MUMBAI: After attaining success with its first broadcast project Hummra M, Complete News and Entertainment Broadcast Pvt Ltd (CNEB) and Launch Pad have joined hands yet again to enter the Punjab market with another regional channel.

Slated to launch within a month, the channel will be based on similar lines as the Bhojpuri music channel with animated characters as its USP and playing hit Punjabi film music. Apart from that, 2013 will also witness the company’s entry into other markets like Orissa and Bengal.

Speaking with Radioandmusic.com, Launchpad partner Vikas Verma said, “We have plans to venture into other markets like Orissa and Bengal with more regional channels in the pipeline. But right now our main focus is on Punjab where our next channel will launch within the next 30 days.”

The company currently has the Bhojpuri music channel Hummra M in its stable which launched in Bihar, Jharkhand and some markets in UP in August 2012. Within five months of its launch, the channel is already gaining ground in the Hindi heartland and has beaten the likes of Sangeet Bhojpuri, Mahua, Big Magic and Dabanngg in the area (as per TAM ratings).

“The Bhojpuri market is growing at a very good rate and it is very exciting to explore the scene further. We beat most other channels soon after our launch because we added a lot of colour and vibrancy to Bhojpuri music to draw the attention of our viewers, which has made us profitable,” he added.

Apart from playing hit Bhojpuri film music, the channel also boasts of popular animated characters around which the business model revolves. Amongst its most popular segment is ‘Sasur ke Naati’ featuring two characters teasing each other through jokes and funny shayaris. It received a fairly good response with most viewers now sending in their own jokes and adding to the channel’s growth.

Using animation and cartoon characters as the key to draw in the attention of its viewers, the channel is also slated to launch a new musical show surrounding various characters.

Verma revealed, “Animation is the perfect way to reach out to the audiences today. The new generation of characters helps in building a connect with people as they just want to listen to hit music and have some fun along with it. Our model does not revolve around musical shows, so we innovate through humour. We have plans to launch another musical show revolving around some characters in a month.”

The early success of the channel has also resulted in helping it get various brands and advertisers on-board, which in turn is seeing the channel climb swiftly up the leaderboard in the space. With the Bhojpuri speaking market being the thrust areas for most brands including Dabur, Emami, TVS and more, the segment is just expanding with the channel having over 20 brands in its kitty currently.

With a large number of Bhojpuri films being released every year, the market is witnessing significant growth with the presence of such players celebrating regional music and culture. But inspite of more players entering the market with differentiated content, Hummra M is secure of its position on the top. It is also at present in talks with various producers for musical associations with upcoming movies in the Bhojpuri market.

“Bhojpuri music is good and the local people love their movies and culture, so we celebrate that content and thus do not feel the need to explore with new content at all. We don’t have any gossip shows or segmented content unlike other channels which also act as GEC’s, and have no plans to enter that space as well,” he concluded.