Music and Youth
Channel [V] claims growth overdrive
Watch out the [V] machine is coming. That is the message that the Star Network’s music channel is sending out to its rivals, principally MTV. Channel [V]’s strategy of focussing on the urban youth market and creating new formats and programming innovations like Coke [V] Popstars talent hunt that gave birth to all-girl band VIVA!, is paying rich dividends, the channel claims.
The success of Coke [V] Popstars as well as the album sales of VIVA!, has seen Channel [V] driving growth in the entire music category in the last few months, claim channel representatives, quoting AC Nielsen’s TAM data.
Says Sameer Nair, COO Star TV: “Popstars was the flagship show on the channel and it performed that role as expected, fuelling growth in shares & increasing the stickiness of the channel.”
Measurement Parameter Channel [V]
Audience Share 127% Up
TVR 100% Up
Cumulative Reach 26% Up
Time Spent 68% Up
(Source: TAM Media research, Base: C&S SEC ABC 15-24 yrs, 9 cities, April to June 2002 versus April to June 2001)
Among the other recent successes the channel has notched up are the 8 Promax BDA awards it picked up in Los Angeles. This has been the one of the largest hauls for any Indian Channel in recent times.
And to keep the momentum going, Channel [V] has completely rejigged its morning band, as research showed that viewers preferred back-to-back music in this slot & not VJ-hosted or link-based shows. With this in mind, the Captain Fastbreak band has been created with the catchline “you are never more than 60 seconds away from great music!” The channel has also launched [V] Video War, an interactive SMS-based show where viewers vote for their preferred music video.
Says Amar Deb, creative director, “We will continue to show the way in the music television category with our racy promos & innovative programming. There is a whole series of new stuff in the pipeline which will ensure that Channel [V] will continue to retain this edge.”
MUMBAI: Mumbai is about to witness something it has never seen before. The Global Youth Festival arrives on 6-7 December at Jio World Garden with 15,000 attendees and 60-plus experiences sprawled across six sprawling arenas. On its sixth edition, this is no ordinary jamboree—it is a carefully orchestrated collision of wellness, adventure, arts, music, yoga and social change.
Chief Minister of Maharashtra Devendra Fadnavis will throw open the proceedings with a landmark ceremony, signalling the state’s backing for a movement that has already mobilised youth across 20-plus countries and 170-plus cities. The sheer scale is staggering: 500-plus volunteers powering the machine, 600,000-plus volunteer hours logged across previous editions, and millions of lives touched annually.
The speaker roster is formidable. Diipa Büller-Khosla and Dipali Goenka, chief executive of Welspun India, will share the stage with Malaika Arora in conversations spanning leadership, creativity and culture. Union Minister for Sports and Youth Affairs Mansukhbhai Mandaviya will also attend, reinforcing GYF’s reach into the corridors of power.
But this is not mere talk. The Solaris Mainstage promises concerts from renowned Indian artists. Innerverse delivers a 360-degree LED spectacle of art, technology and sound. The Love and Care Arena houses hands-on projects spanning women’s empowerment, child education, rural upliftment and animal welfare. India’s largest outdoor sound-healing experience awaits. An inflatable obstacle course, neon drifter karts and open-sky bouldering cater to thrill-seekers.
Some have branded GYF the “Coachella of Consciousness.” Others call it “India’s Largest Sober Festival.” Spiritual visionary Pujya Gurudevshri Rakeshji, who inspired the festival, will deliver the Wisdom Masterclass. Every rupee goes to charity.
After Mumbai comes Kolkata on 14 December. New York looms next year. For one weekend in December, Mumbai becomes the epicentre of youth-driven change—and nothing will be quite the same after.
Tickets available on BookMyShow. Visit youthfestival.srmd.org or follow @globalyouthfestival on Instagram.
