ITV

Tag: B4U Music

  • “We are targeting the 1.5 m Indians in mainland Europe” – bubbles Media CEO Arnold C. Kulbatzki

    Launched in August 2016, the satellite-to-OTT platform TV services of bobbles.tv is aimed at expats of Asian, Latin American and African origins based in Europe. Supported by MX1, Bobbles can also be enjoyed via OTT for online viewing, via connected TV or mobile devices. bobbles.tv is a product of Hamburg-based privately held bubbles Media GmbH, a new pay TV provider specialising in TV offerings for international target groups.

    With diverse experience in the media and telecom sectors spread over 20 years, Arnold C. Kulbatzki is the founding partner and CEO of bubbles Media GmbH. Prior to establishing bubbles media GmbH in January 2016, he was the CEO of a2b media (2004-2015), a management consulting firm with extensive expertise in customer experience management, digital transformation, paid content and OTT audio-video services. In an interaction with Indiantelevision.com, Kulbatzki spells out his company’s plans and explains why the services offered are unique. Excerpts from the interview:

    Can you please tell us about Bobbles TV?

    Bobbles delivers multiple packages of TV channels from around the globe. We aim to reach the 15 million people originating from Asia, Latin America and Africa, but currently living and working in Europe. The service can be received throughout Europe via satellite and online. Bobbles went live in August 2016 initially with programming offers for Chinese, Indonesian, Indian and Korean communities. Our most recent launch was our new package of India’s best and most popular TV channels.

    Why did you  launch a service for expats in Europe?

    I’ve travelled a lot during my career and I’m familiar with the feeling of being abroad, but wanting to know what’s going on at home. Moreover, my personal circle of friends includes many expats who’ve chosen to relocate to Europe. They’ve come from India, Korea, China and elsewhere. One thing they have in common is their desire to retain links with home, even to watch their favourite TV channels from their native countries.

    My Bobbles media partners and I imagined there must be a way to create a business built around delivering multiple packages of programming to the many people from all around the world who have chosen to call Europe home. When our research revealed there are over 15 million people originally from Asia, Latin America and Africa but living in Europe, we knew that these volumes meant such a service would truly delight a huge number of people. We also knew we had a great business opportunity.

    Can you please tell us about your new Indian package?

    We launched our bobbles.tv India package in early 2017 with 15 channels of entertainment in Hindi and English, including Bollywood blockbuster-packed B4U Movies, B4U Music, StarGOLD, Sony MAX and ZOOM. Viewers can also watch India’s most popular news services like NDTV 24×7, Times Now and Aaj Tak. Viacom18’s Colors, StarPlus, NDTV Good Times, NDTV Spice, Sony Entertainment Television (SET), Sony SAB, Life OK and  Rishtey Europe show general entertainment, comedy, drama, lifestyle, reality TV and made-for-TV movies.

    With 13 channels, Bobbles is Europe’s largest and lowest-priced satellite TV package. It‘s avaialble via ASTRA satellite for pan-European viewing. Additionally, 14 popular channels in Hindi and English can be received via OTT, available live and via seven-day catch-up with more channels on the way. No other broadcaster awywhere offers DTH and OTT services this way. Also, for many of our broadcaster patners, this is their first foray in Europe. So we know we are offering something truly unique to viewers.

    What’s the pricing for the packages?

    Subscribing is easy and affordable – this really sets us apart from competitors. It’s simply a flat monthly fee of €23.95 (1 USD= 0.90 Euro) on satellite and €12.95 online. What’s more, our viewers do not need a contract. With a potential audience of 1.5 million Indian expats living in mainland Europe, we are excited to deliver this pioneering and low-priced new service to this community.

    How many subscribers are you aiming to attract in year one?

    We haven’t set any specific subscriber or revenue targets. This is because we are launching the package of services in a roadmap of well-planned launches. It will take a certain amount of time. Only after a critical mass is reached for active and live services, we will be able to assess the overall figures for the business. Additionally, we don‘t critically need to set year-one targets, thanks to our operational efficiency and, in particular, the efficiency of our satellite-and-OTT distribution strategy.

    Are you well-funded? Who’s investing in the venture?

    We are privately-funded.

    What is your revenue model? Will it be purely subscription-based or are you also looking at advertising revenue?

