THE MUSICAL BATTLE FOR SUPREMACY!

For Asians living in the U.K., there is, it seems, no limit to entertainment via the idiot box. Almost every month, there is a new channel being launched targeting a specific audience. Therefore, it didn’t really come as a surprise when a new music channel was launched on the 6th of May.

B4U Music, from the B4U network, aims to cater to south Asians living in the U.K. and is promising a judicious mix which will cater to all ages.

However, already sitting pretty in that slot is Zee TV’s Music Asia, which was launched last October with an aim to target the second and third generation Asians. “Our main objective is to provide non-stop music to music lovers in the U.K. across genres,” says Sangraam Marathe, executive producer of Music Asia. “And we have succeeded in doing that,” he adds.

Music Asia has seen its subscriber base grow rapidly ever since it was launched in October ’99. But its supreme position seems to be in danger now, what with the launch of B4U Music. “Our programmes provide a variety to all Bollywood fans with the main driver being Bollywood music,” says Sapna Sood, public relations in-charge of B4U Music. Indeed, the strength of B4U Music is its relationship with Eros International, the largest distributor of Hindi films worldwide, which enables it to access its huge library. “The library access enables us to show full songs instead of mere clips,” says Sood.

Music Asia, however, have their own software. “The music available to British-Asian viewers was mainly on Zee itself,” says Marathe. “Besides, till the competition catches on, we