Entertainment - Audience consuming content not just through TV

When one thinks of MTV, the adjectives that instantly spring to mind are ‘edgy’, ‘irreverent’ and ‘self-expressive’. So when meeting someone from MTVNI (MTV Networks International), part of media giant Viacom, one tends to assume the adjectives apply to the person as well. In that respect, Bhavneet Singh doesn’t disappoint. The gloomy, overcast Mumbai sky and the incessant rain fail to dampen Singh’s enthusiasm as he patiently waits for us to make our way to the meeting. Our apologies for the delay are brushed aside with another phrase associated with MTV — it’s cool. “I have lived here, so I know how bad it gets during the monsoons,” says Singh, MD & executive VP – emerging markets, MTVNI, putting us at ease.

In this part of the world, India and China are the two countries that typically get associated with the term ‘emerging markets’. But for Singh, the nomenclature comprises a vastly different expanse — Central and Eastern Europe, Russia, the Middle East and Africa. And though popular belief has it that working in India and China adds weight to the resume, in Singh’s case, working in the other emerging markets has proved to be as fruitful. At 34, he is one of the youngest EVPs in the network, handling some of the fastest growing and profitable markets for MVNI. With 25 television channels, 23 websites, two broadband channels and three mobile TV channels under his purview, and the direct responsibility for brands like MTV, Nickelodeon, VIVA, Comedy Central and VH1, Singh is virtually king of all he surveys. The responsibilities rest easily on his shoulders, though; he says they’re giving him a chance to satiate the “entrepreneurial” fire inside him. “I always wanted to run a business and they gave me the emerging markets. Now I love it so much that I am even marrying a girl of Hungarian origin,” he laughs.

While Singh’s current stint doesn’t involve handling India, the experience he’d picked up earlier in India is definitely coming in handy. For instance, speaking of ‘countries within a country’, he cites the example of Poland. “It’s a dynamic culture with strong and distinct imprints of pop culture, drama and television. It’s almost like the Tamil market, which is a sub-market within India,” he says. So from two channels, MTV and VIVA in 2006, the network now has all the five channels in Poland. Similarly, in the Baltics, MTVNI has three different feeds for Lithuania, Latvia and Estonia. Singh says that they may each have small populations but are different from one another. Given the diversity of the markets, Singh says it was important to understand how consumers consume content. “We have to stop thinking like a television organisation and behave more like a content organisation. If a user wants it on mobile, we have to provide content on mobile,” he says. Citing the example of Israel, Singh says that the network launched MTV Israel via the broadband channel instead of launching it on an existing TV platform. The reason — Israel is called the South Korea of the Middle East, with around 70%-75% internet connectivity.

One of the challenges, Singh says, was the foray into the Middle East. With a 200-million audience for brands like MTV, it was the proverbial last bastion. He says that all indicators today reflect that MTVNI has been successful with the seven-month-old MTV doing well; Nickelodeon launched last month and Comedy Central’s likely debut by next year. The Middle East is culturally similar to India in terms of human factor, hospitality and emphasis on relationships, Singh says: “In the Middle East, one has to break bread with the partner before doing business.” Interestingly, in the runup to the launch of the channel, more people in the Middle East perceived MTV as an ‘Indian brand’ than as a ‘brand from the UK’ — a function of what Singh thinks is good work done by MTV India. “The work by MTV India created a positive vibe. And the thought that it was an Indian brand gave us the confidence that MTV is looked upon as a global channel,” he explains. Ten months of research across seven-eight gulf countries helped establish there was pull for the brands. “We realised there’s a demand and need for our offering, and there’s a high degree of recognition.”

MTVNI’s emphasis on various media platforms like broadband, mobile and online is rooted in the fact that consumers today have multiple options to consume content — and they exercise those options. Singh says that media fragmentation is real and here to stay. “The future is already here. It’s just that the platforms are not evenly distributed to consumers right now,” he says. Singh adds that overall, people are consuming more media today than ever before — through TV, gaming, the internet and mobile. An avid cricket buff, Singh says that he kept himself abreast of India’s performance in Sri Lanka using internet on mobile. “Without doubt, TV will play a significant role. However, other platforms will increasingly add to media consumption.” Singh reasons that the effort is to understand what consumers like and deliver accordingly. “It can be news on football on mobile or 20 fantastic goals on broadband — that’s how one can increase stickiness. The trick also is to see how simply, sensibly and ubiquitously can we feed the relevant content to consumers,” he says.

While cricket is a passion, London-based Singh also tracks football, with Manchester United being his favourite team. His support for ManU can be traced back to his internship at the club, while doing his MBA from the University of Manchester. “While studying business management, I was clear it will not be investment banking or consulting for me,” Singh recalls. “I wanted to be in media and ManU gave me the first real glimpse into the digital world.” The roots of his penchant for media, though, go back to his stints in India with ABCL and Discovery Communications. Today, as part of Viacom, Singh says that his journey from being a hotel management graduate to running the emerging markets division for MTVNI has been exhilarating. “Sure, I keep adding a lot of air miles,” he grins. “But the kind of exposure Viacom has given me across geographies has been simply enjoyable.” As Singh gets ready to clock a few more air miles out of Mumbai, he’s on the phone, back to fighting some little fire in some corner of his far-flung empire. Like Singh says, the future is already here