9X Media launches English music channel 9X0 today!

9XO is the sixth Music Channel from 9X Group, which operates India's No. 1 Bollywood Music Channel 9XM, Punjabi Super Hit Music Channel 9XTashan, Marathi Music Channel 9XJhakaas, Timeless Bollywood Hits Channel - 9XJalwa and 9XM ' UK which is available on the Sky Digital Platform.

Speaking exclusively to adgully on the launch of 9XO, Luke Kenny, Programming Head for 9XO said "Till date there has never been a 100% pure International Music Television Channel. Presently there are not many channels showcasing international music and they are not heavy on the TAM ratings.

Regarding content strategy he said that its targeted at the upscale urban youth, 9XO will air contemporary and uptempo English and International music from the top 10 charts from across the globe for e.g. hit Korean pop and German rock music. They will also support Indian contemporary music. 9XO will also provide a platform called OmeGrown, for independent Indian music bands playing English music to showcase their talent. 9XO will air English and International music. The Channel's programming lineup comprises of fresh and innovative segments such as O-Vid, Who Dat, Wotta Song, Hot Sh*t & Out There, among many others which will showcase Hit International music cutting across genres, themes and artists. The global explosion of EDM (Electronic Dance Music) will find a special place on the channel on weekends giving the dance music audience their very own house party experience. BYOB (Bring You Our Beats) is an uninterrupted flow of all the hottest dance hits from the biggest global DJs. All you have to do is leave your TV tuned to 9XO and Dance!

9XO will also launch its official website ' www.9xO.in on the same day of the Channel's on-air launch. The vibrant and user-friendly website will engage the users with a series of innovative sections such as O-BOARD, LAUGH-O-RAMA, etc. Since music is largely consumed by the youth online O-BOARD will encourage the youth to create their own playlist with their selected songs and share it with other users. There will also be a special college playlist section, where students from various colleges all over the country can create their own college playlists and publish the same on the website. These playlists will be closely monitored and updated regularly by the student consultants on board of 9XO. LAUGH-O-RAMA will provide a great platform to Indian comedians to showcase their talent and get internet users to rank them.

When asked about competition he said," that none of the channels showcase only music its a mix and they are in the domain of 100% music with 9XO we would bring the music video experience back full circle to the way the audience likes it, uninterrupted¦ with no non-music programming whatsoever." Regarding research he said "Most of the channels started off with 60:40 ratio of Indian music versus international hits. Then they moved on to music reality shows which are a good way of engaging the youth but over the years they have realized that the youth have moved away from reality shows and their need for getting complete music on television remains unfulfilled.Some Media planners too opined that most channels in the genre start off as music channels but ultimately wander off.

Luke Kenny further stated, "The resurgence of Indian artists and bands playing English music has encouraged us to introduce a unique platform on 9XO called OmeGrown." The platform will highlight Indian talent and will bring to the fore the multi-talented youth who are pursuing English music and its sub-cultures in creative ways. He also said that " You may discover some local talent or some old friend who would have performed at a local pub."

With regards to distribution he said that 9XO will be widely available across cable and satellite homes in India and across key DTH platforms . On asking about insights on the content strategy he said a music research was conducted and 150 students were empaneled and were asked their views as to what they would like to hear and see on a music channel and Luke Kenny found that the youth expectations and aspirations matched with his own experiences and expectations. They wanted to hear more classics.

With digitization soon approaching 9X0 have also worked on the duration of content and advertisement breaks. He said that there would be lesser advertisement breaks and there would be no revenue loss. They would focus on making their distribution robust . . They have been working with their advertisement teams to see that content and advertisements are in sync. and the viewers would not be bothered with too many ad breaks.

9XO's channel packaging has been designed using pop-art influences and elements with a layer of humour and attitude which would delight our target group." He also said that viewership interest and curiosity would always be there initially and hence initial sampling of the channel too. We are convinced and confident that the channel will receive a great response and will become the ultimate destination for international music

Mr. Punit Pandey, Sr. VP and Business Head, 9X Media Pvt. Ltd. said "Post a series of successful launches across the regional and Hindi markets and the launch of 9XM in the United Kingdom, we are pleased to present 9XO - an international music channel. The urban youth in India clearly feels the need of a platform that delivers International music in a great audio visual format. With 9XO we believe that we address this need gap by airing the best of English and International Music."

Mr. Pandey further added, "We have also impaneled about 150 college students across key metros that we worked with, right at the channel construct stage. These students would continue to work with us as 9XO Board of Advisors on all the upcoming initiatives on the channel as well as on our digital platform."

We did a dipstick on 9XO to understand the youth expectation and we came up with a mixed bag of reactions.The youth seem to be keen to sample it and then comment on their preference.

So far the the group has held fort with a slew of launches we wish them luck for 9XO.In today's day and age there is no success formula for what works its a niche genre hence cannot really say which way it will sway.