MUMBAI: It is one of the only music channels that has stayed away from the charm of reality shows. With its burgeoning TRPs, 9XM is on the top of the number game currently and making no attempt to be modest about it.
Talking about the growth of the channel in the year gone by, INX media music entertainment head Vikas Varma says, "2009 has been a wonderful year for us and we are looking forward to the this year. We are the only music channel who have earned profits as shown by the record books. We have retained our top position in the market."
When other music channels are taking the plunge into the world of reality shows 9XM steers away from the genre. "We as a brand stand for music and will stick to it. Not that reality shows are a bad genre but if we want to get into the space we will probably set up another channel. There is no point in adulterating the genres."
The channel which has carved a niche for itself for its 'only music' content is also widely known for its animated characters like Bade Chote, Bheegi Billi and Betel Nuts. Last year, it added another character to the family called Badshah Bhai. The channel would be unveiling yet another character soon. "We are planning to come up a new animated character by the month of March- April," Varma adds. Though he refused to divulge details about the character, he says it would be a "fun, enjoyable" character well, that's not giving away much.
The music channel also plans to explore other platforms in the coming months. Apart from television, it plans to target the mobile platform and even the internet space. "Unlike the other channels, we have been very selective about giving out our characters to the world. You wouldn't hear any of our ring tones nor would you see are our animated characters splashed everywhere," he says. Varma adds, "Where our competitors are going over the top with the other mediums, we don't want to divert our energy entirely onto the other platforms. We are planning to explore other platforms but underlining the fact that our core product is television. It is a reflection of attitude that 9XM stands for- music first."
The channel had launched a mobile site earlier in 2009 called 'wap.9xm.in'which features music videos, wallpapers and Bollywood movies. It also offers animated characters, mobile games, ringtones, themes and interesting features for visitors. It features its popular animated characters such as Bade Chote, Bheegi Billi and Betel Nuts. The channel also plans to revamp its site making it more interactive. "Within two weeks, our viewers will get to see a new revamped site which will include games revolving around the animated characters as well as various other downloadable products," Varma adds. Gaming is another medium which the channel has set its eyes on. "There is nothing more exciting than to play with animated characters. We are looking forward to explore that mode of entertainment as well and would develop games revolving around our characters."
The channel also plans to launch its operations in other Asian markets. Quips Varma, "Eventually, we would like to spread our wings. But that would take time. As of now, the whole world is exploiting the Indian market hence it would be foolish not to focus here."
Explaining the revenue model for the channel which has lesser advertisers than most music channels, Varma states, "Our advertising rates are higher hence we make do with few advertisements. The advertisers are also ready to pay a higher amount since we manage to grab eyeballs and our TRPs are very high. In fact, we one of the only music channels that has earned profits last year."
"We are very positive about the year and are certain to retain our position. The year looks very bullish for us and we would continue to entertain our target audience with pure music," he signs off.