MUMBAI: Mastiii is a testament to India’s rising music legacy as it establishes a new record in the genre. Surpassing the highest impression standard, set initially by none other than themselves, Mastiii has acquired 142mn impressions the highest ever in the category of Music and Youth. The channel is ahead by52.14%from number two channel 9XM and 68.58% from the number three channel Sony Mix.

SABGROUP CEO Manav Dhanda said, “Our belief in rigorous research, pushing boundaries and constant innovation has enabled us to create new milestones. Creating value for our key stakeholders from consumers to advertisers is a vision underway as indicated in Mastiii’s latest record of 142mn impressions, which is phenomenal considering music is the only genre where the content is 100% duplicable. Mastiii’s untameable reach is a stamp of the deep understanding the team has of consumers taste and preferences, which has also led to the increased loyalty of our viewers. The channel’s TSV is as high as 34.68 mins leaving competitors far behind in the race with 9XM (24.54 mins) and Sony Mix (23.5 mins), showcasing the high stickiness of our content.”

The music genre has vastly evolved in the past decade, with Mastiii harnessing the lead amongst competitors like B4U Music, Channel V, MTV Beats and 9XM. Interestingly enough Mastiii’s current reach (122.5mns) has outdone even top GEC’s like STAR Plus (118mns), Colors (117mns) and Sony Pal (122mns).

MUMBAI: The Walt Disney Company in India today announced the appointment of Abhishek Maheshwari as country head for India. Maheshwari, who joined Disney in 2012, will now be responsible for all of Disney’s businesses reporting to Mahesh Samat, executive vice president & managing director, Walt Disney International, South Asia.

“Disney brands continue to grow across platforms and consumer segments in India,” said Samat.  “Abhishek is an astute and transformative business leader. Since joining the company, he has championed and driven strategic changes that have positioned our businesses to achieve consistent significant growth.”

Maheshwari has held several leadership roles in corporate strategy & business development, consumer products and interactive and, most recently, as the head of Integrated Media Networks.   Prior to working for The Walt Disney Company, Maheshwari worked for Kubera and McKinsey & Company at its US and India offices.

“It is a privilege to lead Disney India and I am greatly encouraged by the talent, passion and commitment of our teams across the organization. Together, our team will focus on bringing the best of Disney, Pixar, Marvel and Star Wars and our home grown brands of Hungama, Bindass and UTV to Indian audiences and provide great consumer experiences across all our businesses,” said Abhishek.

India recently was merged under a South Asian hub integrating Singapore, Malaysia, Indonesia, Thailand, the Philippines and Vietnam under the leadership of Mahesh Samat.

MUMBAI: November just got extra special for all music aficionados as Vh1 is all set to treat you to an array of specially curated shows celebrating Children’s Day, Thanksgiving and pop powerhouse Ed Sheeran. Catfish continues as Vh1 welcomes the season six premiere, to carry on with the discovery of the reality and deceptive lies of online dating.  That’ not all! Vh1 will also telecast two of the biggest music awards on television –Europe Music Awards and American Music Awards celebrating those special voices that have made an impression in our lives and on our souls.

The biggest names in the world of music will descend upon Vh1 as it airs two of the biggest music awards on the planet. Europe Music Awards 2017 airing straight from the Queen’s land- London with our much loved host Rita Ora who is sure to add bling to the much awaited ceremony. Get a week long entertaining glimpse of all the nominated artists by tuning into Nominee Special on Vh1, 1 November onwards. 

That’s not all. The world’s biggest fan voted award show American Music Awards 2017 pays tribute to the year’s most influential and iconic artists, honoured in multiple musical genres. The star studded evening will witness Christina Aguilera honor Whitney Houston for her iconic work as an actress along with her voice in romantic thriller- the Bodyguard amongst other splendid performances by a stellar line-up. As part of the ongoing celebrations, Vh1 is sending two lucky winners to London and LA to watch the awards LIVE. And for all the folks back home, Vh1 will be hosting special red carpet nights across 20 cities & screenings across 200 campuses to celebrate the awards extravaganza

All you Ed Sheeran lovers, here’s something special! Catch a glimpse of Ed Sheeran’s phenomenal career as Vh1 brings his extraordinary journey along with artist’s record breaking hits on Sheerio Day. To add another jewel to the crown, Vh1 will showcase the artist’s mega hits spanning from The A- Team to the sensational Shape of You. Sheerio Day will be celebrated on 19 November. 

For the Children’s Day Special, the channel is all set to celebrate music’s most powerful fresh faces with Vh1 21 under 21 on 14th November at 12pm. Celebrate timeless music of the legends and be grateful this Thanksgiving with Vh1’s Thank You for the Music playlist on 23 November.

Adding to this special line up, you can also discover whether online dating is ideal or a snag by tuning into Season 6 of Catfish, premiering on 6th November, Monday-Friday at 9 pm.

Feeling pleased about the line-up for November, Viacom18 VP Programming Head – English Entertainment Cluster Hashim D’Souza shares, “Vh1 places paramount importance on its viewer’s preferences to ensure they get the best of international entertainment. This month, we are airing two of the biggest award shows to guarantee that our viewers do not miss out on any excitement at all. Along with that, we are also going all out to celebrate Children’s Day and Thanksgiving in a big way. We understand the love our viewers have for their music and those who make it. As a part of the day dedicated to Ed Sheeran, Sheerio Day will acknowledge this love and give our viewers yet another opportunity to engage with their favourite artist on air.”

