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MTV bolsters original content offering to dominate youth channel space
MUMBAI: After Star India had decided to pull the plug on its youth channel Channel V, Viacom18’s MTV channel is the only one left to entertain viewers with the original content. The tug-of-war between MTV and Channel V was worthwhile as the audiences were served with the plethora of original content.
MTV seems to be enjoying its only presence in the youth and entertainment genre as the network is scaling up its pie by announcing 10 hours of new original content per week.
Viacom18 head—youth, music and English entertainment Ferzad Palia said that the network has seen a phenomenal response in the last 12-18 months and has grown from strength to strength on all counts. “Whether its ratings, revenue, buzz, social engagement, we are the only one creating this content. So we are literally a genre in ourselves with everyone else turning back to playing music videos.”
Being bullish about the youth genre, he said, “There’s only MTV, there’s no other youth genre, and who else do you compare with us? Everyone else who used to make any sort of original content has either folded up or has switched being the music video channel.” He added that when the channel had reorganised the portfolio in 2018, it had a clear vision that MTV Beats will take the lead when music is concerned and MTV will look at original content creation.
Palia said that the cluster had experimented in the last 12-18 months, which has resulted in great success on TV and digital. “Our ratings for TV has doubled and the consumption on digital space on digital has gone up three times. Whichever TG you look at, 15-30 years of age group, we are now at about 13 million gbm. We have upped the game almost 10 fold.”
The network has set its ball rolling to launch three new shows, the fourth season of India’s Next Top Model, premiering from 6 October every Saturday at 6 pm, Elevator Pitch—airing on 12 October, every Friday at 7 pm and Ace of Space ¬scheduled every day at 6 pm from 20 October.
When asked about the ad inventories sold for the new shows, Palia said, “A lot of the ad inventory is sold and a lot of them will get sold. Since it is also festive season so we are actually going oversold on MTV to drop many spots on the daily basis, we would love to accommodate it, but we cannot and that is thankfully the good problem to have currently. In addition, it is not just the inventories the sponsorships, the integration and the customisations that we do, we also have another source of revenue which is very healthy source of revenue and that is the branded content. We do a lot of turnkey work for advertisers who want to reach out to the youth and leverage them who can really speak best and integrate them as we did recently for Airbnb with Saif and Kareena.”
MTV had cemented its grasp over young India with 400 million viewers tuned into the channel and garnering 6 billion watch-minutes on Voot in the last one year. As per the BARC data’s week 39, MTV rules the chart with 18495 Impressions (000s) sum, followed by Zing, E24 and MTV HD+ securing second, third and fourth positions respectively with 10169 Impressions (000s) sum, 4128 Impressions (000s) sum and 190 Impressions (000s) sum.
NEW DELHI: Hamdard Laboratories gathered a cross-section of India’s achievers in New Delhi on Friday, handing out the Hakeem Abdul Hameed Excellence Awards to figures who have left their mark across healthcare, education, sport, public service and the arts.
The ceremony, attended by minister of state for defence Sanjay Seth and senior officials from the ministry of Ayush, celebrated individuals whose work blends professional success with a sense of public purpose. It was as much a roll call of achievement as it was a reminder that influence is not measured only in profits or podiums, but in people reached and lives improved.
Among the headline awardees was Alakh Pandey, founder and chief executive of PhysicsWallah, recognised for turning affordable digital learning into a mass movement. On the sporting front, Arjuna Awardee and kabaddi player Sakshi Puniya was honoured for her contribution to the game and for pushing women’s participation onto bigger stages.
The cultural spotlight fell on veteran lyricist and poet Santosh Anand, whose songs have echoed across generations of Hindi cinema. At 97, Anand accepted the honour with characteristic humility, reflecting on a life shaped by perseverance and hope.
Healthcare honours spanned both modern and traditional systems. Manoj N. Nesari was recognised for strengthening Ayurveda’s place in national and global health frameworks. Padma shri Mohammed Abdul Waheed was honoured for his research-backed work in Unani medicine, while padma shri Mohsin Wali received recognition for his long-standing contribution to patient-centred care.
Education and social development also featured prominently. Padma shri Zahir Ishaq Kazi was honoured for decades of work in education, while former Meghalaya superintendent of Police T. C. Chacko was recognised for public service. Goonj founder Anshu Gupta received an award for his dignity-centred rural development initiatives, and the Hunar Shakti Foundation was honoured for empowering women and young girls through skill development.
The Lifetime Achievement Award went to former IAS officer Shailaja Chandra for her long career in public healthcare and governance, particularly in the traditional systems under Ayush.
Speaking at the event, Hamdard chairman Abdul Majeed said the awards were a tribute to those who combine excellence with empathy. “These awardees reflect Hakeem Sahib’s belief that healthcare, education and public service must ultimately serve humanity,” he said.
Minister Seth struck a forward-looking note, saying India’s young population gives the country a unique opportunity to become a global destination for learning, health and wellness by 2047.
The ceremony also featured the trailer launch of Unani Ki Kahaani, an upcoming documentary starring actor Jim Sarbh, set to premiere on Discovery on 11 February.
Instituted in memory of Unani scholar and educationist Hakeem Abdul Hameed, the awards have grown into a national platform that celebrates those building a more inclusive and resilient India. For one evening at least, the spotlight was not just on success, but on service with substance.
