MUMBAI: Big CBS has transitioned its youth focussed channel, Big CBS Spark, into a music channel for the youth.

Big CBS, a joint venture between Reliance Broadcast Network Ltd, feels there is a gap in the upmarket audience that the channel can tap into; they want to hear and watch global artistes. Currently, the only channel that has Western music is Vh1.

Big CBS Spark, launched last April, already has a one-year deal with Sony Music. The deal, which can be renewed, will give access to the entire archive of music videos and concerts as well as Sony Music?s upcoming content.

Big CBS is also talking to other labels like Universal to expand the source of its content.

Big CBS business head Vishal Rally said, ?We started the process of beefing up music about a month back. Even earlier the channel had around 30 per cent of music content. We did research. Music is the lifeline of youth. There are very few options for Western music on television.?

With the amount of music content going up, shows like ?90210? have left the channel. The channel recently launched three music based shows - Hip Hop MCs (for rap, hip hop music), Indie Rock Mania (for rock music and independent bands) and Hot Hitz.

The channel defines primetime as 7 pm-midnight. ?We have created music blocks for different genres like pop, rock, world music. At the same time we do have some non music content like the reality show ?Cheaters?. We also have light and comic shows like ?Oblivious? and ?Real TV. Non music content forms around 30 per cent of our primetime lineup,? said Rally.

The channel already has 10-15 per cent local content and aims to increase this to 30-40 per cent. ?We have started to feature college festivals. We want to offer a platform for young and upcoming artists to be showcased in the channel. The focus will be on English rock and pop bands and singers in the country. We are also looking at folk music, which is sadly being ignored. We are also planning to feature musicians from the North East and will do a show around that,? averred Rally.
Big CBS Spark plans to bring international artistes down.

"We will spend the next couple of months observing how the channel fares with youth the core TG being 15-34 SEC A,B. As we are focussing on the youth, the channel will see a use of social media to connect with audiences," said Rally.

MUMBAI: Lucha Libre US has announced a long-term partnership with Reliance Broadcast Network (RBNL).

With the deal in place, the first season of Lucha Libre? Masked Warriors will air simultaneously on RBNL?s English entertainment channel Big CBS Prime, part of the Channels launched through its joint venture with US? CBS Studios International, and its regional entertainment channel - Big Magic - targetted at the states of Uttar Pradesh, Madhya Pradesh, Bihar and Jharkhand.

The show will air on Big CBS Prime each Friday at 9 pm and on Big Magic - each Saturday and Sunday at 7.30 pm.

This programme is a free style wrestling show. The series includes a roster of Mexican and US wrestlers, such as Lizmark Jr., Super Nova, Marco Corleone, Shane Helms and Tinieblas Jr.

RBNL said in a statement, "Sports programs are known to draw huge audiences in India. A deep audience insight mapping indicated an excellent opportunity to bring to India the Masked Warriors, showcasing the new and iconic warriors of Lucha Libre. We are confident that this offering will resonate well with our audiences across both channels, and are extremely pleased with the partnership".

Lucha Libre USA CEO Steven Ship said, "We are excited to be partnering with RBNL to bring this incredible tradition of Lucha Libre to audiences in India and allow them to view the program across demographics. We are confident, the reach and rich relevant audience base of Big CBS Prime and Big Magic will allow us to create sizeable impact in the Indian market".

MUMBAI: English general entertainment channel (GEC) Big CBS Prime is launching new series ?The Defenders? from 7 November 2011 at 9 pm.

The show is a legal drama about two colorful Las Vegas defense attorneys who go all-out when it comes to representing their clients.

Nick and Pete are the local go-to guys with an eclectic client list who are still looking to hit their own jackpot. Jim Belushi and Jerry O?Connell star as the defense attorneys of the show?s title.

The Defenders has been one of the top-rated legal comedy-drama series in America and the channel is eyeing for a similar success with male audience with its fast-paced storyline LA lifestyle and uber-chic crowd.

Reliance Broadcast Networks business head - television channels Nikhil Mirchandani said, "The Defenders is one of the top rated comedy-drama shows in the US. The success of shows like NCIS and CSI, indicate a high appetite for investigation and action shows amongst our audiences. Bringing the show to the India, only strengthens are programming offering and reaffirms our endeavour to offer the latest, freshest and hottest entertainment from the US."

MUMBAI: Big CBS, the 50:50 JV between Reliance Broadcast Networks (RBNL) and US media conglomerate CBS, will launch an high definition channel, Big CBS HD, this quarter. It is also looking at tying up with a distribution platform.

RBNL business head Television Division Nikhil Mirchandani said, "With the HD launch and the first channel launching from the RTL stable in the next quarter, we will have a bouquet of six channels. We are talking to two platforms for distribution and the aim is to increase reach, reduce carriage cost and grow revenue."

Big CBS Prime (the male skewed channel) and Big CBS Love (the women focused channel) will have 25 hours of fresh content each week. The broadcaster has done deals with several content distribution companies like Alfred Haber, Bobby Goldstein and Boman Bridge. Mirchandani said the content split mix is 70:30 in favour of the CBS library.

Big CBS Prime has two local shows, ?Aspire? and ?Big Wheels?. The formats were bought from Bloomberg UTV. Aspire, hosted by Vikram Oza, is a lifestyle show covering things like cars, money, women and all things that men are interested in. The other show is about cars and is hosted by Autocar India editor Hormazd Sorabjee.

On the international front, it will have the drama ?The Defenders? (starring Jim Belushi and Jerry O Connell). Returning shows include Hawaii 5.0. To boost the action quotient, the channel will have Lucha Libre which sees masked wrestlers fighting free style. Ballator a mixed martial arts programme.

As far as Big CBS Love is concerned, the channel will have a local show - India?s Glam Diva where 10 top divas from the country will compete for the title on the basis of body, mind and soul. The channel had earlier done ?India?s Sexiest Bachelor?.

In December, the channel will launch ?Jo Fit Hai Woh Hit Hai?. A lifestyle, travelogue treatment will be given to the show. From abroad comes ?Kid Nation?, a reality show where 40 kids have 40 days to build a world of their own. ?Excused? looks to offer a fresh take on dating. ?Oprah?s Ultimate Australian Adventure? will air on weekends, while ?Oprah? airs during primetime.