    In addition to subscription revenue from consumers, there are additional monetisation opportunities going forward, including video-on-demand and B2B offerings for businesses for the worldwide hospitality sector, for example. As soon as our subscriber base reaches a critical mass, we can offer a great and a unique business opportunity for advertisers.

  • Mastiii unbeaten, 9XM trumps B4U in BARC week 18

    MUMBAI: In week 18 of Broadcast Audience Research Council (BARC), all India (U+R) Mastiii dipped in numbers from 162998 Impressions (‘000s) to 154900 Impressions (‘000s) but it retained the number one spot.

    Last week’s third place holder 9XM increased its numbers from 94866 Impressions (‘000s) and surpassed B4U Music in week 18 with 96891 Impressions (‘000s) and got the second place. B4U Music witnessed a dip from 102453 Impressions (‘000s) to 94564 Impressions (‘000s). It claimed the third place.  

    For detailed report, read here:

    BARC Week 18: Mastiii remains matchless, 9XM beats B4U Music

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  • How niche channels have fared so far in 2017

    BENGALURU: A number of brands often advertise on niche or speciality television channels to target specific audiences. A specialty channel can be a commercial broadcasting or non-commercial television channel which consists of television programming focused on a single genre, subject or targeted television market at a specific demographic. In this paper, the author has attempted to study the performance of five genres based on Broadcast India Research Council of India (BARC) data in terms of Weekly Impressions (000s) Sumsfor the top five channels for weeks 1 to 12 of 2017 through statistical analysis.

    The five genre are (in alphabetical order)

    (1) English Entertainment (6 Mega Cities : NCCS AB : 2+ Individuals)
    (2) Infotainment (6 Mega Cities : NCCS AB : 2+ Individuals)
    (3) Kids’ (All India (U+R) : NCCS All : 2 – 14 years Individuals)
    (4) Lifestyle (6 Mega Cities : NCCS AB : 2+ Individuals)
    (5) Music (All India (U+R) : NCCS All : 2+ Individuals)

    This paper must be read with a caveat: It deals only with the players present in BARC’s top 5 lists of channels per week and programmes per week for each genre. The sums/percentages of other genres/players’/channels of other players as well other channels of players in this paper ratings or Impressions (000s) Sums other than those indicated in BARC’s top 5 lists of channels and programmes have not been considered/mentioned in this paper during the period under consideration and those numbers could be more/higher. Further, Combined Total Impressions or Combined Weekly Impressions mentioned in this paper means the sum of all the Impressions (000s) Sums for all the weeks under consideration of a network and/or channel and/or programme/s.

    In terms of Combined Weekly Impressions in (000s) Sums of the top five channels of each genre during the 12 week period under consideration in this paper, Music is the biggest genre, followed by the Kids genre. Please refer to the following table: It may be noted that BARC data for both these genres is from both urban and rural markets, as compared to data from 6 Mega Cities : NCCS AB : 2+ Individuals for the other three genres.BARC provides data for the most successful programmes for the Kids’ genre only.

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    Music Genre

    The top channels that have appeared in the top 5 Music channels –  All India (U+R) : NCCS All : 2+ Individuals list during weeks 1 to 12 of 2017 generally play Hindi Music. Some of the channels play pure Bollywood music, others a mixture of Bollywood and Hindi Music, and Hindi Classical Music while some others play a mix of Bollywood with a spattering of other Indian language and international music.

    Five channels – Mastiii, B4U Music, 9XM, Sony MIX, 9X Jalwa have generally been present in the list during the 12 weeks under consideration, except during week 11, when MTV Beats came in at rank 5, while 9X Jalwa exited it in that week.

    Sri Adhikari Brothers Television Network’s subsidiary TV Vision’s music channel Mastiii– (Hindi Classic Music) has been the top channel in the Music genre during all the 12 weeks of 2017 as per BARC data for the period. B4U Music from the B4U Group, owned by Lakshmi Mittal, Kishore Lulla and GokulBinani was the second most watched channel during the period. The9X Group’s music channel 9XM came at third spot followed by Sony Pictures Network India’s Hindi film music channel Sony MIX. The 9X Group’s Hindi Classic Music channel 9X Jalwa was the fifth most watched channel during the first 12 weeks of 2017.

    Please refer to the chart below for channels and ranking.

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    Kids’ genre

    Five channels have been consistently present in the top 5 Kids channels list  All India (U+R) : NCCS All : 2 – 14 years Individuals during all the first 12 weeks of 2017. They are NICK, Cartoon Network, Pogo TV, Hungama and Disney Channel.

