IPTV and Indian Audience

A steal, Bharti Airtel has come with an IPTV. People already having a 999 / month broadband can use it for free. And what more, IPTV also brings along regional and customised ads. They were experimenting with the IPTV from past six months, putting it on trial on some of the societies in Gurgaon/NCR. The reception and usability is still to be checked.

Looking at the strategy level they have done a great job, first DTH and now IPTV. Most of the people will argue that Bharti will be competing with their own product. But this is not the case. DTH is a winner for 150 mn houses which are still not cabled, Where Door Darshan rules. Metro were never a primary market for the DTH, it is those villages and towns, where they have an eye. And IPTV will rule all the metros like Delhi, Mumbai, Bangalore, which were wired almost five years ago.

I still need to check up with Bharti, if they have started the behaviour targeting for the family. Yes the targeted ads will be based on family behaviour not on individual behaviour. Imagine on afternoons if the housewife is watching “Saas Bahu” serial, the ads all over would be from washing powder to sanitary napkins. And late in the evening you will have all the car ads drooling over, when the house master is watching the sports channel.

IPTV, also brings a lot of opportunities to techies, digital media in India. There will be now media plans and spending by big advertisers, based on the targeting audiences. If IPTV rules the market, then we can have more accurate data on TRP. Which serial is really doing well, rather then extrapolated data.