To add to this already extra special line-up this month, Simon Cowell, Nicole Scherzinger, Sharon Osbourne and Louis Walsh continue to look for the next musical show-stopper on X-Factor Season 14, which is ongoing this season on Vh1 every Monday and Tuesday at 10 Pm.

MUMBAI: 9XO has launched a brand new music property titled 9XO O Bot Top Five. This music block will play a list of chart toppers from various genres and themes. 9XO O Bot Top Five hourly music block will air everyday at 10 am with repeats at 2 pm, 7 pm and 11 pm all through the day from Monday to Saturday. 

Speaking of this new music property 9XO programming head Clyde D’Souza said, “Our super cool 3D animated character O Bot leads 9XO O Bot Top Five. Featuring five hit songs across genres, 9XO O Bot Top Five has a different theme every single day. The handpicked playlist features songs from the classic to the current genre; from love songs to laid back tunes, depending on the day of the week. Our viewers will definitely discover the best of songs which will resonate with them.”

9XO O Bot Top Five will be promoted across social media and digital platforms.

Tune into 9XO every day from Monday to Saturday at 10 am with repeats through the day at 2 pm, 7 pm, and 11 pm.

MUMBAI: 9X Jalwa will be airing morning request show titled Ask Mona. This special initiative by the channel has featured the famous Bollywood character 'Mona Darling'. But this character will be in an animated form. Ask Mona will be aired daily from 8 am-10 am.

Speaking on the new show 9X Jalwa programming head Imtiaz Baghadi said, "Ask Mona is the first request show on 9X Jalwa where the viewers can request for their favourite songs through 9X Jalwa's social media platforms. The viewers can also send their dedications to their loved ones which will aired on the show. We are confident that through this show we will further engage and interact with our community of Bollywood music lovers.

Ask Mona will be promoted across social media and digital platforms. 9X Jalwa will also run a set of contest named 'The Ask Mona's contest' will be held across the channel and 9X Jalwa Facebook page. The winners will be awarded an iPhone 8 for sending across their comments hash tagging it with #AskMona along with their favourite song request.

So, if you really want your favourite tracks to be played just put a request to Ask Mona and your tracks will be aired from 8am -10am.

MUMBAI: B4U Music are thrilled to announce the launch of a brand-new show titled In The Mix hosted by the renowned music duo Panjabi Hit Squad.

Embodying the essence of urban culture from set to style, the show which is primarily aimed at the UK Asian audience is the first show of its kind on Asian television. In The Mix will feature music from the UK Asian scene and commercial hits as well as guests ranging from music artists to Social Media influencers.

UK Desi’s favourite DJ duo Panjabi Hit Squad are creators and pioneers of the now world-famous Desi Beats sound and have been present at the very forefront of the Urban Asian Music Scene since their formation.

The 30-minute show In The Mix will take their popular mixing techniques to the TV platform with each episode featuring a sleek visual mix of the biggest tracks to date.

Guests included on the show are YouTube sensation Humza The Badman, Arjun, Zack Knight, Sonna Rele, H Dhami, Mumzy, Juggy D and ADP. Each episode will be packed full of music, mixes, interviews and a fun interactive game.

Panjabi Hit Squad state and we are ecstatic to be bringing a new show with B4U Music. It’s your ultimate weekly fix of music, entertainment and culture mixed up the Panjabi Hit Squad way. With recent heights in BARB ratings, B4U Music has proven itself to be a leading channel for Asian music in the UK. In The Mix is part of the networks initiative to invest more into local programming for an audience that that needs representation.

In The Mix will air from Wednesday 13 December at 6.30pm (Repeat Friday 10pm, Monday 6.30pm) on B4U Music.

MUMBAI: We have definitely come across many music festivals, right? But this December these four festivals will take the world by storm. They have been there for decades. 2017 saw some of the biggest festivals being hosted at exotic locations around the world. Here is list of four music festivals of 2017 that will air this December on Vh1 Festival Fever every Saturday and make up for everything you missed in the year.

Isle Of Malts

Hosted in the beautiful city of Granaries, Floriana, The Isle of Malta 2017 witnessed the exhilarating line up including mega-hit artists like Raye, Jonas Blue, DNCE and The Chainsmokers. People caught the excitement on 9 December at 9 pm on Vh1.

Tommorrowland 2017

The festival features House, EDM, techno, drum and bass, hard style and every other corner of electronic music, a destination for all dance music lovers. This year the festival was bigger and better than ever.

Tune in to Vh1 Festival Fever on 16 December, 9 pm to devour the greatest of all musicians at the Tomorrowland Belgium 2017.

MTV Crashes Plymouth 2017

The festival that houses some of the biggest superstars across the world featuring House, EDM, techno, drum and bass, hard style and every other corner of electronic music, is a dream destination for all dance music lovers. This year the festival was bigger and better than ever.

