Mastiii becomes top Hindi music channel in 3 weeks

Just three weeks after its launch, Mastiii, a Hindi music-cum-comedy channel, has hit the number one spot among music channels in India’s Hindi-speaking markets.

It is currently available in 21 million cable and satellite (C&S) households. Sri Adhikari Brothers is in the process of distributing the channel in four Hindi-speaking markets not covered so far, which include Kolkata, Punjab and parts of Maharashtra.

According to data with TAM, a television audience monitoring agency, the gross rating points for the channel in the Hindi-speaking market were 21.3 for the week ended July 24. This places Mastiii ahead of B4U, whose ratings were 20.3. The channel is, at present, available in Mumbai, Delhi, Gujarat, Madhya Pradesh, Rajasthan, Bihar, Chhattisgarh, Orissa and Uttar Pradesh.

Since the channel went on air late last month, show numbers from aMap, an overnight television audience measurement agency, show Mastiii’s share in the music space has increased to 6.7 from 1.5. This brings it among the top five channels in the Hindi music category. aMap numbers have been derived on an all-India scale.

Anita Verma, head of programming at Mastiii, said, “Music goes down well with all categories of audience. With music becoming expensive and fewer channels opting for such content, a gap has come up in the genre which we are catering to and satisfying. In the second week of operation, we gained the number two slot, which indicated the content is appealing to viewers. We are now the dominant music channel in Hindi-speaking markets.”

Mastiii has a mix of 75 per cent music content and 25 per cent comic acts. The channel intends to cater to all segments of audience, from urban youth to the aged. Verma added, “Looking ahead, we want to firmly establish Mastiii as the number one channel in the music genre. Our programming mix is unique and will help us draw audiences from music as well as comedy channels.”

It has received good response from advertisers. When commercial slots are opened next month, all major brands are set to advertise.

The channel has already roped in Raju Srivastav, Suresh Menon and Sunil Pal and is in talks to get on board comedian Ehsaan Qureshi. Comic acts of roughly two minutes duration would be played after every two songs.

Shows such as Raju Ki Adalat, Indian I-Dohl and Pak Pak Pakao are already bringing in good numbers. Soon, the channel is set to launch a reality show, India’s Mast Wanted, based on the talent hunt format, to identify upcoming comedians.