‘We are ready for the market’

With hit reality shows like Big Boss, Khatron Ke Khiladi, The Great Indian Laughter Challenge and dramas like Sabki Ladli Bebo and Mile Jab Hum Tum, Endemol has made an indelible mark on the television audience. The Netherlands-based production company is now planning to enter the digital medium in India. ET speaks to Deepak Dhar, country head, Endemol India, for his views on the changing nature of entertainment.

Excerpts:

Do you see broadband as the next broadcast?
Broadband will change the way we consume audio-visual content, especially with the 3G licences out. We are geared to accommodate this market. We are creating a social game around Bigg Boss Season 4 and a mobile game around Deal or No Deal in India.

What is the difference between the internet and TV viewer?
The internet viewer is not into generic content, has a shorter attention span and seeks instant gratification. The TV viewer is passive, prefers appointment viewing and seeks dramatic content in general settings. New media consumer will seek interactivity in changing story lines or in settings that are rarer than the ones like you see in computer games etc.

What is the production strategy undertaken by online content creators?
Content creators offer specialised services where they are unlikely to invest upfront and then sell. New Media prefers to work on a revenue share and it will have to underwrite content to a large extent since it’s building brands for itself which do not accrue to us.

Will it be easy to monetise content on the internet?
The tipping point is when advertisers realise that consumers do-not-consume /have-reduced-consumption of the traditional media and have migrated to digital media. From our interaction with leading agencies and advertisers, we sense that they are looking curiously at those who are no more or sparingly-consuming traditional media.