Tune in to Vh1 Festival Fever on 16 December, 9 pm to devour the greatest of all musicians at the Tomorrowland Belgium 2017.

Glastonbury 2017

Britain’s greatest music festival was back again in 2017 with an electrifying line up of artists like Ed Sheeran, Katy Perry and brand new acts by Slaves, Blossoms, The Pretenders, Dua lipa. Gear up for ending the year with a bang by watching Glastonbury music festival 2017 on 30 December, at 9 PM, only on Vh1 Festival Fever.

MUMBAI: With the fast moving world from Television sets to Mobile phones, it is time for every entertainer to be available for its audience at their convenience. Keeping this under consideration, India’s music channel Mastiii has made its way from small screen to the mobile app.

The channel has expand its digital footprint via an exclusive content association with PEN India Ltd. and it is now available on their latest, Bollywood Times Mobile App, a one-stop destination for all your entertainment needs.

Bollywood Times a pre-dominantly movie focused platform has a vast reach and majorly youth audience. This strategical move of associating with Mastiii will give the platform a boost to reach out to a wider audience. At the same time bringing Mastiii closer to its 200 million monthly viewers who would now be able to enjoy the content on the go, thus the association will be a WIN-WIN deal for both the brands.

Talking about the tie-up, SABGROUP CEO Manav Dhanda stated, “Mastiii has always been the flag bearer and the undisputed leader of the music and youth genre. With the association and the two brands coming together we aim at reaching out to the youth where they are. The association with PEN India Ltd. comes at a time when the mobile app industry is booming in India and has shown tremendous growth with over six billion apps downloaded in 2016 alone. The launch of the Bollywood Times app and the streaming of our content on it will not only strengthen each brand individually but help give the youth of India a variety of content on a single platform.”

Commenting on the association, PEN India Limited chairman and managing director Jayanti Lal Gada, expressed that, “In a bid to ensure that digital-first audiences of today have access to the best of entertainment, we are glad to come into this association with India’s No.1 Music and Youth channel Mastiii in an exclusive linear feed sharing deal, that is available on our latest Bollywood Times App. The relentless efforts of the team and particularly my younger son Akshay Gada, in the creation of this app catered to Bollywood enthusiasts and lovers has culminated in fruition of this association. With the backing of an established industry name like Mastiii the premier music channel from SABGROUP, we are confident the launch of the app will see success.”

MUMBAI: New Year is around the corner and Vh1 is all geared up to give you an exciting dose of some fun shows. Right from watching all juicy scoops of the entertainment world through Inside Access to watching the best of ‘International Award Shows’, Vh1 has it all in-store for you.

Inside Access

Date: January 2018

Get ready for all the inside scoop from the entertainment world, with Season 2 of Inside Access with Miss Malini. The new season will turn up the heat with a lot more of 'inside' with your favourite Bollywood stars, the best Music artists from around the globe and the most banging events and places to go to.  From Coldplay’s Chris Martin to the Badshah- Shahrukh Khan himself, the previous season gave us some of the most memorable and hottest insights. The show brings back the vibe with behind-the-scenes, all the prep, the madness from Miss Malini’s loft.

Golden Globes 75th Anniversary Special on Comedy Central, Vh1 and Colors Infinity

Date: 7 January 2018

One of the most reputed film and television awards, The Golden Globe is celebrating its 75th anniversary with a glitzy event, rejoicing the best moments spanning across 75 years. The magnificent gala will feature the biggest film and TV stars of all time, red carpet highlights and fashion throughout the years. The two-hour gala will be hosted by Will & Grace fame Eric McCormack and Debra Messing. The popular pair have a combined 13 Golden Globe nominations between them. The ceremony will be aired in India exclusively on popular English entertainment and music channels- Vh1, Comedy Central and Colors Infinity on 8 January 2018.

75th Golden Globe Awards

Date: 8 January 2018

The Golden Globe Awards are viewed in more than 236 countries and territories worldwide and are one of the few awards ceremonies to include both motion picture and television achievements. The 75th Annual Golden Globe Awards, hosted by Seth Meyers, will take place on Sunday, 7 January 2018, in The Beverly Hilton. With Oprah Winfrey being the recipient of the Cecil B. deMille Award and The Shape of Water is leading the movie nominations with seven nods and Big Little Lies picking up six nominations, it will be interesting to see who get what!

60th Annual Grammy Awards

Date: 29 January 2018

The most prestigious music awards in the world will be hosted at Madison Square Garden, marking the first Grammy telecast in New York City since 2003. The 60th Annual Grammy Awards ceremony will be held on 28 January 2018 at the Madison Square Garden in New York City. Rap, urban and R&B music dominate the nominations for this year.

2018 Brit Awards

Date: February 2018

The BRITs are the U.K. recording industry’s flagship awards ceremony. 2018 will celebrate the Awards 38th show since its debut year in 1977. The BRIT Awards have established themselves as a global music institution that annually celebrates UK chart and commercial successes. Last year’s BRITs host, the fabulous Emma Willis will announce The BRIT Awards 2018 nominations on Saturday 13 January with performances from some incredible British recording talent -  Liam Payne, Paloma Faith, Clean Bandit, J Hus and 2018 Critics’ Choice winner Jorja Smith. Last year’s event featured performances from Little Mix, Katy Perry, The Chainsmokers and Coldplay, and Ed Sheeran and Stormzy. Emotional highlights of the night included Robbie Williams receiving the lifetime achievement award and a moving tribute to the late George Michael.

