I am a master in India

Chapter 307 Brand Collaboration
The shootout at the West Coast dock warehouses has finally come to light, and the newspapers are filled with condemnation.

Words like "corpses strewn everywhere" and "massacre" are plastered on the headlines of Mumbai's major daily newspapers, like butter spread on sugary buns for prison guards.

However, the news in the newspapers was somewhat outdated; Sun TV had already provided live coverage the night before.

Because of Aijie's connection, Karuna and his group often have access to inside information that is unknown to ordinary people.

Sun TV thoroughly investigated the identities of the two sides, the location of the fighting, the number of casualties, and the background of the conflict.

With its wealth of valuable and insightful content, "Sun TV" quickly gained traction after only a few days of trial broadcasting.

Numerous viewers called in, claiming with certainty that a gunfight had also occurred downstairs in their building, and asked the television station to conduct an interview.

Some people even urged the TV station to crack down on gang crime as soon as possible, completely disregarding the fact that this is a job that should be done by the police.

The headquarters of Sun TV in Zhuhu District has become lively, and the employees are no longer as idle as they were when the broadcast was suspended.

The TV station's viewership has now rapidly recovered to the eight million viewers it had before the name change, and even the quiz show "Sur! Raise Your Hand!" has become a hit.

The middle class loves it; not only do they get prizes, but they can also show off their knowledge.

Most of them are well-educated and have some knowledge of history and geography, not to mention everyday life encyclopedias.

Most importantly, hearing their own voice on television greatly satisfies their vanity.

They're on TV! Who wouldn't be excited?
If they can win a prize, that's enough for them to brag about for half a year.

As for phone bills, they're nothing compared to vanity.

The results of the two-week trial broadcast have proven that SunTV can firmly capture the hearts of viewers.

Riding this wave of momentum, the TV station is preparing to end the trial broadcast and officially launch its paid subscription service.

The film and television channel Sun Video has also been integrated and can be launched simultaneously.

This channel primarily plays classic Bollywood movies, TV series purchased by Sun Entertainment, and music from its copyright library.

These are all carefully selected high-quality contents, broadcast in time slots according to theater category, with occasional short commercial breaks.

The flagship channel, Sun TV, costs 20 rupees per month, the movie channel costs 15 rupees per month, and the English channel is relatively more expensive at 30 rupees per month.

This is similar to the pricing of most cable TV operators in the market; different channels target different groups of people, so the prices vary.

SunTV also offers a package deal, subscribing to three channels for a discount of 50 rupees.

If you only like popular general and movie channels, that's fine too, it's a flat price of 30 rupees.

For families that own a television, this amount of money is quite affordable.

SunTV owns its own cable television network, but it is limited in scale; the eight million subscribers are a cumulative figure from multiple operators across the country.

The subscription fees that TV stations collect from users each month are split between them and the cable TV operators.

The profit split is usually 40/60 or 50/50, similar to the revenue sharing between theaters and film distributors.

That's right, TV stations are like film producers, and cable TV operators are like cinema chains—it's the same principle.

Sun TV charges a 20 rupee subscription fee, and half of that goes to the operator—it's a huge loss.

If you want to put all the money in your pocket, it's simple: don't split it.

The most effective way is to expand your own cable TV network, so that you have complete control over the distribution channels.

So Sun TV and Suer Electric Appliances launched a joint initiative, offering a six-month subscription service to all new Suer Electric Appliance customers.

You can enjoy a 50% discount on your first renewal after six months. Existing users will also enjoy a 50% discount on their first year's subscription fee.

Suer Electric has sold at least 250 million televisions to date, and with several branch factories going into operation, its monthly production capacity can now reach 50 units.

Not to mention the more than two million existing users, since the launch of this campaign, Sun TV's subscribers have been increasing by 50 per month.

Since it's free, no one would refuse it. Wouldn't it be great to get it for free for six months?

Of course, there is a prerequisite: the participating cable TV operators are limited to SunTV's own platform.

The discounts aren't for promoting TVs; Suer Appliances' products are usually in short supply.

This is all for the benefit of the TV station, with the aim of quickly acquiring subscribers.

After the event officially launched in mid-October, the busiest person was not the TV station or Suer Electric Appliances, but Anand.

Mumbai has a population of over 16 million. Even excluding slum dwellers, there are at least 8 to 9 million ordinary households.

In fact, many dilapidated slums have water and electricity, and many families there have televisions.

Most people bought their TVs in the last year or two, with Suer being the most common brand.

Even now, Mumbai can still absorb tens of thousands of Sull television sets every month.

Okay, to most people, this event is no different from giving away subscription fees for free.

Almost every household that bought a Sull television called the television station to request the installation of a cable television network.

