Amar Tidke, Head – Programming, 9XM
The core proposition for both radio and TV is music. In radio, we deliver music to our listeners and in TV we deliver music to the viewers. The entire game revolves around how you engage them with giving them the music. There are other music channels as well, but the deal is what more apart from music can you give to create an attitude for the channel and to create that stickiness for the channel so that people come back. As far as 9XM is concerned, the brand is recognised by both kids and the youth. The platform is set and hence, it gives me a starting point.
Amar Tidke, who joined INX Media as Head of Programming for 9XM, recently, has extensive experience in media, spanning the domains of print, online, television, radio, and mobile.
Prior to 9XM, Tidke was heading programming at Fever 104 FM in Mumbai. In the past, he had also worked in other creative roles at Mobile2win, across India and China, besides being the Creative Head at Radio City 91 FM. He has worked with youth channels and has also written for The Indian Express and the Afternoon Dispatch & Courier.
Tidke spends his free time cartooning, doodling and watching movies.
In conversation with exchange4media’s Khushboo Tanna, Tidke shares his vision for 9XM and the road ahead for the channel. Q. Will 9XM still continue with the premise of having 10-12 back-to-back latest Hindi movie songs? As I said, the core premise is still the same and the stickiness that we want to create will be with our characters that we want to position as larger than life. The craziness and irreverence of these characters will bring out the essence of the channel.
Q. What are the changes in content a viewer can expect? We are going to make the existing content more relevant, we are going to make the characters such as ‘Bheegi Billi’ and ‘Bade and Chote’ interact with the viewers through various channels. We also want to get into merchandising of the characters.
Q. What is your core TG and which markets would be your core markets? Our core TG is between 15 years and 25 years. Plus, a lot of kids are also watching us and they love the characters. We get a lot of viewership from the metros and 9XM is very strong in North India.
Q. Do you see any competition from radio for your channel as they have similar music? No, both TV and radio are different and are consumed differently; radio is more on the move. In fact, with the introduction of 3G, people might watch our channel on the move.
Q. Can we expect to see any award shows or something similar on 9XM? Not anytime soon, but we are open to possibilities.
Q. Would you be undergoing a rebranding of sorts as far as the channel logo and the channel identity is concerned? ‘If it ain’t broke then why fix it’ is the philosophy we follow. We have ‘Haq Se’ as our tagline and we will be retaining that as well.
Q. Although you have worked in television, your last stint was with a radio station. How has your journey been from moving to a radio station to a TV channel again? The core proposition for both radio and TV is music. In radio, we deliver music to our listeners and in TV we deliver music to the viewers. The entire game revolves around how you engage them with giving them the music. There are other music channels as well, but the deal is what more apart from music can you give to create an attitude for the channel and to create that stickiness for the channel so that people come back. As far as 9XM is concerned, the brand is recognised by both kids and the youth. The platform is set and hence, it gives me a starting point. We need to take the channel to the next level and that is where the challenges lies. There will always be a new set of challenges when you try to do something different.
Q. Besides 9XM, there is hardly any channel that showcases only Bollywood hit songs. Channels like MTV and Channel [v] are now reducing their music content and upping their non-music content. Is that a plus point for you or a negative point? What they are doing is in a different space all together. Our core proposition is music, and along with that we are delivering sticky content, which is of a different genre and category, which we feel will appeal to the youth. The numbers are there to prove it. The other channels have diluted the music proposition so there is no real music player in the market besides 9XM.
Q. Does 9XM plan to foray into other genres of music such as old Hindi songs or Indipop? Not anytime soon. People love the music and they expect hit Bollywood music on our channel and we will provide just that.
Q. Anything else that you would like to share with the readers? Viewers can expect to see all the characters move on to the next level, and with far more relevant content and engagement at various levels.
Q. What is your immediate mandate for 9XM? My immediate mandate will be to look at other aspects of bringing these characters to life. They have already come to life on your screen and now we want to create more touch points between these characters and consumers. These characters will appear in your day to day life, whether you log on to Facebook or Twitter, and these characters will interact with you.
Q. When 9XM started out, it had a market share of 65 per cent in the first three months, whereas now it is some 16 per cent. Considering that 2009 was a tough year for everybody, where do you expect to see the numbers going from now on? I really can’t predict the future honestly, but we are going to put our heart and soul in this. The entire team is gung-ho about taking the channel to the next level. We do believe in the number game and there is a science behind it, but at the same time, if there is content that people will come back for, then the numbers will follow.
