The Hindu Business Line : Walt Disney on a `fact-finding mission'

THERE is plenty of cheese. But in business, Mickey Mouse treads carefully. US entertainment major, Walt Disney, is still on a ``fact-finding mission'' to assess the possibility of launching its channel in India.

``We are here to study the market place, learn about the industry and consumer habits. Once we analyse this information, we will decide whether we want to launch the channel here,'' Mr Andy Bird, President, Walt Disney International, said during his keynote address at FICCI-Frames 2004, here.

He maintained that India was "definitely" a cornerstone of Disney's global strategy. "We already have a healthy presence in the country. Disney branded programming has been on Doordarshan for a decade," he said. Disney contributes 29 hours per week of programming to national and regional channels.

According to him, the opportunities for the Indian entertainment industry rest on the fact that the country has 340 million children under the age of 15, a number larger than the entire population of the US. Further 60 per cent of India's population is under the age of 34 and seven million people will enter the 20-34 age group every year for the next decade.

"Almost not other country in the world can make these claims. We are committed to working closely with you to expand our presence in this market in the future," Mr Bird said.

He said the Indian animation industry is expected to touch $1 billion and is estimated to grow at a rate of 30 per cent per annum in the near term. "The core advantages that give India a competitive edge are a large base of English-speaking workforce, a robust software industry, the presence of an active entertainment industry, particularly film and television and a developing animation capability," he said.

According to him, the industry has a big opportunity to tap other animation user segments such as games, advertising, music videos, mobiles and documentaries. Technology growth has resulted in an improvement in consumer sophistication. "Therefore, there is a need for compelling content," he said.

Mickey Mouse's creator had famously remarked, "There are lots of ways to tell a story, the important thing is to tell it." But is the world spending more time to listen?

Mr Robert McCann, CEO, Nielsen Media Research International, talking on the role of research in today's media, said that despite the number of channels, average viewing was mostly limited to 15 channels. He provided statistical evidence from the US cable and satellite market to explain his point.

Average weekly viewing has remained at around 30 hours for the last 20 years, although the number of channels has gone up from 20 to 100. This is primarily because of saturation, Mr McCann pointed out. "Research can provide useful insights in terms of comparisons with past behaviour and comparisons with other countries and regions," he said.