MUMBAI: With the strategy to expand its content offering in all formats, print major Matrubhumi group has officially launched its Malayalam news channel titled ‘Mathrubhumi News’ today. Also in the line-up is the music channel Kappa TV that will launch on 1 February in Kerala and later in Gulf along with Indian cities.

Though currently the channel’s distribution is focused only in Kerala, it will also expand to other regions like, all countries in the Gulf and gradually also launch in other states in India. With such big plans ahead, reports had stated that the company has invested around Rs 500 million in both its ventures.

Speaking with Radioandmusic.com, Matrubhumi group director Shreyams Kumar said, “The investment we have done is basically in the infrastructure sector. Yes we have invested a huge amount.”

As the company lays big bets on the channel, they have ensured a differentiated format for it based on animation and humour amalgamated with different genres of music. Though they have not roped in any VJs, the shows will be strictly based on the appointment viewing format and be accompanied with animation. The content will also range from songs in Hindi, English, Malayalam and Tamil in the film, non-film and remix genres.

With one player offering a wide range of content, the fragmentation of the content bouquet might create a void in the audience consumption. Differing with the thought, Kumar said, “Music in Kerala is consumed very differently. Here, after Malayalam and Tamil, Hindi and English music is the most consumed by a varied group of audience. Unlike other states which only focus on regional content, we aim to change that structure and play music from different categories. Such segments our well received on our radio station and we are hoping for the same here as well. The listening pattern here is pretty different and like everywhere else, the youth are also a major part of our target group.”

The channel has developed characters like ‘Raghuram Iyer’ that will focus on music videos that have been copied from any other tracks. Having been adopted from the company’s radio station Club FM, the character will find out such ‘copied’ music videos and the segment will play the original and copied video alongside each other.

Another character the company has developed is the ‘Golmaal Bhai’ that aims to find something funny in each track played, by catching a particular word or phrase and commenting on it.

Apart from that, a host of shows have also been lined up to cater to the channel’s differed audience. In the morning slot ‘Rise n Shine’ show will be followed by other shows like ‘Big League’ comprising English music, a youth based show ‘Speak Out’, ‘Film lounge’ showcasing hit film tracks, ‘Medley Chutney’ where different songs will be fused together and played for a duration of 10-20 minutes and a host of candid shows amongst others.

“We have followed a very different format with this specialty channel and have ensured that the level of interruptions is done in a nice manner which does not affect viewing. Our wide range of shows will cater to the music needs of all kinds of audiences as we have not roped in specific VJs for any shows. Going ahead, we will surely explore all options and see what works best for us,” he expressed.

One of the largest players in the print sector, the group is also garnering much success through its radio initiative Club FM. With both of these new initiatives slated to propel the group in a new league altogether, a host of advertisers have also joined the bandwagon ensuring a good run in the space.

Kumar revealed that the market has shown a good response to their new ventures and there are a lot of expectations from many advertisers and brands who have joined on-board for the same. The group has reportedly partnered with big names in the FMCG, retail, auto and finance sectors amongst others.

“Many big companies have tied-up with us for our new ventures, though FMCG’s are the main as they have the largest budget because of different retail sectors like jewellery and more which work well in the southern states. But ultimately it all depends on how well we deliver the content as we are here to expand the market share in the space,” he stated.