Pop Profiles Season 5

Date: February 2018

Pop Profiles lets you experience the stories of the world’s hottest music stars through their major hit singles. Vh1 charts their career from the earliest performances to the present, via breakthrough singles, concerts and signings with major labels. Watch celebrated artists like Ed Sheeran, Ellie Goulding, Sia, Ariana Grande, Sam Smith, Janet Jackson and many more this season, only on Vh1!

MUMBAI: Way before every teenager had access to a personalised handheld device and worldwide web, existed a time when youngsters had to schedule their study time before they could surf channels for latest music. With evolution, came the digital age and the audience swiftly moved their attention to it. This shift caused dip in the presence of music channels.

In the recent past Channel V and UTV Bindass two prime channel saw an abysmal report and got shut. But still channels like Mastiii, 9XM, MTV and its allied channels are on air and going well, if not strong. When television came in, people predicted radio will be redundant, however that never happened, in fact it is still strong in grassroot areas. The same cant be said about television channels, considering the advent of music apps, YouTube and digitisation in general.

According to a Broadcast Audience Research Council’s last report, the top ten music channels include Mastiii, 9XM, B4U Music, Sony Mix and many more. With Mastiii being on the top with 165473 (in ooo’s) and VH 1 with lowest of meagre 346 (in ooo’s) impressions. VH 1, mostly known for its international music playlist, has been at the low rung for a while.

MTV Beats Head of Youth Ferzad Palia sees a positive side to this concern as he thinks that music genre in general is growing-be it digital or channels. According to him, music genre has scaled 60 per cent over the year and both digital and TV medium are co-existing.

Content is the key differentiator in every competition. Sensing the change in offing, MTV, one of the two phenomenal music channels of 90’s, rebranded itself as an entertainment channel and aired some non-music content like Roadies, Spiltsvilla and thus audience got diversified. Channel V, came in a little late in 2015 had discontinued music programming and focused on dailies or reality shows, however with no overwhelming response, it went back to music programming.

Also, despite Bollywood music or even independent music having a wide reach, regional music has wider reach. Though every channel has a sister concern in every region, Radio is the first choice and now with deep penetration of handheld devices, digital medium is much sought after. Airtel’s Wynk recently reported over 100 per cent spike in streaming of regional music, a phenomenon by itself.

Drawing parallels, these music channels brought many faces to the entertainment industry in form of Video Jockeys, mascots, and gave platform to many homegrown artistes, while streaming apps or platforms like YouTube are mentors to zillions today, giving an equal opportunity to every talent.

The biggest revenues for both the mediums have been advertisers. The segments stay the same, FMCG, Hospitality, Telecom. While TV Channels have a pre-decided capsule of 12 minute for advertising, Digital platforms are not that stringent, hence the influx of advertisers are far more for digital platforms.

The pertinent question is that in an age of digital apps, streaming platforms and still ruling radio channels, are 24 hour music channels still relevant? What keeps these channels alive and kicking is the unique content generated, and Intellectual Properties like MTV had Coke Studio, now MTV Unplugged and MTV Beats has a reality show announced called MTV Beats Discover, curated specially for cover singers. With innovative content, MTV Beats managed a viewership with 118 per cent growth by the end of 2017.Although the episodes of Coke Studio or Unplugged are available on YouTube, the thrill of catching of the episode gives the channel an edge.

To sustain the competition, channels will have to create content and constantly innovate.

MUMBAI: 9X Media announced the elevation of 9XO Programming Head Clyde D’Souza. Clyde has been given the additional responsibility of handling programming for 9XM.

Clyde D’Souza has been associated with 9XO since the inception of the channel and is responsible for driving major innovations such as 9XO Fan Wars, 9XO Hook, Tweet Down, 9XO Social Screen, O Bot, Insta Top 10, etc. Under his guidance 9XO has turned into one of the most popular International music channel in India.

Sharing his enthusiasm, 9XM, 9XO, vice president programming Clyde D’Souza said, “9XM has always wowed the viewers with path-breaking content and curation skills. I am extremely pleased to be a part of the team that has made 9XM India’s most popular Bollywood music destination. My experience of handling a niche International English music channel will help me to create innovative content that would be appealing to the viewers of 9XM. My current focus will be on introducing content innovations and digital extensions that will further build on the popularity of the channel.”

Clyde unveils on what their focus would be on, “There are two big pillars of 9XM. Firstly, there is music curation, next is the animation part and the third element would be an ‘engagement’ with the audience. A whole new 9XM version would be coming along with more of animation and interactive campaigns. We would focus mainly on the ‘animation’ bit and also on our engagement with our audience through digital, on-air or on-ground properties.”

Speaking of this development 9XMedia Pvt Ltd programming officer Amar Tidke said, “Clyde has immense knowledge and experience of creating content that appeals to a varied audience specially the youth. His innovative content ideas on 9XO have made the channel extremely popular among the viewers. Clyde’s elevation to 9XM will bring fresh programming ideas in the channel, further strengthening 9XM’s popularity and viewership.”

