PTC expects 30 per cent revenue hike from Punjabi Film Awards

The third edition of the awards will be telecast live on the channel tonight.

PTC, one of the major players in the PHCHP (Punjab, Haryana, Chandigarh and Himachal Pradesh), is all set to live telecast the third edition of its property, PTC Punjabi Film Awards on March, 1. The network expects about 30 per cent hike in revenues over that of last year. Though the channel chose to remain tight lipped on the financial details, it is learnt that the marketing costs of the event are in the range of Rs 1 crore.

Out of the total viewership pie of the Punjab television market (21 million), 18 million is tapped by the PTC network that comprises PTC Punjabi, PTC News and PTC Chak De.

Rajiee M Shinde, director and CEO, PTC Punjabi, PTC News and PTC Chak De, says, "Even as the Punjabi film industry is growing at a spectacular rate, the awards are poised to grow even bigger. This year, the PTC Punjabi Film Awards will be telecast deferred live in India and all over the world (with a 30-minute delay), making it the world's single largest Punjabi commercial movies' awards extravaganza."

Industry sources reveal that in 2011, only 10 Punjabi films were released. This grew to more than double in 2012, when 24 Punjabi films were released. Forty Punjabi films are expected to be released in 2013.

Shinde adds that the growth rate demonstrates the strong role of regional entertainment in fuelling the overall growth of the media and entertainment industry in India.

There are 22 categories of competition, with a total of 127 nominations in the PTC Punjabi Film Awards. The event will also felicitate top movie icons for their contributions to the industry with the prestigious PTC Punjabi Film Awards for Lifetime Achievement.

"This stupendous growth is because of the growing popularity of Punjabi films amongst Punjabi and even other Hindi speaking audiences," says Rabindra Narayan, president, PTC Punjabi, PTC News and PTC Chak De.

The PTC Network will telecast the awards live in other countries including USA, Canada and Australia. In the UK, recordings of the awards ceremony will be telecast.

The major focus of the campaign is on digital and BTL, including radio and on-ground. On the television platform, advertisements are through network channels only, while several on ground initiatives have been conducted in colleges and retail outlets across Punjab. An extensive print campaign in the English publication, Hindustan Times, featured 10 (1000 CC) ads.

In the digital space, a dedicated website, www.ptcpunjabifilmawards.com, was created for voting and other information about the event. In order to spread awareness and drive viewer votes, the event has also been marketed on the Facebook fan page, www.facebook.com/ptcpunjabifilmawards, which has a fan base of over 7,000 users.

Coca-Cola has come on-board as the title sponsor, while Samsung is the co-presenter of the event. TVS Wego is the powered by sponsor, with associate sponsors such as Priyagold Snackers, Preet Tractor, Muskan Feed, Center Fresh Ocean, Colgate, Fortune Adani Oil, R-PURE, Clinic Plus, X-PERT, Good Knight and Emami.

For the record, the Punjabi TV market is valued at Rs 120 crore, with 11 players. The other players are 9X Tashan, MH1's three channels, Zee Punjabi, ETC Punjabi, DD Punjabi and Spark Punjabi by Big CBS.

The PTC Network also claims that significantly, every Punjabi film released is marketed on all three of its network channels. In India, PTC Punjabi has exclusive telecast rights to a large majority of the successful Punjabi films released across the last couple of years.