    Viacom’schildren’s 24-hour pay channel in Hindi, with the option of English, Tamil and Telugu audio feed on DTH, NICK (Nickelodeon) has topped the top 5 channels list during the period under consideration in this paper. Time Warner’s Turner Broadcasting’s Cartoon Network India was the second most watched children’s channel during weeks 1 to 12 of 2017. The channel primarily airs animated shows in four different languages: English, Hindi, Telugu and Tamil. Turner’s Pogo TV was the third most watched kids channel during the period, followed by Disney Channels Worldwide’sHungama TV having Hindi, Telugu and Tamil dubbed content at fourth place. The Walt Disney Company’s Disney Channel available in English, Hindi, Telugu and Tamil(although many shows broadcast on the channel are only available in Hindi) was ranked fifth during the period under consideration.

    Please refer to the list below.

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    As mentioned above, BARC provides data for the most successful programmes for the Kids’ genre only. Hindi films and programs based on the Indian animated series Motu Patlu on NICK and Pogo TV and Indian animated comedy adventure ChhotaBheem on Pogo TV were among the most successful children’s programs during the weeks under consideration.

    Infotainment

    Five channels from the Infotainment genre – Discovery Channel, History TV 18, National Geographic Channel, Animal Planet and Nat Geo Wildfound a place in the top 5 channels list in terms of Combined Weekly Impressions (000s) Sums during the first 12 weeks of 2017.

    Discovery Communications Discovery Channel in Hindi, Telugu and Bengali along with English and a dedicated channel in Tamil was the most watched Infotainment channel during the first twelve weeks of 2017. Viacom’s History TV18 in eight languages – English, Hindi, Bengali, Gujarati, Marathi, Tamil, Telugu and Urdu was the second most watched channel during the period under consideration. 21st Century Fox and National Geographic Society’s National Geographic Channel came next, followed by Discovery Communications Animal Planet. 21st Century Fox and National Geographic Society’s Nat Geo Wild was the fifth most watched channel during the period under consideration in this paper.

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    Lifestyle

    Five channels have been consistently present in the top Lifestyle channel list (6 Mega Cities : NCCS AB : 2+ Individuals) during the first twelve weeks of 2017. They wereLiving Foodz, Fox Life, Food Food, FYI TV18 and TLC.

    The Essel Group’s Living Foodz channel was the most watched Lifestyle channel in weeks 1 to 12 of 2017. Fox Broadcasting Company’s Fox Life was the second most lifestyle channel during the same period.  Celebrity chef Sanjeev Kapoor, Malaysian Astro, and Mogae Consultantschannel Food Food came next, followed by A+E Networks and TV18’s FYI TV18 channel that is available in 8 languages including English, Hindi, Tamil, Telugu, and Bengali at fourth place. Discovery Communications TLC was the fifth most watched Lifestyle channel during the first 12 weeks of 2017.

    Please see the list below:

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    English Entertainment

    During the first twelve weeks of 2017, the English Entertainment genre was dominated mainly by five channels – Comedy Central, STAR World, Zee Café, Colors Infinity SD and AXN, except for 3 of the 12 weeks when Fox’s FX channel entered the list, while AXN exited it.

    Viacom’s Comedy Central topped the lists in seven of the twelve weeks under consideration, followed by Star India’s Star World which topped the lists for five weeks. The Essel Group’s Zee Café was third, with Viacom 18’s Colors Infinity SD. Sony Pictures Network India’s AXN at fifth place.

    Please refer to the chart below:

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  • Eight TV channels win Freedish slots, bid price goes above Rs 5 cr

    Eight TV channels win Freedish slots, bid price goes above Rs 5 cr

    NEW DELHI: Setting a new record of getting for Rs 5.3 crore against the reserve price of Rs 4.3 crore, Doordarshan’s DTH platform Freedish bagged as many as eight new channels in the e-auction held last week.

    The channels that successfully bid for slots are Zee Anmol, Rishtey, Star Utsav, Fight Soirts, B4U Music, APN, Vision TV (Housefull Movies), and India 24×7.

    The reserve price which had been Rs 3.7 crore was raised to its present level for the 25th e-auction in January. indiantelevision.com had learnt that the bid amount went up to Rs 4.7 crore in earlier e-auctions. The reserve price in the 15th e-auction was Rs 3 crore and was raised to Rs 3.7 crore in the 16th auction.

