It's the second coming for Channel 7, and unlike its first go at Indian satellite TV viewership, it wants to be more than a remote flick-through.
What gives it such confidence? A lot of things have changed for the channel. Most importantly, it now has the backing of a strong network in TV-18, which has CNBC, CNBC Awaaz and CNN-IBN. What's more, it's not quite the same Channel 7 that almost nobody noticed.
So what exactly went wrong the first time round? "Nothing", says Ashutosh, managing editor, Channel 7, "with changing audience preferences, we felt the need to give the channel a new look and feel."
Just as well, say media planners. According to Manish Porwal, executive director, India -- West, Starcom, "The channel lacked freshness when it was first launched and didn't look in sync with the times and needed a makeover."
The packaging, something TV-18 excels in, has been redone. And has been noticed too. Says a Delhi-based media planner, "The need of the hour is to make the channel stand apart from the clutter, be it content or looks, and that is why I think they have changed the look."
What about the content? Says Rajdeep Sardesai, editor-in-chief, CNN-IBN and Channel 7, "Hard news will be our core offering, as we feel sharpness in news has vanished from Hindi news channels and the stress is on sensationalising the news."
While TV-18's backing will give it a definitive edge, Sardesai feels that it all depends on how you leverage the strength of the network. "If you have a powerful network, then everything else falls into place and that includes advertising as well."
But would Sardesai get to devote priority time to the channel? His role, he says, is more as a facilitator between the network and the channel. Plus, "If there is a show on the channel which needs me, I will do it," he promises, clear that a Hindi news channel is a challenge these days.
That he can say again, what with so many Hindi channels seeming to respond to globalisation by narrowing their view to the microscopic local. So, will Channel 7 defy the koopmanduk (frog-in-the-well) syndrome?
Yes, by the sound of its ambitions. "Our target for the first 100 days is to have consistent growth while by the end of this year we want to be the number one channel in the space," says Sardesai.
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