Music and Youth
ETC network looking for strong revenues from teleport project
ETC Networks, the only Hindi language channel broadcaster after Jain TV to get government clearance for uplinking from India, sees the teleport facility that it will be establishing in Mumbai soon as a strong revenue source.
Jagjit Singh Kohli, one of the promoters and managing director, ETC Networks, made the point at the company’s first annual general meeting in Mumbai yesterday. “This uplinking business will be the fourth stream of revenue which we are looking at,” he said. At present, the income comes from advertising, selling of commercial time and from sale of programmes (which was very low for year 2000-2001). As per ETC’s annual report 2000 – 2001, ad revenues stood at Rs 324 million, commercial time sale fetched 150 million and programmes sale was 1.7 million.
ETC has identified three possible locations for its teleport in and around Mumbai’s western suburb of Andheri. Close to RS 18.6 million has been put aside for establishing uplinking facilities. The teleport is expected to be up and running within this financial year, and ETC is confident that it will also be generating revenue from Day 1, Neelam Gupta, head corporate communications, said.
Also proceeding on schedule was the rollout of set top boxes for the conversion of the channel from an analog feed to a digital one, the spokesperson said. Set top rollout had crossed the halfway stage, Gupta said, adding that till the process was complete the channel would be transmitting under a dual feed.
According to the annual report, the growth strategy of the channel stressed the importance of distribution rather than programming and television rating strategies. Statistics provided in the report shows that 57.3 per cent of C&S household have Black & White TV sets which can show only 11 channels, around 42 per cent of C&S TV household have TV sets which can show 16 channels and only the remaining households (0.7 per cent) have access to all 90 odd channels. So the target is to maximise available channel space. ETC claimed that it reached the prime band of 80 per cent of India’s 30 million (as per the Year 2000 stats) C & S homes. The future strategy is clear. Spread the reach as deep as possible, increase the viewership by providing quality music programming (85 per cent of the channel’s content comprised Indian music last year).
Talking about the vision of the company in the report, Yogesh Radhakrishnan one of the promoters of ETC Networks Ltd. says: “The management will consolidate its position across both the channels and drive advertisement rates to maximise revenue.”
The channel claims leadership in the music channel segment with a market share of 31 per cent (4 plus all C & S homes) as per INTAM ratings.
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.
