Music and Youth
9X Media launches audience Brand Connect to create innovative brand properties
MUMBAI: 9X Media Pvt. Ltd has created a separate division called Audience Brand Connect (ABC) to handle the business of branded content for the network. ABC will help brands create intellectual properties and will narrate their brand stories beyond the 30-second ad format. The new division will develop bespoke advertising and promotion options for marketers across 9X Media’s music channels namely 9XM, 9X Jalwa, 9X Tashan, 9X Jhakaas and 9XO.
ABC will be headed by 9X Media VP of ad sales Uday Thareja. Thareja will continue to report to Pawan Jailkhani.
Commenting on the initiative, 9X Media Pvt. Ltd. chief revenue officer Jailkhani said, “In the recent past, we have been successful in creating branded content shows such as #Asktrack and The Sunday Flea Market. Both these shows received an overwhelming response from the consumers. We now want to take the branded content business to the next level with the launch of Audience – Brand Connect. Our youth centric content and the wide reach across HSM (Hindi Speaking Market) through our music channels, give us better insights into this business.”
“Marketers are looking at providing consumers a unique experience and better entertainment options while promoting their brands. They are investing in the creation of innovative brand properties with better shelf lives. We are confident that Audience – Brand Connect will be beneficial to the advertisers and also keep our viewers entertained with innovative programming,” he further added.
The property will offer branded content, sponsorships and new media deals across all the Hindi and Regional music channels operated by 9X Media. It will also include co-created customized shows, on-ground large format events and consumer engagements on the digital platform.
ABC will also take into consideration data and brand analytics while creating branded content shows. The consumer behavior through the network’s digital base will also be considered while strategizing on brand solution requirements for the clients.
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.
