CHANNEL PROFILE
“It’s a music channel.” “Certainly not, it’s an entertainment channel.” “This one’s a filmi channel”.  So might have dithered the six blind men of Hindustan if instead of an elephant, they were asked to find out what SS music was all about. The channel is all that and more. Originally launched as the only one-of-its-kind multi-lingual music channel in South India, SS Music has grown in the last eight years since its inception to encompass many other features as well. Music is still its raison d’etre though shows based on films, lifestyle and even education have become big draws on the channel. What separates the channel from the other cubes in the icebox is undoubtedly its target audience who are not only upwardly mobile but are classy, discerning and very in tune with the changing times.

Southern Spice Music has been put together to cater to an audience that is primarily the youth, but since music has no barriers, our audience is made up of people cutting across all age groups.

The medium of communication on the channel is predominantly English and hence finds its core audience in the metros and other big cities of India. At the same time, because it plays songs in all the four South Indian languages - Tamil, Telugu, Kannada and Malayalam – this has served to create a certain affinity for the channel not only in small cities down south but whichever location that people hailing from south India might have relocated to. Also, initially the channel selected and aired songs in English that even people staying in semi-urban areas could identify with and appreciate it as well. 

Thanks to the DTH technology, SS Music is available across India and Dish TV subscribers can avail of the same. In South India, where it has a very recognizable presence, it is distributed widely and is beamed from the SUN DTH.

Most viewers believe that film music is stereotyped and almost all channels are guilty of providing the same dull fare. It is here that Southern Spice Music proves a refreshingly different channel and with its consistent research driven programming content, it has succeeded in capturing the interest of its target audience which comprise the youth.

No wonder then that SS Music has for long been the flavour of the south.

Channels History:
Southern Spice Music was launched on April 14th, 2001 with its base in Chennai and telecasted songs - filmy and non-filmy round-the clock in all the South languages – Tamil, Kannada, Telugu and Malayalam, apart from English and Hindi. The idea was to have a channel that would pander to the tastes of people down south as other such channels had been doing in north India and also in certain places in the west. Being the only one of its kind in the south, it was not very long before the channel became the darling of the youth and has since maintained its hold. The only competition is from the National music channels, but those channels do not have major significance in the South.

Significant Strategies:
Most of the programmes revolve around music but what makes the channel stand out is its unique packaging and presentation.

The tremendous growth of the channel is attributed to aggressive marketing, strong distribution network, exciting and innovative programming and the wide acceptance from the youth in Tamil Nadu, Andhra Pradesh, Karnataka and Kerala. The channel plans to double its viewership by giving a rather innovative touch to most of its shows. It also plans to include reality shows, game shows, quizzes and lots of on-ground activities.

Important Landmarks:
Brimming with the best creative talent in the country, the channel always tries to think out of the box and has many firsts to its credit. One of its shows, Virtual Request won the Best Media Innovation at the Ad Club Awards. On the show, not only do the public get to request for a particular song but as they make their request, they appear on TV as well. It is no surprise then that Virtual Request is the most popular show on the channel and has extended its reach to many cities in Tamil Nadu. Another show called Just Connect offers videoconferencing wherein the public can view and interact with the VJ and vice versa. This is also the first of its kind in the entire country.

Major Developments:
Its shows and events have always been talked about and have long remained in public memory. Currently, the channel has come up with events that are innovative, exciting and highly entertaining as well. In line with the channel’s vision and the market demands, the channel is constantly on the lookout for fresh, new faces and early this year had launched the Minto Fresh VJ Factor 3. The show was literally a passport to fame and glory for the young aspirants and generated enough excitement amongst the viewers. Another event that was recently concluded was the Nokia Xpress Music Voice Hunt which was assuredly one of the biggest and the boldest talent hunt shows in recent times. On the anvil are many more exciting reality based shows.

Working Methodology:
The channel constantly updates its programmes and programming content based on important feedback from the creative team and the viewers. Extensive research studies are conducted by employing leading market research agencies to get a feedback from the market regarding various aspects. The TAM reports are used to do a post evaluation of whether the changes brought about have helped in getting good numbers for the channel. This also helps the channel to understand the different markets and thus make plans for each market based on how it behaves over a period of time. There is a constant drive to improve the quality and content of the programmes and bring it international standards.

Future Plans:
Markets are constantly changing and if we get complacent, we are then doomed. The channel realizes this and is always on the lookout to provide quality programmes brimming with verve, colour and energy.

It has thus at its core a tightly knit group of skilled technicians who will have the latest technology at their command to produce shows that are technically brilliant and much visually appeal.

The channel also plans to have programmes of special interest that will help in getting more viewership for the channel.

There will be further strengthening of distribution activities in all the four Southern states of India. The whole gamut of sales and marketing activities will be given a new perspective that will result in bigger market share.

The channel plans to grow further by coming up with more events, action packed programmes, awards ceremonies, on ground events, music talent hunt, VJ hunt, college festivals, inter collegiate competitions, rock competitions, in the future. The new areas of concentration would be new and interactive programming using video-conferencing, live programmes, SMS based programmes, music quizzes, etc.