Striking the Right Note

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                             _______________ ANUPREETA DAS

It's a bit tough to understand how B4U Music, the four-month-old channel, has managed an eyeball coup of sorts, but recent TAM figures (Television Audience Measurement) show that B4U’s audience share stands at 43 per cent — the highest among music channels. MTV is the hardest hit, since it was surging ahead with the TRPs, with Channel V and Music Asia (now Zee Music in its revamped avatar) trailing behind. If the TAM’s People Meter is to be believed, MTV’s share has fallen from 38 per cent in the beginning of May 2000 to 20 per cent at the end of July. So what’s new at B4U Music? Anyone who watches the channel won’t be able to tell much of a difference.

The only reason why B4U may have worked is that they play full songs, have very few ads so far (good for the audience, bad for the channel) and well, the veejays are new-ish. If you’re looking for original programming (and if Bakra appeals to your sense of humour), your only option still remains MTV. Incidentally, the channel’s been getting a lot of awards lately for their in-house advertisements and zany promotions. They won three A & M awards last month, including a gold for ‘Marketing Best — Advertising that Worked’.

The other thing MTV is promoting very vigorously is their bunch of veejays. In addition to Asif Churan, there’s Mini Fairness Cream and more, all designed to promote their veejays as individual brands within the framework of whacky humour. Speaking of veejays, can anyone tell us what’s happening to the breed on Channel V? Ever since V went in for an image rehaul, and ended up rather confused, the channel’s lost a lot of viewership. Add to that a bunch of veejays who look distinctly uncomfortable in front of the camera, or do nothing more than sit pretty muttering inaudibles, and you’ve got all you need for a disaster channel.

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