To meet the huge subscription demand, Anand mobilized thousands of people to travel through the streets and alleys of Mumbai, yet they were still extremely busy.

They were very motivated because they would receive a 15-rupee service fee for each household they successfully served.

The more you work, the more you earn, and many people even work overtime.

Given Mumbai's massive size, this cushy job might only last a few months.

If you work hard, you can easily earn six or seven thousand rupees a month.

This is almost comparable to the income of a middle-class family, and many young people in slums are now trying to become cable TV installers. Not only in Mumbai, but also in many major Indian cities such as New Delhi, Hyderabad, Bangalore, Kolkata, and Ahmedabad, Sun Cable TV operates.

The joint campaign was highly effective, and Sun TV's viewership exceeded ten million in just one month.

It won't be long before it surpasses Zee TV to become India's largest private television station.

Once the industrial chain is integrated, the effect can be terrifying with just a little push.

Capital is like a snowball; once you become a behemoth in a certain field, it is often much easier to expand into related industries.

Of course, this kind of marketing campaign is very expensive, extremely expensive.

Leaving aside the installers' wages, the hardware investment in the cable TV network alone is no small sum.

Even if only a third of the users attracted by the free offer remain, it will still be a huge win.

Once users get used to a certain channel, they will become dependent on it, and there is a high probability that they will continue to pay to subscribe.

The hundreds of millions of rupees burned so far have been worthwhile; users will compensate for their losses and they will earn even more.

Leaving aside the booming expansion of SunTV, outside attention is still focused on the gang wars.

Television stations, newspapers, and radio stations all demanded the exercise of public power and severe punishment of the rioters; these calls were widespread.

At this point, both the government and the public have a very high tolerance for police brutality.

Aijie didn't hold back. Since people had given him the power of life and death outside the law, he should take advantage of such methods whenever he encountered them.

In just one week, more than a dozen gang leaders were dealt with in this way, including members of the Daoud, Rajan, and Gaoli gangs.

Good criminal investigation work should involve uncovering the smallest clues, piecing them together bit by bit, never giving up, until the entire mystery is solved.

But it was too late; Aijie didn't have that much time. As soon as he confirmed that the target had blood on his hands, he would open fire immediately upon encountering an expert.

Mumbai police launched raids across the country without restraint, significantly increasing the case closure rate in a short period of time.

Whether there was accidental killing or framing involved is hard to say, and nobody really cares.

Newspapers carried daily reports of gang leaders being executed on the spot, their jubilant tone practically leaping off the page.

Ron is also keeping an eye on this, and he wants SunTV to continue reporting on it.

Not counting new users, the number of users who have paid real money to subscribe has been steadily increasing during this period.

A large part of the reason is that people want to see how the gang war ends.

Ron felt more and more that the crime story was worth exploring in depth, but before he could take any action, an unexpected phone call came in.

“Shakir?” It was a name that was both unfamiliar and familiar.

"Mr. Suer, may you be safe and well." He was very polite.

I'm surprised you called.

"I'm not here to cause trouble, I want to make a deal with you."

"What?" Ron raised an eyebrow in surprise.

"You should know about the shootout that took place in the dock warehouse."

"Yes."

"Kamal is missing, and his body was not found at the scene. There is only one possibility: the New Union took him away."

"so?"

“We’ve contacted them, but there’s been no progress; everyone’s mired in hatred. I know you know someone in the New Union, and I’d like to ask you to help me get Kamal back. The price is negotiable.”

"Why me? Or to put it more bluntly, why should I help with this?"

"Sul Electric is currently seeking to enter the Dubai market, is that right?"

"What do you mean?" Ron asked, slightly more serious.

“I can introduce you to members of the Maktoum family; they are the rulers of Dubai.”

Daoud's gang did have connections in Dubai, especially when Daoud was in power; he inevitably had to deal with local forces.

He was very wealthy and had considerable influence in Mumbai, so the Dubai authorities naturally didn't treat him as an ordinary rich man.

After Daoud left, the second-in-command Shakir naturally had to maintain this connection.

His influence is not as great as Daoud's, but he can still say what he wants.

"Is this the deal you were talking about? I'll help redeem Kalmar, and you'll introduce me to the Maktoum family?" Ron asked.

"Yes, isn't that fair? I know you care a lot about Suer Electric."

"I need to think about it."

"Of course, but if the problem can be resolved within three days, I will not only immediately make an appointment with the Maktoum family, but also help you connect with other important figures."

"I understand." Ron hung up the phone.

Interestingly, Kamal is worth Shakir's considerable effort.

What was even more unexpected was that Johnny's casual act would pave the way for Suer Electric to enter the Arab market.

He had to call Johnny to prevent the New Union from killing Camar directly.

(End of this chapter)