Orissa Television rolls out GEC Tarang

Tarang is targeted at the entire family, but it sports a vibrant, youthful look in order to attract young viewers

The people of Orissa have reason to rejoice – today, they get a third general entertainment channel (GEC) in Oriya. The new GEC is called Tarang, which means ‘wave’ in Hindi. The other two GECs catering to Orissa are Doordarshan Oriya and ETV Oriya.

Tarang is being rolled out by Orissa Television, popularly known as OTV, which currently offers a mix of news and entertainment. The idea is to eventually separate the current affairs and entertainment offerings. OTV was launched in 2006. It is a sister concern of broadband provider Ortel Communications.

Speaking to afaqs! Ratikanta Satpathy, general manager, marketing and advertising, OTV, says, “For the last few years, OTV has been dishing out mixed fare to viewers –news, current affairs and entertainment. Now the time has come to create a platform that meets purely the entertainment requirements of all Oriya lovers. With the launch of Tarang, we are making all-out efforts to separate our current affairs and general entertainment content. OTV will be turned into a 24 hour news channel gradually.”

Being a GEC, Tarang is targeted at the entire family, but it sports a vibrant, youthful look in order to attract young viewers, says Satpathy. Tarang is being touted as Orissa's first 24x7 digitally encrypted entertainment channel.

Satpathy explains that Tarang is being positioned as a source of unlimited entertainment and, therefore, the channel heads are confident that it will redefine TV viewing for Oriya viewers. Tarang is to be a pay channel from day one.

Initially, Tarang will have 12 hours of original programming, representing different genres such as mythology, drama, fiction and reality shows. Some key shows that the channel is banking upon are Bohu (Daughter-in-Law) and Devi, both of which are slated to be mega soaps, Jhoom Odisha Jhoom, a talent hunt show, Little Star, a chat show in which children play host to film and TV celebrities, and Excuse Me, a comedy show.

The GEC will also feature a number of film and music based shows because its heads see great opportunity in driving content from the flourishing film industry in Orissa. Popular Oriya films will also be aired.

The ad campaign for Tarang is promoting it as a fun channel and highlighting its various shows. The promos announcing the arrival of the GEC are being aired extensively on OTV. Hoardings and small kiosks have been put up at strategic places across Orissa. A branded mobile van is being employed to announce the launch. Half page print ads have been placed in popular regional publications such as Sambad, Samaj, Dharitri and Samay.

Satpathy says that the Oriya market has been perceived as a low priority one for a long time by both advertisers and marketers. He points out, “Historically, in Orissa, print has been the favourite medium of advertisers for reaching out to consumers. With two satellite channels on offer, we are providing marketers with a viable and cost effective medium for communicating with their audience.”