9X: From premiers to popcorn

The music network has launched three different on-ground activities to promote its channels.

9X Media has launched an initiative called Jhakaas Chitrapat, which gives viewers of the Marathi music channel, 9X Jhakaas, a chance to be at the premier of a Marathi movie. The network will tie up with a movie every month and the red carpet event of its premier night will be covered on the channel's film show, Lai Bhari.

As a treat to the viewers, the channel plans to take about 100 of its viewers to the premier of each movie. These viewers will be selected based on a contest to be run on 9X Jhakaas and its social media pages.

The deal with the production houses involves telecast of the premier as a 10-minute capsule during Lai Bhari on the following Saturday. Lai Bhari is aired every Saturday at 6:30 pm and 10 pm; and every Sunday at 10 am and 8 pm. The initiative started off with the premier of A Rainy Day on January, 30.

Also, in an attempt to promote its Bollywood music channels, 9XM and 9X Jalwaa, through the Kala Ghoda festival in Mumbai, the network has placed an ambassador car branded with scenes from Bollywood movies. The visitors at the festival can click pictures with the car and post it on their social media pages. About 10-15 pictures will be selected and awarded during the nine-day festival.

The channel did a similar activation in August, 2013 at the Oberoi Mall in Mumbai, although there was no contest linked to it.

A popcorn unit has also been erected at the festival. It sports a collage of the movies released in 2012-13. Anyone who scans the 9XM logo on this collage through a smartphone is able to see an unreleased teaser promo of a special song to be released by 9X Media. The song features Honey Singh with Bade Chhote.

A screen on the popcorn unit plays 9XM channel.

Although red carpets and grand premiers are usually associated with Bollywood due to its glamour quotient, Kapil Sharma, vice-president, marketing, 9X Media explains that Marathi movies are increasingly gaining importance. "Films like Duniyadari and Time Pass have earned crores and are commercially very successful. Marathi cinema also has a lot of glam quotient and I think with this kind of association, we are just adding it to the glamour."

The premier initiative is being marketed through promos and tickers at the bottom of the screen on 9X Jhakaas. As of now, there aren't any sponsors for the initiative, but Sharma suggests that the network wanted to launch it as an annual property. "No doubt, we are looking at sponsors now and we have a plan to run it for at least a year, so we are expecting to close a few deals soon."