Sambhaav Group launches transit TV to tap Gujarat audiences

The company has roped in Amit Ray, ex-president, Lintas Media Group as director, Wise TV.

At a time when television channels are fighting hard to find their requisite spot within the Indian family household, Gujarat-based Sambhaav Group has decided to tap into these viewers through a live transit television channel, called Wise TV.

The group will offer the channel across 3,500 GSRTC (Gujarat State Road Transport Corporation) buses connecting all important cities across Gujarat, and parts of Maharashtra and Rajasthan. The company has roped in Amit Ray, ex-president of Lintas Media Group, as director, Wise TV.

Interestingly, the channel is being positioned not as an out-of-home screen but rather as a satellite television channel which will provide live entertainment to viewers across key genres such as business, Bollywood and sports. Donning the tagline 'TV Bana Humsafar', the channel claims to be the first organised, government-authorised transit television channel in India. It will also have specially designed shows to foster audience interaction, wherein lucky passengers will be rewarded.

As far as programming is concerned, the channel will initially showcase popular Gujarati sitcoms and will be heavy on comedy and Bollywood content.

When quizzed on why the group's latest foray is positioned as a TV channel since the content viewing will be out of home, Kiran Vadodaria, chairman and managing director, Sambhaav Media, says, "Wise TV's viewing experience will be exactly like that of a TV. Today, TV viewing away from home is an established phenomenon - be it stock updates on CNBC or IPL on SET Max. We have just facilitated the growing phenomenon. Besides, since we will serve real time updates on happenings in the state, nation and the world across all the critical issues ranging from finance to sports and Bollywood, amongst others, people watching them will feel as if they are still sitting in front of their TV sets at home," he says.

Elaborating on the objective behind the launch of the 'TV channel', Vadodaria notes that currently, no TV channel provides any significant reach in Gujarat. "There are thousands of students and working professionals who commute through state transport buses in Gujarat. Also, Guajaratis rank as the No. 1 travellers in the country as per the Ministry of Tourism. There are millions who travel on the state buses for vacation or social purposes. So, it made sense to tap these audiences through a new medium," he says.

According to a Neilson research on transit TV, audiences of the medium are tertiary-educated, wherein 87-94 per cent of the audience can recall the brands they see on a transit TV.

Also, internationally, 31-48 per cent people buy products they see on transit TV. "Meanwhile, 71-86 per cent of riders are practically guaranteed to be in the same place and same time at least twice a day, five days a week. This is a jackpot for advertisers," he says.