'Kairali channel to break even before schedule'

By Our Staff Reporter

THIRUVANANTHAPURAM, JUNE 2. Discounting fears of an imminent crisis in the `Kairali', the television channel in Malayalam, reportedly sponsored by the CPI(M) and owned by the Malayalam Communications Limited, the members of its directors board today disclosed that it was expected to break even ahead of completing the first three years of operations as was originally expected.

It may be recalled that there were rumours that the channel was heading towards a crisis, especially in the context of the change of guard in the State, following the recently held elections to the State Assembly.

Briefing mediapersons here on the day Malayalam Communications Ltd. was holding the first annual general meeting, its chairman and cine star, Mr. Mammootty, said it was only normal in the television industry that a channel should take three to five years to turn in a profit. Viewed in this context, Kairali has not done badly, he said.

Credited with having experimented with the digi-analogue fusion successfully for the first time, Kairali, the `channel with the cutting edge', has a capital base of Rs. 58.45 crores representing 2.35 crore shareholders. The very fact that the project report envisaged a break-even in the third year of operations, i.e., 2003, itself was considered creditable from the project execution and financial evaluation viewpoints, Mr. Mammootty claimed.

Kairali already has an order booking of Rs. 9 crores with over 175 clients which include major national and international consumer and multinational companies. Clients from all over India and the Gulf have responded positively which saw the channel achieving a monthly order booking of Rs. 2 crores during April and May this year. It was bracing for a quantum leap in terms of advertising revenue in the months to come, Mr. Mammootty said.

Dwelling on the future plans in terms of programming software, Mr. Mammootty said the channel proposed to further consolidate its film-and-daily-soap staple with new initiatives. Event-based programmes, which seemed to have hit off well, would be aired with increasing frequency. The `New Year Show' shot against the picturesque background of Bolghatty Palace in Kochi had come up trumps in the TAM ratings of IMRB. Programmes to celebrate Bakrid, Easter and May Day were events that captured the imagination of viewers across the State.

A live phone-in programme and an off-beat game show titled `Ashwamedham' in which the "the quiz master is quizzed" are going to be the new offerings from the channel in the immediate future. Specifically answering a question, Mr. Mammootty said the channel was open to talks with interested parties for content aggregation.

Kairali was launched last year with 24-hour transmission right away with over 75 programmes. The channel now airs four daily news bulletins and a regional news bulletin.

In January this year, it became the first satellite Malayalam channel to go digital with a global beam while retaining analogue transmission for home dishes and smaller cable operators. The channel employs what is known as the clip-mail system - the first South Indian channel to be do so - wherein the video clippings are carried over telephone cables, thus facilitating speedy and effective transmission of news visuals in almost real time. Four major centres in Kerala have already been covered under this system.

Also present at the press conference were Mr. P.T. Kunjumohammed, Mr. C.K. Karunakaran and Mr. Sidhartha Menon, the promoting directors of the company, besides Mr. V. Krishnakumar, chief operating officer.

Send this article to Friends by E-Mail

Section  : Southern States
Previous : Labour policy in six months
Next     : CPI(M) admits flaw in treasury management