MUMBAI: 9X Media is celebrating Valentine’s Day with a series of programming initiatives across the Network’s music Channels. From International music channel 9XO to leading Bollywood Music channel 9XM; from Forever Hits Music Channel 9X Jalwa to number one Punjabi Music Channel 9X Tashan, all the Channels have created and curated Valentine’s Day special programming.

9XO will celebrate Valentine’s Day with series of new shows. 

Bae Time, this show on 9XO will feature Love Songs for your loved ones. Airing on 14 February 2018 this one hour dedicated block will provide tips of dating, Love advice and Relationship goals. Viewers can send in their dedications via 9XO FB page which will be aired on the channel 9XO will also air 9XO Love-O-Thon from 10-14 February. This show will celebrate the current status of your relationship be it Crush to committed, dating to break-up. 9XO brings you one week of love songs.

9XO Love Do is another special on fun relationship advice on what to do and what not to do

9XM

9XM has a special theme this Valentines titled  ‘It’s A Match’. 9XM will play a hit playlist of songs featuring Bollywood Couples and share trivia about the song and the stars. Songs of popular on-screen Bollywood couples  Ranveer-Anushka, Anushka-Shahrukh, Shahrukh-Deepika, Deepika-Ranbir, Ranbir-Katrina and more will feature on the channel at 12pm and 8pm on 14 February 2018.

9X Jalwa

On 9X Jalwa the music mood will be romantic across the day. Dil Ka Mamla Hai is the theme for the day on the channel which will air Special Vignettes, idents, Promos, etc. Based on Valentine’s Day. 9X Jalwa will also air specially curated songs on the Channel’s programming blocks Love Forever and Ask Mona.

9X Tashan

9X Tashan will air a musical show titled Ishq Express, featuring 7 popular celebrities from Punjab who will express their love to their partner and loved ones through their songs. Ishq Express will air on 14 February at 9am & 5 pm.

Stay tuned to 9X Media’s Music channels and celebrate the day of Love with your loved ones.

MUMBAI: 9X Media announced the elevation of Abbas Syed as 9X Jalwa Vice President, Programming and Vishakha Gokhale as  9X Jhakkas Associate Vice President, Programming . This would be in addition to their current roles as 9X Media and Network Music Head VP Content Acquisition, respectively.

Both will be reporting to 9X Media Chief Programming Officer Amar Tidke. Commenting on the elevation, 9X Media Chief Programming Officer Amar Tidke said, “We at 9X Media take immense pride of being the preferred destination for music across languages and regions. 9X Media has always lead the way when it comes to innovation in the music television space. Our channel, 9X Jalwa and 9X Jhakaas manifold times in the last six years. Today these channels are the preferred destinations for ardent music followers across all age groups. I am sure Abbas and Vishakha will continue with the great innovations on their respective channels and propel them to the next phase of growth. Their focused approach will help the channels to further increase their experience and delight amongst the viewers.”

With over 18 years of experience in strategic partnerships, content acquisition and creation, Abbas has worked across various media and entertainment companies. His association with Channel V, MTV Networks, MySpace India and Vodafone has helped him understand the audience preferences as well as the potential of innovative content created across platforms. He has been spearheading the content acquisition across all the five music television channels operated by 9X Media Pvt. Ltd.

Speaking on his new role 9X Jalwa Vice President Programming Abbas Syed said, “I am extremely pleased to be a part of the programming team at 9X Jalwa. The channel enjoys widespread viewership across age groups. I look forward to a very productive and successful journey with 9X Jalwa. My constant endeavour would be to entertain the viewers with content innovations across TV and digital platforms, while airing the Forever Hits music. Also creation, curation and animation would be the prime focus on 9X Jalwa.”

Vishakha Gokhale has been the Network Music Head at 9X Media since the past two years. She comes with a varied experience of over 12 years in the Music and entertainment space. Vishakha was the National Music Manager at Radio City, responsible for programming Music across 20 Radio stations in Hindi Speaking and South Indian markets. She was successfully heading the Network Music team across all channels operated by 9X Media Pvt. Ltd.

Speaking about her new role 9X Jhakkas Associate Vice President, Programming Vishakha Gokhale said, “I am glad to be a part of India’s First Marathi Music Channel. The Network’s vision of creating compelling and engaging content for a global viewer has been fulfilled through the various entertaining properties created on 9X Jhakaas. Today the channel is one of the most preferred destinations for Marathi music. We will focus on amplification of viewer experiences and engagement across the television and digital platforms. In the next phase of growth for 9X Jhakaas we will focus on innovative content specially curated for the Marathi music fans across.”

MUMBAI: It finally happened. 9XM, the home-grown competitor to international music channels like MTV and Channel V, has emerged as the highest viewed music channel over the last six months. A relatively recent addition to our television sets – the channel is ten years old, compared to  the almost thirty years that cult channels like MTV and Channel V have been around – it has been a slow and steady growth curve for 9XM. Here’s a look at its journey to the top.

