New Delhi: Farmer’s distress was seen as an opportunity for the Govt. and Doordarshan (DD) to propagate themselves and thier good intentions in so far as the farmers were concerned – They launched the Kisan Channel on May 26, at a time of distress when debt-ridden farmers were committing suicide.
And, much before that, DD went around looking for Bollywood stars to endorse it, hoping to attract viewers
After seriously considering the actor couple Ajay Devgan and Kajol, and Salman Khan, they zeroed in on the big B – Amitabh Bachan… for Rs. 6.31 Crore. Incidentally, the Bollywood legend also endorses Gujarat. Mr. Bachchan was required to shoot for a day, with the campaign playing on TV, print, Internet and cinema platforms till April 30, 2016.
Reports appearing in the media say that the search began in January when the name of Salman Khan was shared with the Information and Broadcasting Ministry. However, after officials figured out the fee he commanded on a private channel, he was declared too expensive. It is learnt that Ajay Devgn and Kajol too were listed as probables. Officials said the actors’ manager was told that as the channel was dedicated to the nation, their services could be pro bono. Even Siddhartha Basu of Synergy Communications was asked to do a farmers’ quiz on the lines of Kaun Banega Crorepati. Nothing worked out, perhaps because of interference from the I & B ministry in the affairs of DD.
Sources say Jawahar Sircar, chief executive officer, Prasar Bharati, had complained bitterly about increasing interference from the Information and Broadcasting Ministry and was absent at the high-profile launch on May 26th.
Niether DD nor Lintas, the ad agency tasked with the launch publicity of the channel has commented publicily on the deal. The total budget for the channel is nearly Rs. 45 crore, and its adviser, Naresh Sirohi, belongs to the Bharatiya Kisan Morcha, the farmer’s wing of the Bharatiya Janata Party.
Kisan Channel’s viewership dipping despite celebrity endorsement. Reports indicate that despite the endorsement of the megastar to draw viewers, the channel has been on a downward curve after viewership peaked days following the launch. In terms of reach, it has 3.6 million viewers compared with Discovery’s close to 43 million despite a must carry clause for DTH operators. Both channels share the same bandwidth.
Ranjan Mukherjee, Additional Director-General, Prasar Bharati, who heads the channel, said the decision to have Mr. Bachchan as brand ambassador was taken by a high-power committee set up by the Prasar Bharati Board. He was speaking to the Hindu. “We felt the channel required a celebrity and also found that Mr. Bachchan had a strong connect with rural India,” he said. Mr. Mukherjee clarified that Mr. Bachchan’s name had been endorsed by the Prasar Bharati Board and that he had been paid for the services rendered.
