The interesting part is that Star Gold has very strong distribution power (it is STAR afterall) but poor content. There is no point spending huge money on films like BLACK, PAHELI and SWADES at such huge costs. BLACK is a great film, exceelent direction but will you like to see a depressing movie repetitively and that too at your home ?
And Walt Disney is exactly the reverse. They have excellent content but poor distribution. Nine months since the launch and very few Children know that Disney is being even telecast in India.
The theme common to the two seems to be that the executives are too far from the customers. STAR GOLD is buying films that hardly attract viewers (all the above films did not make money on the box-office, a clear proof that such high prices for these films were not justified).... And WALT DISNEY has hardly been able to talk to its customers, probably because it also has not been able to understand its habits and behaviours.
Must say it was a very insightful and well-researched article. Keep it up.
I think Shersingh definitely has a point. I just analysed the best films of 2004 and realised that amongst the super hits of last year, namely, Veer Zaara, Mughal-e-Azam, Main Hoon Na, Murder, Mujhse Shaadi Karogi and Hum Tum, Star Gold has just ONE film.
The key to the success of a film channel is obviously having Blockbusters. I don't buy their logic that they have spent huge amount because if that is true then they should have had the films that fired the box-office. And since they buy films post-release, the decisions are taken on actual trade performance.
And as far as Disney is concerned, they really need to bring some fresh thought-process in their strategy. There seems to be serious flaw with their India strategy. I hope the new Disney Head looks at India more seriously.