Starting in 2008, the channel targeted the youth audience from the word go. With its irreverent humour, animated ‘VJ’s, and a clear focus on playing music while other players experimented with alternative content, the channel established itself as ‘the’ go-to music channel over the years.

A Ratings Plus study (A distribution and content optimization tool) conducted by Chrome DM in September 2017 reported 76 per cent of the 1200+ sample preferring 9XM over other music channels. This number went up to 81 per cent in a similar study conducted in March 2017. 52 per cent of audiences preferred to watch the latest songs on 9XM as compared 59 per cent now.21 per cent of viewers had voted 9XM as their favourite channel in September 2017, which grew to 24 per cent in March ’18. The latest viewership figures seem to back these numbers.

9XMedia Managing Director Pradeep Guha at said, “I am extremely proud of the young and vibrant team at 9XM. They took up an uphill challenge and were successful in building a strong foundation for the channel to build on. They have been instrumental in aligning our on-air, distribution and marketing goals and creating incredible experiences for our audience.

There are multiple On-Air and Off-Air factors that affect a channel’s viewership. While off-air factors such as distribution (availability of a channel in TV Households) and marketing campaigns can land the audience at a channel, On-Air factors such as On-Air Presentation, Break Strategy and Actor/Anchor and Content Affinity as well as others affect viewer ‘stickiness’.

According to Chrome DM Founder and CEO Pankaj Krishna, “9XM has consistently ticked off most of these boxes. According to Chrome Ratings Plus, the channel’s content has a strong resonance with the youth. It has always believed in screening innovative content. Their latest achievement is a testament to that.”

Adds Guha, “Strategy partners like Chrome DM help us gain insights into all aspects of running a successful channel, be it distribution or on-screen parameters.”

In terms of its content, 9XM has a decidedly young voice. Apart from airing the latest Bollywood songs, it engages audience with anecdotes and jokes through its now cult animated characters like Bade Chote, Bheegi Billi and The Betel Nuts. Along with this, key innovations like digital/ social media integrations on screen go a long way in holding audience interest. Even its break strategy has been optimized according to its neighbourhood channels, merging distribution and content best practices together.

MUMBAI: Songdew.com that runs the largest music network in India and used by more than 25K artists and bands to promote their music both in audio and video format has taken a new journey as a 24 hours music channel, Songdew TV. Songdew TV is a first-of-its-kind platform for artists to collaborate, create, publish, promote and distribute their music. The channel is for the young and young at heart music lovers who can enjoy numerous private albums that are not available in the mainstream media.

Speaking on the occasion of the launch, founder Sunil Khanna said, “So, we had started with Songdew.com an independent portal for independent artists. In the process, we found that the music videos created by individual artists on our portal were decent and had an outstanding music. We, therefore, wanted to take the work of these talented artists to a larger audience. TV is present in small towns and a music video looks good on the television screen. Thus, Songdew TV happened to provide more encouragement to artists for creating better music.”

Videocon d2h, India’s fastest growing DTH player has partnered exclusively with Songdew for a 24-hour active service providing the biggest TV platform for Indie music to over 19 million households across India. The channel will show the best of independent music, live acts from across the country.

Songdew will air shows like Meet The Music, Track Tales, Songdew Unplugged, World Street Music, etc. These programmes feature some of the very talented musicians and bands including Indian Ocean, Astitva, The Yellow Bucked, Sifar, Sparsh, Daira, Shadow and Light, Harpreet Singh and Shubhangi Joshi.

“We will have a wide genre of songs like folk, fusion, Sufi, rock etc. We will also have interesting programs like Meet The Music that will showcase songs by famous bands like Indian ocean and others. There is another show, Track Tales that will show the process of creating a song by an artist. Also, our show, SongsDew Unplugged will feature some of the best upcoming artists in the acoustic setup,” said Khanna.

He further added, “More than 28000+ talented musicians and bands creating some outstanding music, lack a platform to present their creation to music lovers in India. Songdew TV is a giant step in that direction and we are delighted to partner with Videocon d2h as our first DTH platform.”

 “The trend among youth these days is to explore long tail music beyond film songs. The emergence of music festivals, Live Events, and success of online music platform are a testimonial to this. Handpicked music content on Song dew TV will provide an incredible experience to subscribers of Videocon d2h,” said Sandip Tarkas, Director - Songdew.

Videocon d2h takes pride in presenting its subscribers with a robust line-up of more than 650+ channels and services, including a host of regional channels. It offers a wide range of active services like Smart English, Smart Games. The other active services include d2h Hollywood HD, d2h music, d2h spice, d2h cinema in both Standard Definition and HD, etc.  The channel will be available on channel number 278.

Founder, Sunil Khanna, signed off by mentioning his channels mantra that is showing anything beyond Bollywood. He said, “India has a very rich heritage of folk and Sufi music. There are people who want to listen to jazz and other forms of music and our channel will show them. Starting with a base of 25 million, for now, we will be expanding in the coming months.”

Initial started as a record label in 2014, Songdew.com has offered a successful platform to Indipop singers to showcase their talent. And with the launch of Songdew TV, the music channel is all set to take Indipop to the larger audience both in India and abroad. Yupp TV is the official global partner of Songdew TV.

