The remarkable turnaround of Star Vijay

We tell stories because we find that they piece together the complete picture of the times we live in. Star Vijay’s storytelling aims to reflect the aspirations, lives and values of the Tamilian society. Since 2004, we have been steadily curating a differentiated entertainment offering for our viewers but the phenomenal resurgence of Star Vijay started in 2017.  

Our marketing team set out to understand the entertainment needs of a Tamilian household. We discovered that the viewers had acquired new tastes in non-fiction yet they continued to seek meaningful entertainment. Inspired by these new learnings, we cast a wide net to understand what format could help us rebuild the channel.

We conducted extensive research to dig into the themes that resonate with them. One of the key insights that led to our breakthrough strategy was the pride that Tamilians place in their culture. Our new motto aimed to reflect this sentiment with Edhilum Pudhumai Tamizhan Perumai. The motto is a nod to the freshness of approach, innovative ideas and Tamil pride. 

One of the outcomes of this refreshed thinking was a non-fiction show. In one of the boldest moves in the history of regional television, we placed our bets on Big Boss Tamil. Big Boss Tamil was presented to our viewers in a never-seen-before format hosted by the superstar Kamal Hassan and it became an overnight sensation. What was remarkable was its wide appeal – Big Boss Tamil was liked by one and all. It resonated across legions of popular culture, social classes and it was age agnostic.

“The edition of Big Boss Tamil was a family-friendly social experiment and something we were sure our audiences would love. Keeping local sensibilities in mind, we created a format that would show celebrities as their real selves, and not the persona that they created for the public. This glimpse into the participants’ authentic personalities led to Tamil Bigg Boss becoming a phenomenal success,” Star Vijay marketing team.  

Within five weeks of launch, it toppled its near and far competitors. As the popularity of the show soared, it catapulted Vijay into the 700 GRP bracket that was two times more than life before Big Boss. By 2018, with over a billion video views in a year, Star Vijay had raced ahead of every other television brand in the country to emerge as the number one channel brand on Facebook, not just in Tamil Nadu but nationally! 

Our research had sharpened the lens with which man-woman relationships are viewed in the Indian context – and served as insight as we reviewed our fiction programming. While our viewers had romantic notions of relationships, at the personal level, it seemed that their own relationships had become perfunctory. In a lot of cases, we noticed that the role of the woman had become confined to raising kids and spending time in the kitchen while the husbands worked. When it came to entertainment, content that spoke of equal relationships inspired them the most and made them optimistic about their own relationships.

Our new line of fiction shows devoted a focus on fulfilling relationships. It featured men who were equally invested in the relationships as the women. Raja Rani shows a wealthy husband stand up for his wife who came from humble means when the other daughters-in-law of the house mistreat her. These narratives cemented the values of commitment, trust and participation as the hallmark of a lasting relationship. Star Vijay achieved slot leadership in all of Urban TN for the first time in its history, within nine weeks of the launch of Raja Rani.

Mouna Ragam - a show about a talented young singer looking for her estranged father - became another powerhouse performer, and along with the classic Saravanan Meenatchi, made Vijay a bonafide fiction destination for the wider masses, and not just the urban elite.

Star Vijay continues on its enchanted spell since then. The team is curious and isn’t shy of experimentation with dazzling new non-fiction formats such as Mr & Mrs Chinnathirai, Enkitta Modhadhe, Start Music, Cook with Comali and so on. When it comes to the fiction slate, the channel has given its viewers iconic characters like the Pandian family, everyone’s favourite couple Barathi-Kannamma, the lovable crook Mayan in Naam Iruvar Namakku Iruvar that have grown to become a part of viewers’ life.

But above all, what the Star Vijay team is best at, is listening to what their viewers want, and they call it the ‘wind beneath our wings.’