    A senior Doordarshan official told indiantelevision.com that the next auction would be held in September, though the exact date had not yet been finalized.

    The official refused to give the figure at which individual channels won the auction, as the exact amount after various adjustments was not yet clear.

    Freedish – which currently carries eighty TV channels and 23 radio channels –also carries two channels as FTA which are otherwise pay channels – Aajtak and Big TV.

    The official clarified that Freedish will be able to carry more channels as it is shortly going on to MPEG4. While it could carry about sixteen channels per transponder but MPEG 4 allows up to 24 TV channels per transponder, apart from radio channels.

    The official said the Indian conditional access system (iCAS) is being used to keep a tab on the number of subscribers, but it would remain free-to-air.

    The platform at present has space for eighty channels including its own channels and Lok Sabha and Rajya Sabha TV and also carrues 24 All India Radio channels.

    The e-Auction was conducted by M/s. C1 India Pvt. Ltd., Noida which also conducted the first stage of the FM Radio Phase III auctions on behalf of Prasar Bharati.

    The participation amount (EMD) in the e-Auction was Rs.1.5 crore which was deposited in advance. Incremental amount for the auction was Rs 10 lakh.

    Of the bid price, Rs 1.1 crore will be deposited within one month of placement and another Rs 1.1 crore within two months along with service tax of 14.5 per cent on the bid amount.

    The balance bid amount will be deposited within six months, failing which the deposited amount will be forfeited and the channel discontinued after a 21-day discontinuation notice.

  • Eight TV channels win Freedish slots, bid price goes above Rs 5 cr

    Eight TV channels win Freedish slots, bid price goes above Rs 5 cr

    NEW DELHI: Setting a new record of getting for Rs 5.3 crore against the reserve price of Rs 4.3 crore, Doordarshan’s DTH platform Freedish bagged as many as eight new channels in the e-auction held last week.

    The channels that successfully bid for slots are Zee Anmol, Rishtey, Star Utsav, Fight Soirts, B4U Music, APN, Vision TV (Housefull Movies), and India 24×7.

    The reserve price which had been Rs 3.7 crore was raised to its present level for the 25th e-auction in January. indiantelevision.com had learnt that the bid amount went up to Rs 4.7 crore in earlier e-auctions. The reserve price in the 15th e-auction was Rs 3 crore and was raised to Rs 3.7 crore in the 16th auction.

    A senior Doordarshan official told indiantelevision.com that the next auction would be held in September, though the exact date had not yet been finalized.

    The official refused to give the figure at which individual channels won the auction, as the exact amount after various adjustments was not yet clear.

    Freedish – which currently carries eighty TV channels and 23 radio channels –also carries two channels as FTA which are otherwise pay channels – Aajtak and Big TV.

    The official clarified that Freedish will be able to carry more channels as it is shortly going on to MPEG4. While it could carry about sixteen channels per transponder but MPEG 4 allows up to 24 TV channels per transponder, apart from radio channels.

    The official said the Indian conditional access system (iCAS) is being used to keep a tab on the number of subscribers, but it would remain free-to-air.

    The platform at present has space for eighty channels including its own channels and Lok Sabha and Rajya Sabha TV and also carrues 24 All India Radio channels.

    The e-Auction was conducted by M/s. C1 India Pvt. Ltd., Noida which also conducted the first stage of the FM Radio Phase III auctions on behalf of Prasar Bharati.

    The participation amount (EMD) in the e-Auction was Rs.1.5 crore which was deposited in advance. Incremental amount for the auction was Rs 10 lakh.

    Of the bid price, Rs 1.1 crore will be deposited within one month of placement and another Rs 1.1 crore within two months along with service tax of 14.5 per cent on the bid amount.

    The balance bid amount will be deposited within six months, failing which the deposited amount will be forfeited and the channel discontinued after a 21-day discontinuation notice.

  • Doordarshan Freedish earns Rs 23.2 crore from 6 channels in 21st e-auction

    Doordarshan Freedish earns Rs 23.2 crore from 6 channels in 21st e-auction

    NEW DELHI: Doordarshan has earned Rs 23.2 crore from the 21st online e-auction of six slots to Indian television channels on its free-to-air DTH platform Freedish. 

     

    DD’s target is to touch 112 television channels on Freedish over the next few months.

