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Finding its own space

Satellite radio has come of age in India thanks to WorldSpace that has positioned itself in a niche market

Just over a couple of years ago, the name WorldSpace barely registered in anyone's consciousness. At the time, most cities were riding the FM wave. It didn't matter then that satellite radio's bouquet of options made FM look almost monochromatic. Coming as it did at hefty prices of around Rs. 15,000 that the receivers and the paraphernalia cost, it didn't matter that the music was better and the commercials were missing.

However, things have changed for satellite radio and for WorldSpace since then, both in India and the world. In the last one year, the network added on a record 40,000 new subscribers globally, and has official presence in 10 Indian cities though its transmission can be received practically everywhere in the country.

All thanks to lowered costs of indigenous receivers, a shift from free-to-air to subscription for revenue generation and the creation of numerous niche channels that radio services don't offer.

While WorldSpace, whose India operations are headquartered in Bangalore, still cannot claim numbers anywhere close to FM radio, it has managed to set itself up as a viable niche venture. And now, it has even signed on the South Indian guru of film music A.R. Rahman as its brand ambassador.

Riding on the new wave, WorldSpace India's Director of Network Programming, Velu S. Shankar says the future couldn't be brighter for the network. One of the primary reasons for his confidence and the recent rise in the subscriber base is the network's vociferous push into niche verticals that no other radio network currently services. "Play" for example is the only dedicated sports radio channel available in the country. "Moksha", another popular new venture, is a 24-hour spirituality station. A host of other dedicated content options are similarly being launched.

"We are focussed on providing the audience with the ultimate audio platform that covers every content cluster from news to music to sport to regional languages." The advantage, in terms of programming, is that the focus is completely on integrity of content, explains Shankar.

But there is such a thing as too niche, and one wonders if the network (which media reports say is still hundreds of millions of dollars in debt) has painted itself into a corner. Shankar disagrees.

"We have a national footprint and that's what makes us different."

And although the listener base is smaller, focussed programming ensures that the audience stays dedicated, he contends.

While all this translates to good news for urban middle-class listeners, there are also critics who ask if WorldSpace's original mission of education and empowerment got lost in the pipeline.

Shankar is pragmatic about the situation. "We need money to run, and we have to make it somewhere. But that doesn't meant the developmental perspective is not there. For example, we are performing the integral task of promoting musical forms that are under threat of disappearing."

He adds that the network is also working directly on education, health and so on through such ventures such as the Asian Development Channel and the exclusive channel provided to the Government during the tsunami disaster.

Looking to the future, WorldSpace programming is set to become far more niche and customised.

Having already launched 14 stations covering all major Indian languages, the network is now looking to fill any further gaps in languages, content or genres.

So, the day is not far away when the listener can't possibly complain that there's nothing good on. Check out www.worldspace.in or email india@worldspace.com

RAKESH MEHAR

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