By afaqs! news bureau
Media

9X sashays to the tune of Punjabi music with full 'Tashan'

The channel will see its commercial launch on August 31. Donning the tagline 'Yaaran Da', Tashan will specialise in Punjabi music videos across all genres including pop, romance, underground, action and folk, and will also target Haryana, Chandigarh and Himachal Pradesh.

9X Media, which already operates the Hindi music channel 9XM, is stepping into the regional music space with the launch of its latest offering, Tashan.

The channel will see its commercial launch on August 31. Donning the tagline 'Yaaran Da', Tashan will specialise in Punjabi music videos across all genres including pop, romance, underground, action and folk, and will also target Haryana, Chandigarh and Himachal Pradesh. While Baljinder S Mahant is the programming head for 9X Tashan, Punit Pandey, senior-vice president and business head, 9X Media Group will be responsible for the overall business.

9X sashays to the tune of Punjabi music with full 'Tashan'
Speaking to afaqs!, Pandey says, "Viewers in Punjab have a huge capacity to consume music. Meanwhile, the per capita income of this state is enormous and therefore, the spending power is big. Advertisers are therefore willing to tap into this market. So, foraying into this region made sense to us."

Meanwhile, in a bid to capture an expanded audience set, 9X Tashan will also be streamed live online on the channel's website, www.9xtashan.in, and on the mobile platform, too.

Apart from music, the channel will also air a series of animated shows that will be presented by characters that are part of the '9X Tashan Gang'.

The popular animated characters on 9XM will be part of the gang and will aim to entertain the Punjabi-speaking viewers with their animated show, Bakwaas Band Kar, this time adapted in Punjabi. Other characters from the gang are - Bhabi, Falli-Balli, and Ullu Da Patha.

9X Tashan will have a theme song, which has been recorded with singers and musicians from the Punjab region. The number, titled 'Tashan... Yaaran Da', has been recorded by singers including the Wadali Brothers, Jaspinder Narula, Inderjeet Nikku, Nachhatar Gill, Feroz Khan, Jaidev Kumar, Sardool and Sikander.

"With 9X Tashan, 9X Media will target the Punjab television market worth an estimated Rs 125 crore. We have already got on board a few advertisers. Our on-air and on-ground brand partners are Samsung and Streax Hair Color, respectively. HUL, Britannia and Hero Moto Corp are already part of the advertising kitty," informs Pawan Jailkhani, executive vice-president, revenue, 9X Media Group.

For the record, the other music players currently active in Punjab include PTC Chak De, ETC Punjabi, Balle Balle, Lashkara and MH1.

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HULBritannia9XTashanHero Moto Corp9X MediaPawan JailkhaniPunit Pandey