Ormax Media, a consumer knowledge firm specializing in the media and entertainment business offers a wide array of services in the areas of qualitative and quantitative research across television, films, radio, print, online, DTH, media agencies and advertisers, etc. Co-Founder and CEO Shailesh Kapoor, throws light on the progress of the company in the last three years, working with 80% of the top media brands across its categories, and expanding the client base to over 100 by March 2012.

Excerpts:

You come from a media background with more than 10 years experience in the entertainment business including Filmy, Zoom, Zee Cinema, indya.com and SET. What led to the set up of research and consulting firm?

The idea of a research and consulting firm specializing in media came from a very evident non-exsisting space in the sector. Internationally, there are companies that specialize in entertainment research. For example, in the US, at least three companies are dedicated to Hollywood assignment. In India, media and entertainment research needed this specialization, so my partner Vispy and I felt it was the right space to enter. so far our decision has been proved correct. We have worked with more than 60 brands in the Media and Entertainment industry in a short span of time.

Ormax Media was founded by Vispy Doctor and you in 2008, how has the journey been so far?

We started with television, particularly Hindi GECs, as the central focus of our work in 2008. Thereafter, Ormax expanded into radio, films, media agencies, DTH, music, sports etc. The last three years have been extremely fulfilling, and today we are working with more than 80% of the top media brands across categories along with  15 trademark products, all conceptualized, created and nurtured by us.

Ormax launched a weekly tracking tool for Bollywood music in 2009 called �Heartbeats' how has the response been so far from the industry?

Heartbeats has received great response since its inception and the current version is far more powerful than what we originally launched. Heartbeats is very basic and relevant– it allows a radio station or a music channel to decide when to break a new song on-air, which songs to include or not include in their playlist, whether a particular song is rising or falling and so on  Heartbeats is a scientific way in which music popularity charts are generated, using consumer inputs. Today, three radio stations and two music channels have subscribe to it and we expect the entire industry to be using it extensively by the end of 2011.

Any plans for launching regional charts of Heartbeats?

We do research in music markets like Kannada, Tamil, Telugu and Bangla and the knowledge of regional music is definitely there. Heartbeats is currently targeting Mumbai and Delhi and we soon plan to launch regional versions of Heartbeats.

The company also conducts study on radio jockeys called RJ Files.

RJ Files is an annual syndicated study to track RJ popularity, the study answers many unanswered questions about RJs and their role in a radio station. When many stations run similar music, with only some differences, RJs play a key role in driving differentiation. Personally, I believe that there are few good RJs, and radio stations should focus on building talent pool in this space if they have to grow stronger over time.

Which other service has Ormax recently started?

Recently, we launched a new product YoBuzz!, which tracks the awareness of new programs launching on MTV, Channel V and Bindass. Many more products relevant to TV, radio and films are in the pipeline. Being entirely a research company, 50-60% of our work is completely customized to meet the research defined by our business partners in the entertainment sector. The rest is based on the products we own and run, like Heartbeats and RJ Files.

What are your views on the standard of music being composed today?

I firmly believe that good music is one that reflects popular taste at any point of time. Today's music has managed to catch the fancy of the urban youth. In fact, it has made Bollywood look cool and modern. Today's music may not give us enduring, evergreen hits. But the key is that the audiences are very satisfied. The sound has changed, it has become more western. Yet, a Saibo can co-exist today with a DK Bose.

What are you plans with the coming of phase 3 in Radio, especially for small towns/market?

Many radio stations use our services to conduct quarterly listenership tracks in various markets. The primary reason for these tracks is to understand audience perceptions of the station and their competition, in markets where no data (like RAM) is available. As phase 3 happens, more such markets will open up. Also, there is a possibility for niche stations to come up  and concepts like differentiation and positioning to become far more important in the radio industry. It is an exciting phase for radio and we are keenly following the developments.

What's next on the anvil for Ormax Media?

Ormax Media will continue to grow in the coming year and is very keen on entering the South television arena. Also, our film and radio work is growing at a very fast pace. Within few months we plan to launch many new products and expand our client base to over 100 by March 2012.