     

    Against a reserve price of Rs 3.7 crore per slot for the online e-auction, DD earned as much as Rs 4.1 crore from Colors Rishtey, whereas Star Utsav got its slot for Rs 3.9 crore.

     

    Doordarshan sources told Indiantelevision.com that the other slots went to Zee Anmol, Zee Sangam, Housefull Movies and B4U Music for Rs 3.8 crore each. 

     

    However, as per information available with this website, the bid amount had gone up to Rs 4.2 crore in one of the earlier e-auctions.

     

    DD sources also said that while Freedish may be encrypted to keep a tab on the number of subscribers, it would continue to remain free-to-air.

     

    The e-Auction was conducted by C1 India Pvt. Ltd., Noida on behalf of Prasar Bharati, thus marking a change in the auctioneer.

     

    The reserve price in the 15th e-auction was Rs 3 crore and was raised to Rs 3.7 crore in the 16th auction.

     

    The six channels were part of Freedish but had to re-bid as their contract had expired. Consequently, Freedish retains 64 channels including DD’s channels and Lok Sabha and Rajya Sabha TV.

     

    The participation amount (EMD) in the e-Auction was Rs 1.5 crore, which was deposited in advance along with a non-refundable processing fee of Rs 10,000 in favour of PB (BCI) Doordarshan Commercial Service, New Delhi.

     

    Incremental amount for the auction was Rs 10 lakh and the time for every slot e-auction was of fifteen minutes duration.

     

    Of the reserve price, Rs 1.1 crore will be deposited within one month of placement and another Rs 1.1 crore within two months along with service tax of 14 per cent on the bid amount.

     

    The balance bid amount will be deposited within six months, failing which the reserve price will be forfeited.

     

    Applicants had to provide details of the Uplink/Downlink permission documents received from the concerned Ministries with the applications to ensure they are not rejected.

     

  • B4U Music to ‘Play Ahead’

    B4U Music to ‘Play Ahead’

    MUMBAI: When things are going well, it’s time to take them to the next level, especially when the market is highly competitive with a host of music channels and each one trying to outdo the other with newer and better offerings.

     

    And so, the 15-year-old music channel, B4U Music, has reinvented itself once again with a fresh new look coupled with refreshed content and a punchy tagline, ‘Play Ahead’.

     

    It had gone under the knife many times over the past few years, because such is the requirement of the audience which is its core viewer – the youth, believes B4U Network editorial head Kalyan Sundaram. He further goes on to say that viewers have been exposed to a lot of new concepts and in many cases it is developed to meet the socio-economic paradigm of the country that has changed over a period of time.

     

    “Times have changed and viewers we had a couple of years back have changed too completely. Now, the new generation wants everything very fast and want to watch more exciting things,” he says.

     

    In order to keep it to the likes of its TG i.e. 15-24 year olds, it has conceptualized a new logo and also introduced a line-up of new shows with a twist. The channel has defined its key components in the right direction. The new tagline -‘Play Ahead’ is the inspiration behind the new logo, which is synonymous with music and youth. Correspondingly, the ‘play’ symbol is universally recognised and associated with music. “We promise to deliver what the viewers would want to look forward to,” says Sundaram.

     

    The new logo, decked with the combination of purple and pink shades, has an arrow in the shape of ‘4’ which is moving towards the upward direction. “It’s anonymous with prosperity, progress, looking forward, optimism and that is how we locked on to this look.”

     

    The channel undergoes a rigorous research every quarter and it revealed that change is a must and dynamism is a key to growth. It took 60 days for the channel to conceptualise and bring it to execution. The new look has been designed by the in-house creative team.

     

    “The ideas keep generating every second day. The minute we think that we need to come up with a light switch, we pull out the existing programs and see what the research has actually revealed and sink the research with the existing properties that we have created,” points out Sundaram.

     

    With a music library of 3,000 songs, the channel which reaches out to 80 million households, recently, extended its viewership bracket by being available on DD Direct and Tata Sky marking a big leap.

     

    It has also introduced new shows like – Insider, a weekly show which brings to the audience an insider’s perspective on the brewing controversies of tinsel town. B4U Music in association with a noted Bollywood journalist will bring the latest scoops of the B-Town directly to the audience.

     

    In the Pink, will showcase fashion updates of Bollywood celebrities. From their current fashion statements, faux pas and grooming tips to their earlier fashion avatars.