MUMBAI: Times Music and Speed Records, the leading music label in Punjab, join hands to offer their audience a wider choice of music and help grow the Punjabi music genre across India and in global markets. An initiative started in December 2017, Speed Records YouTube channel, with the help of its partnership with Times Music, now hits 10 million subscribers on YouTube.

Since its inception in 2004, Speed Records has been a promising label promoting and publishing world-class Punjabi music by working closely with the finest artists of the Punjabi music Industry. The catalogue offers an expansive range of Punjabi music across different genres and boast of an artist roster that includes all the top-rated Punjabi singers from across the globe.

"I would like to congratulate the team for their tremendous effort. Our collaboration with Speed has been fruitful. We are definitely looking forward to achieving even greater heights with our collective dedication to offer quality content to our audience," said Times Music COO Mandar Thakur.

“Collaborating with Times Music was indeed one of the best decisions taken by Speed in recent times. Hitting 10 million subscribers on YouTube is a result of our immense hard work and dedication. Such high numbers confirm that we are growing at a steady pace and in the right direction. Our numbers inspire us to push our limits, create better content and cement our place as the Number 1 Punjabi music label in the world,” said Speed Records Director Satwinder Singh Kohli.

Times Music and Speed Records collectively have succeeded in increasing viewership and subscriber bases with their offering of quality music videos, and aggressively promoting their content and artists across various formats. Efforts that have resulted in it becoming the No.1 Punjabi music channel on YouTube, and the only regional Indian music channel on YouTube with 10million plus subscribers from across the globe.

MUMBAI: Bollywood TV channel Zoom will get a new look and feel to match refreshed content, courtesy a partnership with fashion e-tailer Myntra.

The channel has a new logo - Zoom styled by Myntra. It is also launching its first long format series, apart from making a transition from being just a TV channel to a platform agnostic entertainment destination with a presence on TV, social, on-ground and digital.

Officials promise engaging storytelling, infused with a whole new look and feel, new shows, brand new web-series, short formats and exclusive experiences, said a statement.

Times Network Managing Director and CEO M.K Anand said, "With an objective to beat viewer fatigue, we are innovating with content and triggering new conversations to find relevance with the changing consuming pattern of the youth. All this will be in addition to what Indian audiences expect of Zoom, a channel that offers the very best of Bollywood and Bollywood music. The refreshed brand identity will bring a wow factor with a promise to always engage with viewers, across screens making it platform agnostic."

 Myntra and Jabong CEO Ananth Narayanan pointed out that their research shows that by 2020, 75 per cent of what is consumed will be video content and made-for-India original content will grow substantially.

"Fashion as a category lends itself well to the video format, much more than any other category. With the Zoom TV association, our aim is not only to make fashion more accessible, but to make ‘buy it as you see it' a reality. Each show will be styled by Myntra and you can easily get similar looks on the platform," Narayanan said.

The channel's content content includes "The Reunion ‘Jab They Met Again’, which depicts the story of four friends who did everything together in school and their journey when they reunite after ten years. Then there's ‘Open House with Renil’, which will have celebrity host Renil Abraham invite Bollywood celebrities for a conversation.

"E-Town News will be give viewers a daily low-down from the world of entertainment. It will focus on Bollywood news and updates, with segments for fashion, Beyond Bollywood (TV and Hollywood) and What's Buzzing? (social media trending stories).

Labelled, hosted by lifestyle coach and style Guru Nikki Arora, will also be available in a four-minute weekly short format. Apart from the weekly episode on TV, there will be multiple series of digital content of "Labelled" that will launch on ‘Zoom styled by Myntra' social media platforms.

The flagship property, ‘Planet Bollywood’, will get a makeover as the anchors will now drive the conversation to reveal the real "story behind the news".

There will also be ‘Golden Suitcase’, a one-of-a-kind travel award show that rewards consumer experiences and ‘Zoom Glammies’, an award show for India's most beloved divas. 

‘Style Watch’, a bi-monthly property, will showcase airport styles of celebrities and will be Facebook exclusive. 

(Source: IANS)

MUMBAI: Everyone likes music, but simply music can get mundane, hence to make their already colourful channel more appealing MTV Beats is turning ‘June’ musical with its special line-up.

The channel has roped in well-known singers, Kailash Kher, Monali Thakur, Harshdeep Kaur, Amit Mishra, Shilpa Rao, Amit Trivedi, Kanika Kapoor, Neeti Mohan, Jonita Gandhi, Sachin-Jigar, Palak Muchhal and Divya Kumar to share their life’s journey with MTV Beats. Thus, every day the viewers will get anecdotes of one singer’s life in between the music shows. These special clips will be aired throughout the day.

These tales will be a mix of their journey, inspirations and some segments like Jaldi 7 – which will be a rapid fire round.

The first artist on the show happened to be Kailash Kher. The singer shared his love for Delhi, “Delhi ki jo sabse pyaari cheez jo mein sabse zyaada miss karta hoon Mumbai mein who hai “hoosiyari” woh Bombay mein nahi hai. Bombay mein professional log hai.”

