Mumbai-based INX Media Pvt Ltd, an aggressively expanding home-grown network, epitomizes the pace at which TV’s broadcasting sector is evolving. After launching Hindi music entertainment channel 9XM and 9X Hindi general entertainment (GE) channel in, respectively, October and November of last year, INX has introduced its premier English news channel as part of INX News Pvt Ltd. Slated for launch over the next nine months or so, are nine more channels including three regional entertainment and three metro news ones. Significantly, the noticeable performance of INX’s channels in a short time-span serves as something of a warning for more established players like Star India and Zee. INX shares its solid impact within cable and satellite (C&S) homes 15-24 age group. As per the Television Audience Measurement (TAM) data for week 12, the gross rating points (GRPs) of INX Media for 9X and 9XM combined, are ahead of NDTV Imagine and NDTV Good Times combined. In the C&S homes, all Hindi Speaking Markets (HSM) 15-24 age-group, INX garnered a total of 174 GRPs, whereas NDTV for its two channels managed 91. Individually, 9X and 9XM are at sixth and seventh spot, respectively, in Hindi GEC in C&S 4+ with 68 and 64.5 GRPs respectively. In Week 15 of 2008 per TAM data, cable & satellite homes, 15-24 years, 9X notched up 93 GRPs, placed at the third spot. Other GEC GRPs are as follows: Star Plus (339 GRPs), Zee (206 GRPs) Sony (92 GRPs), NDTV Imagine (86 GPRs), Star One (85 GRPs) and Sahara One (74 GRPs). 9X may have long a way to go to catch up with the leading channels, but the brand has managed to achieve its share with only 150 minutes of weekday primetime programming. Plus, 9XM achieving the number one slot in music entertainment is truly creditable. Analysing the performance, Indrani Mukerjea, founder and chief executive officer, INX Media Pvt Ltd and chairperson, INX News Pvt Ltd, told Television Asia Plus, “No media organisation has achieved so much in so little time from a standing start.” She said that brands like 9X and 9XM have established themselves from zero awareness and GRPs in four to five months. “Over the years, the definition of primetime (evening) has changed. It lasts for four and a half to five hours. Between April and August this year, we plan to add at least one programme each month (for 9X). So with another two hours of primetime programming still to come, along with more weekend programming, we are confident of maintaining healthy growth for 9X,” said Mukerjea, promoter of the INX Group, which already had a presence in the human resources field before venturing into broadcasting. Considering there are so many channels in the Hindi GE space, what is the profile of 9X’s core audience? Mukerjea shared that 9X viewers belong to Hindi-speaking, middle-class families (mainly single TV households). She categorically mentioned that the key audience comprises a 35-45 year old female (housewife or working), with two kids in 9-15 age group, lives in a joint family (with household income of Rs. 30,000-35,000 per month). The channel’s shows depict a strong connect to their real lives, together with variety and glamour that is ‘larger than life’. “They are gradually improving their quality of life and have growing aspirations for the future, moving from socio-economic class C to B.” According to Mukerjea, the 9X content is about enduring universal themes with modern story-telling techniques, big stars, beautiful sets and a real connection with life today. Values are based on family, empathy, variety and glamour + values. Interestingly, 9X is currently resonating with the 15-24 age-group. Elaborating on the strategy, “It is the younger audience that brings in the other family members. The youth shows inclination towards sampling (content). Eventually, as families get familiar with our content, the key would be to make content palatable for various members with our core TG being the key decision maker (for programming).” While 9X’s performance was as expected by INX, Mukerjea says the rise of music entertainment channel 9XM has been a pleasant surprise. The channel is solely based on popular Hindi movie songs. Rather than VJ’s, 9XM focuses on animation characters, “who wear the kind of attitude that the youth of today identifies with.” These animated characters pop in and out during songs, and pop up between songs, always carrying the irreverence of youth fashion’s trademark free-spiritedness. “We play new and hit songs throughout the day. And purposely we decided to air full songs,” said Mukerjea, who added that, at this point of time, the company is not planning various touch points for 9XM brand be it in the form of mobile content or events for its core audience. From an efficiency perspective, 9XM is being run by a team of only nine members, led by Vikas Varma, business head – music entertainment channels, INX Media. The latest launch, NewsX, comes in a