     

    Viewers will get to know the fitness and diet mantra of favourite Bollywood stars as they talk about what is the secret of their great shape on Caught Being Healthy. The show is an off shoot of Star Stop and we will have stars talking about their diet preferences and work out routines themselves.

     

    But the main highlight of the channel revamp is Naanism. The snippet revolves around Edith Taylor, an old lady on the wrong side of 60 yet full of hyper energy and an acidic tongue that has earned her the moniker of “Crazy Naani”.  It is a collection of Crazy Naani’s wordly wise sayings, which are laced with sharp humour and intelligent wit. 

     

    Other shows include, Co Star, Star vs Star, I’m a Star, Cover Story, YOU – Have It, Flaunt It, Celeb Fix.

     

    “Gone are the days when they had to come to the television and watch television unless you really arrest them with good programming. You have to be on-ground with them and reflect their likes,” reasons Sundaram.

     

    On the marketing front, the channel has promoted heavily on the digital medium like Facebook where most of the young audience exist. It delivers good amount of 1,11,427 likes on Facebook (at the time of penning the article.)

     

    Going forward, to further promote the development, it plans to tie up with college festivals to reach out and connect more with the youth.

     

    Though Sundaram refused to divulge any financial details, media planners believe that the music channel has grown significantly in terms of revenues and clients as well. On the revenue front, the topline of the company is profitable. 

  • Reliance joins the horde of TV channels challenging the 12 minute ad cap in TDSAT

    Reliance joins the horde of TV channels challenging the 12 minute ad cap in TDSAT

    NEW DELHI: The Telecom Disputes Settlement and Appellate Tribunal (TDSAT) today said a petition by Reliance Big Broadcasting, Mumbai, relating to their television channels will be heard along with other matters challenging issues relating to the ad cap sought to be implemented by the Telecom Regulatory Authority of India (TRAI).

     

    The matters will be heard by the TDSAT on 21 October along with other channels such as Music Xpress, Mastiii, B4U Music, M Tunes and 9XM.

     

    Earlier, TDSAT had accepted an assurance by TRAI not to take any coercive action against television channels from 1 October, when the ad cap of 12 minutes per hour was to have come into force.

     

    In a hearing earlier this week in a similar matter, counsel for TRAI had told TDSAT that an anomalous situation had been created with some channels having accepted the ad cap with effect from 1 October. It was therefore requested that the matter be resolved once for all.

     

    TRAI has so far admitted a large number of matters including one by the News Broadcasters Association (NBA) which seeks to challenge the status quo of TRAI in the matter. That petition had been listed for hearing on 11 November but will now be heard along with the others.

     

    The Tribunal had earlier said that while the channels will maintain weekly records of the advertising time per hour on a weekly basis, they will not be required to submit this to the regulator. Unlike the current practice, the records will only be submitted to TDSAT at the time of the hearing of the case.

     

    At that time, Counsel A J Bhambani for the NBA had said that a delegation of the Indian Broadcasting Foundation (IBF) had submitted a formula to the regulator but that did not preclude the broadcasters from challenging the validity of the regulations.

     

    He also said that this was only a compromise reached between the broadcasters and the regulator and could not form the basis of penal action since it was not a regulation or legal provision.

  • Showbiz India finds a new home on B4U music

    Showbiz India finds a new home on B4U music

    MUMBAI: B4U MUSIC- the leading global Bollywood channel will now be the new home for Showbiz India, a weekly programme showing the very latest in Bollywood movies and music.

    Showbiz India is the leading entertainment show presented by the talented Reshma Dordi for over 15 years in the USA. From exclusive updates and Bollywood news to in-depth interviews with the biggest stars, Showbiz India covers all.

    What sets Showbiz India apart is a driven team of producers, writers and correspondents with exclusive access to Bollywood and Hollywood stars.

    From the Bachchans to the Khans to the Kapoors, almost every star in Bollywood has shared their stories on Showbiz India. As if that’s not enough, Hollywood biggies like Mike Myers, Justin Timberlake, Chris Rock and Cindy Crawford have all dished the latest on their lives with Showbiz India.

    Besides the film world, the programme also focuses on fresh and unconventional fashion and lifestyle segments and covers the latest South Asian events in USA.

    The programme will be aired in USA and CANADA and in over 100 countries including UK, Middle East, and Africa.