MUMBAI: Bollywood music is a solace to everyone’s soul regardless of one’s age. We all have grown up to grooving on the tunes of R.D. Burman and Asha Bhosale, got serenaded by Mohd. Rafi and Mukesh’s love notes, hit the dance floor with Bappi Lahiri’s disco numbers and brought out the romantic in us with Kishore Kumar and Lata Mangeshkar’s soulful voices.

Celebrating the journey of music through decades, this World Music Day, MTV Beats has set a new melodious tune for all the Bollywood music lovers. For the first time ever, the channel will see more than twenty artistes paying tribute to musical legends of Bollywood who have created milestones in various genres.

Here are some of the heartwarming things that these Legends in the Making had to say about their favorites -

Neeti Mohan on Lata Mangeshkar

“If I had to take one name from whom I have personally learnt a lot, that would be Lata ji. Since childhood I have been listening to all her songs be it non-film, regional etc. All her live performances and shows have been like a textbook lesson for me. I have tried singing all her song and I think they are amazing. The kind of technique, finish and style she has put in her career that is something we all aspire to do. I think I am representing a lot of singers because not only has she been my Idol but also the entire nations for the kind of singer or an artist she is. If you listen to Lata ji you will understand the kind of effort she has put in with regards to her clarity in pronouncing the words, the control she has on her breath and her expressions. The kind of effortlessness and sweetness she has while singing a song, I think it is a god gift. It is beautiful to keep listening to her songs because that gives you a motivation to perform like her. So, I think, she is someone whom I’m constantly listening to and will always keep listening to in and will always associate my musical journey with her.”

Amit Mishra on Lata Mangeshkar

“Lata ji inspires me a lot. My favourite song by Lata ji is lag ja gale and I can hear it a million times on repeat mode.”

Palak Mucchal on Mohd. Rafi

“Rafi ji ki makhmali awaz ka jaadoo sadiyon tak apni khushboo hamari zindagiyon mein bikherta rahega. (Raji ji’s smooth voice will always resonate in our lives)”

Guru Randhawa on Mohd. Rafi

“Maine bohat saare accahe artities ko sunna hai but mere favourite hai Mohd. Rafi Saahab.

I think unhone bohat saara contribute kara hai Indian industry mein.Unhonee jo bhi gaya who Mishaal bangaya.”

Sachin Sanghvi on Kishor Kumar

“About Kishore da, he is a living legend. I know it is factually wrong, but he will always live. His voice will always resonate. His songs and his sense of humour, his performance, on screen and off screen, the instances we have heard, it’s amazing.”

Jigar Saraiya on Bappi Lahri

“One thing I remember is Disco. He is one guy who has made music with fun. I feel he makes song while sitting and standing. His dance music is amazing. When he came back with Uh lala, it was amazing. He is the guy you would want to sit and have tea with.”

Shalmali Kholgade on Mukesh Mathur

“I’m a very old soul. Even my own writing is from deep, dark sad space and that is why I enjoy his songs and singing style. Jo sajate hai abh voice ko uthni technology tab thi nahi so who rawness of the song was so hard hitting and endearing which is why I love Mukeh’s voice so much.”

MUMBAI: 9X Media is celebrating International World Music Day by launching a 9X Media original track titled Bajne Do Night & Day. The network has partnered with nine of India’s leading singers with an acclaimed music composer and lyricist from Bollywood. Bajne Do Night & Day will be aired across the five music channels of the 9X Media Network and promoted across its 20 million plus digital communities starting 21 June 2018.

Bajne Do Night & Day brings together popular and renowned singers such as Shaan, Ankit Tiwari, Jyotika Tangri, Dev Negi, Sabri Brothers, Akriti Kakkar, Shruti Pathak and Nav Raj Hans. The foot tapping music is composed by Gourov-Roshin with lyrics by Kunwar Juneja.  

Speaking of the track renowned singer Shaan said, “The track is peppy and fresh and will definitely get the audiences grooving to it once it hits the screens. Bajne do night & day was specially conceptualized around celebrating music!! It has great energy and happy vibe. And so many singers, from different genres, coming together was in itself something special”.

Every year 9X Media celebrates World Music Day with innovative concepts specially curated for music lovers across India. From installing the largest Wall of Music, created for downloading favourite Bollywood songs to putting together Music Dil Mein Baaje a unique track that simultaneously played across 150 night clubs in India on the eve of the World Music Day; 9X Media has always delighted music lovers. 

Speaking about the collaboration  Rajitta Hemwaani, Sr. Vice President, Creative Content & New Business 9X Media Pvt Ltd, said “World Music day is the celebration of music and love for music across the globe. Music adds the zing in our daily lives. We at 9X Media really wanted to make this a special day for our viewers and hence thought of launching Bajne do Night & Day, across our channels to celebrate the occasion. With nine singers, each an ace in his / her field and a killer video, the track is all set to hit the airwaves soon. This is one of our endeavours to celebrate original non film music.”

Bajne Do Night & Day will be aired on 9XM, 9X Jalwa, 9X Tashan, 9X Jhakaas and on 9XO. The song will be widely available for download across Saavn, Gaana.com, iTunes, HungamaPlay, Spotify, Deezer, Amazon Music, Google Play Music, Yupp TV, Idea Music, Jio Music, Wynk, Apalya TV, FunOnGo and Spice Digital.