MUMBAI: The Chennai-based South Indian music channel SS Music will unveil its 2005 calendar year for events with VJ Factor in September. The channel will commence the second edition of the Voice Hunt contest in November.

SS Music has also associated with Hindustan Lever Limited (HLL) as telecast partner of the Go-cart race, which the FMCG major is organising in Tamil Nadu next month.
 
 

The first round of the VJ hunt event VJ Factor will be held in six major Southern towns: Chennai, Coimbatore, Bangalore, Hyderabad, Vizag, Thiruvananthapuram and Kochi. Three contestants from each region will be selected for the final showdown which will be held in Chennai. SS Music is spending approximately Rs 6.5 million on the event.

"The VJ Factor event will be completed in a span of 40 days. Out of the 21 contestants, we will select six winners. Three of the existing SS Music VJs will be replaced with the top three winners," SS Music president B D Ramesh Babu told indiantelevision.com.
 
 

In another important development for the channel this year, HLL has come on board as advertiser for the first time, according to Babu. The company is planning major promotional initiatives for its toiletry brand Rexona in Chennai and is organising a Go-cart race in seven Tamil Nadu towns in September as part of the promotions.

"HLL wanted to associate with us for an on-ground event set in Tamil Nadu as it is intensifying its efforts to promote its Rexona brand in the state," says Babu.

At the conclusion of VJ Factor, SS Music will kick off its popular event the SS Music Voice Hunt in November this year. "Our 2004 edition of the talent hunt had been a great success. The winners have released their video album apart from featuring in a Malayalam movie," says Babu.