    Reshma Dordi, Executive Producer and Lead Anchor states, “We’re excited to collaborate with B4U Music, a channel that has always been a Bollywood lover’s favorite. We at Showbiz India are excited that our new home with its global reach will showcase the best of Bollywood and Hollywood to a worldwide audience”


    “B4U is extremely excited to join forces with Showbiz India and provide a platform for the show to expand, evolve and reach a global audience. This affiliation means that B4U will further be able to bring our viewers the very best in worldwide entertainment, with exclusive interviews and exciting events” says Kevin Rego, Head Of B4U Sales And Marketing (International).

    Showbiz India will air weekly on  4U Music Saturdays 11am EST and Sundays 2pm EST from 5th October and in the UK from November.

  • Viewers looking for FM feel in visual space?

    The viewer‘s verdict for music channels for the year 2007 is out. The long established players like MTV and Channel [V] are losing on the front of relative shares while new kid on the block 9XM has shown an unprecedented growth from the second month of its launch.

    Indiantelevision.com‘s analysis of music channels using Tam data (HSM, CS 15 – 24 years, all day parts) during the one-year period beginning January 2007 reveals that 9XM is way ahead than MTV and Channel [V].

    Launched in October 2007, 9XM, with its tagline Haq Se, had secured a relative share of 43 per cent by December. In comparison, MTV stood at 20 per cent while Channel [V] had 11 per cent.

    Music Channel‘s Relative Shares
    Channel Jan Feb Mar Apr May Jun Jul Aug Sep Oct Nov Dec
    9XM 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 6 34 43
    MTV 32 29 31 32 29 30 31 31 32 29 21 20
    Channel V 15 14 13 11 11 14 13 11 13 16 11 11
    Music India 12 15 12 14 19 20 18 17 16 17 11 7
    B4U Music 12 11 11 11 9 10 10 13 13 11 6 5
    Zee Music 8 11 11 11 12 7 10 12 9 7 5 4
    ETC 15 12 12 9 9 10 8 8 7 6 4 4
    YO Music 3 3 6 7 6 5 5 4 4 4 3 3
    Enterr10 4 4 4 4 3 2 4 3 5 5 4 3
    Lemon 0 0 1 1 2 2 2 1 1 1 0 0
    Source: TAM, TG 15 – 24, HSM, Jan-Dec 2007, All Day Part

    From January to October 2007, MTV was on top of the music channel heap with an average relative share of 30 per cent while Music India and Channel [V] were tossing for second and third position with 15.8 per cent and 12.8 per cent respectively.

    The whole scenario changed dramatically with the launch of 9XM in October. By the second month of launch, 9XM had 34 per cent whereas MTV was reduced to 21 per cent and Music India and Channel [V] had 11 per cent each.

    In December, it was thumbs down for other channels like Zee Music (4 per cent), B4U music (5 per cent), ETC (4 per cent), Enter10 (3 per cent) and Yo Music (3 per cent). Wooden spooner Lemon‘s share is so insignificant that it has not even registered on the GRP scale.

    On the new market scene, INX Media‘s music entertainment channel head Vikas Varma says, “I think the qualities of youth are what our channel targets, not necessarily as the demographic youth. That is why we are getting the unprecedented ratings.”

    It is to be noted that 9XM has no VJ‘s, only some animated characters. The USP of the channel is current Bollywood songs. However, the verdict among the media pundits is that 9XM is playing only songs; it is more like an FM station in the visual space.

    The ratings have not got in much by way of ads as yet though so how is it going to generate revenue? Avers INX Media revenue management, advertising sales and new media group director Probal Gaanguly, “We are offering ‘Club INX‘ partnerships to sponsors. Very soon we will officially announce the tie-ups. An exclusive platform will be provided to them.”

    MTV India vice president ad sales and marketing Aditya Swamy has a different story to tell: “Our ad sales and revenue has gone up. We have established the youth based music channel in India. Roadies, Konees (animated characters) etc are our initiatives; it is not fair to compare it with a channel like 9XM. We are a youth brand.”

    Channel [V] head honcho Amar K Deb sings a similar tune. “Channel [V] has won awards for many initiatives we have taken. We have our hands full and our competition is not with 9XM. It is anyways too early to comment on the future,” avers Deb.

    Music India that started life without ad breaks, gave in to the lure of commercials in 2007. 9XM appears to be going the same route, with a few ads visible on the channel intermittently since the beginning of the year.

    If indeed all that the Indian viewer is interested in is uninterrupted songs sans ads, it will be interesting to watch how the year unfolds for 2008.