category, which has witnessed the launch of channels from NDTV, TV18 Group and Times Now in the last few years. But Mukerjea is optimistic about NewsX making its mark. The channel, termed as the country’s first HDTV-ready news channel, chose to work with experienced players in designing and studio facilities. Shaun Moore, who has designed sets for the likes of Sky and BBC in the past, has created distinctive settings for each NewsX programme; on-air graphics are by Red Bee Media; studio facilities by Janson Design Group’s architectural design specialist Dennis Janson; and Nick Pollard, associated with Sky News from 1996-2006, is an advisor to INX News. “The channel will focus on in-depth and analytical news. Rather than red, blue…we deliberately chose yellow, black, white and grey colours. For the channel, every news is not breaking news,” she said adding that the audience profile is socio-economic class A and A+, working executives, 30+ age-group, “who relate with BBC” today. Mukerjea added the screen only shows the logo and a narrow news ticker at the bottom, and hence the focus is on relatively less cluttered screen, remaining true to its ‘Clarity in a complex world’ positioning. INX may have stabilized its operations now, but Mukerjea and her team faced a few challenges, be it the question mark over the association of ex-STAR India chief Peter Mukerjea (Indrani’s husband and now INX chief strategy officer) before quitting the broadcaster; or the exit of Vir Sanghvi as CEO of NewX January this year before the channel was launched. “One should have the gumption to face these challenges,” responds Mukerjea. “Integrity is one of the core values of the INX Network, and the very basis of our plans, initiatives, our every action involving each and every associate – whether internal or external. When Peter was serving his non-compete at STAR, we never once spoke about my plans for the INX Network,” clarified Mukerjea. INX managed to achieve the huge task of hiring around 600 people in the first six months after launching March 2007. And the emphasis has been on building a world class team – both Richard Platt, head of programming for INX Media and Anthony Pettifer, group director, brand and communications were recruited from outside India for the venture. After building its team, INX has diligently worked on its brand, expanded its distribution network and signed path-breaking deals for ad sales. “INX Media channels reach more than 60% of the universe in the HSMs on an unduplicated basis. In fact, within less than five months of its launch, 9X has reached over 39million, which is 71% of the leading Hindi GEC’s reach. 9XM has reached close to 36million viewers across the country last week, and we have been growing week on week, per the TAM ratings,” she said. “We are hugely technology-driven, and are conscious about having the best platforms of content delivery. We are the only Network in the HSMs that is HDTV-ready. Our broadcast employs an MPEG-4 compression, which translates into never-before viewing quality. We have aggressive plans for a DTH presence, and 9X is already on Tata Sky, while 9XM is available on DD Direct. Our recently soft-launched NewsX will be on Tata Sky soon. We are looking at IPTV and mobile TV too. New age media is high on our agenda.” Advertisers include Future Group, Reliance Industries and Vodafone and Hindustan Unilever Limited, the country’s biggest advertiser making a commitment to partner 9X for three years. For the launch of 9X, INX Media planned an aggressive 360-degree communication campaign, which was rolled out on 25 TV stations, 35 radio stations in 28 cities, hundreds of cinema screens in 19 cities running more than 2,000 spots a day, and included a print campaign across all key national and regional newspapers. 9X was also the on-air and on-ground sponsor of the India-Pakistan Cricket series for two months till December last year. Going forward, on role of TV, Mukerjea said, “I am all for digitization and the spread of new age media, but we are still years behind the developed world in these areas. Today, and to my mind, for quite some time, the biggest, mass medium will be television. It will remain the single largest platform of content delivery across analog and digital pipes – cable, CAS, DTH… and it will continue to garner the largest share. Yes, special interest genres will garner a share in the pie, but as TV homes continue to grow in India, the size of the advertising pie will grow too.” While Mukerjea didn’t divulge any figures related to revenue matrix or expected break-even, she mentioned that INX has a five-year plan on the horizon. “We have our investment plans worked out. All I can say we have investors who are realistic and have got deep pockets.” Both, would seem to be a definite requirement for any player considering entering the crazy race for customer acquisition or eyeballs in this revolutionary phase of Indian TV.