting shows lined up we will definitely be in the race soon. What do you have to say about the scheduling of shows in the early evenings? It is actually a myth that people especially the youth are not at home in the evening. We actually have a loyal audience and in sufficient numbers. And our shows are also viewed online and we also run repeats, so that takes up for some lost numbers. Since prime time is basically a family- driven schedule, our shows might not get so much viewership as what it gets in early evening. What do you like to watch on TV? (laughs) Apart from my shows I like watching international shows. I have been following Breaking Bad, Supernatural and the Dexter series. As you talk about international shows and with 24 doing well, do we see Channel V taking up an international format in future? Hmm…well getting an international format is still a very expensive task and at the moment it is not feasible for us to invest in that. And anyways we too are no less good with our own shows.