Jai Maharashtra appoints Aidem Ventures as advertising sales partner

This is Aidem's second account win in a month; last week, it was in the news for acquiring ad sales rights of matrimonial TV channel Shagun TV.

Jai Maharashtra, a 24-hour Marathi news and current affairs channel, has appointed Aidem Ventures to handle its advertising sales. The channel was launched on May 1 by the Sahana Group. With Mandar Phanse as its editor and Tulsidas Bhoite and Ravi Ambekar as its executive editors, the channel has already gained tremendous traction in the Maharashtra market.

Jai Maharashtra is currently available across cable and DTH platforms including Videocon D2H, 7 Star, Scod18, Siti Cable and GTPL.

This is Aidem's second account win in a month; last week, it was in the news for acquiring ad sales rights of matrimonial TV channel Shagun TV. Besides, this move comes as a part of Aidem's plans to penetrate the regional TV markets in India. In the last year, the company has acquired ad sales rights of Odia channel Lakshyya Entertainment, Tamil network Jaya TV Network and Get Punjabi, to name a few.

Speaking about going regional, Alok Rakshit, business head, regional and news broadcast, Aidem Ventures, says, "Regional channels accounted for approximately 27 per cent of total television viewership in 2012, which is proportionate to the advertising market share they commanded during the same period. Advertising interest in regional markets is strong and broadcasters see immense potential for revenues from local advertisers who are willing to pay a premium to reach their targeted audience. From our own experience with regional channels, we have come to realise that a staggering number of advertisers are seeing the benefits of developing localised communications strategies using sponsorships, promotions and integrated branded content around regional TV."

"The Aidem team has a good understanding of the Indian advertising market and we believe they'll help us connect better with our advertisers. We look forward to a continued association with them to help us achieve better yield for the channel over the long term," says Waahiid Ali Khan, consultant editorial director, Sahana Group of Companies.

Aidem currently handles ad sales duties of Mi Marathi, Live India, Sahara One, Sahara Filmy, Economist.com, GETIT, Eros Now, KBS World, Al Jazeera English (AJE) and other Al Jazeera channels, Clubbing TV, DanceTrippin, RCK TV, Jukebox, Lakshyya Entertainment, Get Punjabi, Jaya TV Network and Sri Lanka Premier League.