MAM
B4U Music targets youth through Cafe Coffee Day tie-up
MUMBAI: Catch them while they’re young and at the place they are most likely to be found – is the latest mantra on which B4U Music is cashing in.
Amidst tough competition from other music channels, the channel is all geared up to ensure that it garners maximum viewership. The latest venture is the tie-up with Café Coffee Day, a café chain which has 60 outlets across the country. The number of the outlets is expected to rise to 130 next year, according to an official release.
As part of the tie-up, which is for a period of one year, the café outlets will play B4U Music on strategically placed television sets and hold contests, promos and events organised by the channel. They will also provide the channel with strategic branding space. In turn the channel has offered between 10 and 12 commercial spots during primetime.
“We were looking for an association with a retail outlet at the ground level. We opted for Café Coffee Day because it has a youthful and vibrant ambience which is akin to the channel. The tie up aims to provide leverage to both entities,” says B4U Television Network, chief marketing officer Rajnish Lall.
“A café chain is a good promotional ground as it gets an average of 500 footfalls per day. Even if an individual spends an average of 20 minutes, it serves the purpose,” Lall adds.
The channel is also holding talks with some lifestyle brand stores and apparel stores for similar tie-ups, informs Lall.
On the programming front, the channel has spruced up its programmes to meet the demands of its niche audience-the urban youth. “As a channel we have associated ourselves with on air and ground musical events, which will keep the channel abuzz,” states Lall.
B4U Music’s latest initiative of collaborative marketing is definitely aimed at increasing its audience share amongst the younger audiences!
Brands
YES Bank hands the keys to SBI veteran Vinay Tonse as it bets on a new era
Former SBI managing director appointed as YES Bank’s new MD and CEO
MUMBAI: YES Bank is done rebuilding. Now it wants to grow. The private sector lender has appointed Vinay Muralidhar Tonse as managing director and chief executive officer-designate, with RBI approval secured and a start date of April 6, 2026 confirmed. The three-year term signals the bank’s intent to shift gears from crisis recovery to full-throttle expansion.
Tonse, 60, is no stranger to scale. Most recently managing director at State Bank of India, he oversaw a retail book of roughly $800bn in deposits and advances, one of the largest in the country. Before that, he ran SBI Mutual Fund from August 2020 to December 2022, a stint that saw assets under management surge from Rs 4.32 lakh crore to Rs 7.32 lakh crore across market cycles. Add stints in Singapore and four years leading SBI’s overseas operations in Osaka, and the incoming chief arrives with a genuinely global CV.
His academic grounding is equally solid: a commerce degree from St Joseph’s College of Commerce, Bengaluru, and a master’s in commerce from Bangalore University.
The appointment follows an extensive search and evaluation process by the bank’s Nomination and Remuneration Committee. NRC chairperson Nandita Gurjar said the committee unanimously backed Tonse, citing his leadership track record, governance credentials and ability to drive the bank’s next phase of transformation.
Non-executive chairman Rama Subramaniam Gandhi was unequivocal. “I am certain that Vinay Tonse, with his vast experience as a senior banker, will propel YES Bank to its next phase of growth,” Gandhi said, adding that the bank remains focused on strengthening its retail and corporate banking franchises and expanding its branch network.
Rajeev Kannan, non-executive director and senior executive at Sumitomo Mitsui Banking Corporation, the bank’s largest shareholder, said Tonse’s experience across retail, corporate banking, global markets and asset management positioned him well to lead the lender. SMBC said it looks forward to working with Tonse and the board as YES Bank pursues its ambition of becoming a top-tier private sector lender anchored in strong governance and sustainable growth.
Tonse succeeds Prashant Kumar, who took the helm in March 2020 when YES Bank was in freefall following a severe financial crisis, and spent six years painstakingly stabilising the institution, rebuilding governance and restoring operational scale. Gandhi was generous: “The bank remains indebted to Prashant Kumar, who is responsible for much of what a strong financial powerhouse YES Bank is today.”
Tonse, for his part, struck a purposeful note. “Together with the board and my colleagues, I remain deeply committed to creating long-term value for all our stakeholders,” he said, pledging to build on Kumar’s foundation guided by his personal motto: Make A Difference.
Beyond the balance sheet, Tonse played cricket at college and club level and represented Karnataka in archery at the national championships — sports he credits with teaching him teamwork, situational leadership, discipline and focus. In quieter moments, he reaches for retro Kannada music, classic Hindi songs, and the crooning of Engelbert Humperdinck, Mukesh and Kishore Kumar.
YES Bank has its steady-handed rebuilder in Kumar to thank for survival. Now it has a scale-obsessed growth banker at the wheel. The next chapter starts April 6.
