CHANNEL V'S Y2K PLANS

Channel V India is looking to jumpstart itself as it enters Year 2000. Starting January next year, it is going to pump megabucks into marketing as it tries to further stabilise its position in the complicated Indian market place.

"We launched in August this year. We took the risk and exposed ourselves by testing the relaunched Channel V with our youth viewers rather than doing focus groups," says Channel V Asia chief Steve Smith. "Now that we are entering our second season, the good news that some of our shows have started generating revenue over the past couple of months. We are tweaking a few of them based on the feedback we have got and putting a lot of marketing muscle behind the channel."

Smith dismisses any allegations that he has been brought in to help close down Channel V. "We are launching V Philippines on Wednesday. There's stuff happening in Korea, Israel, and Malaysia. There is no truth that we intend to close down the service."

He, however, agrees that things have not been all that hunky-dory in both China and India. "The biggest markets that we are aiming for, and we still have not the formula right, though we seem to have got the right people and the strategy in India, we need to do much more. Our revenues need to go up at least 50% from current levels to make it a good business." He points out the India office has gone up from 100 staffers to 180 in rapid quick time, with 15 of them being placed in distribution to increase the channel's penetration in India.

"The Tea with V block from 4 to 7 pm and the late night has caught on. But we have to start moving the ratings faster," he says. The good news from his office, says Smith is that, V Thailand and V Australia are both making money, while V International is breaking even. "Now to replicate that in India and take the youth channel model to other countries," he says.

Smith is also angling to get live up linking rights from India for Channel V. "Our role model is the Thailand V where we have 8 hours a day of live interactive programmes. I expect that within a year we will have live up linking."

In the interim, he says that the goal will be to integrate Channel V India and the vindia.com web site. "We want to cross-utilise the two and bring out the synergies between the two."

He adds that he has said end-March as the deadline to find out if the Channel V India strategy is working. "One thing we are sure of: we will not go back to the old music video format. It's not viable. Hence, in the second season we are taking shows 13 weeks at a time. "

But other pressures will be felt at Channel V the coming couple of months. "The next round of funding ..the next capital call..comes up. I hope to have the numbers looking up by then."