“We will renew thrust on strategic alliances”

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: In a country like India where people are used to listening to radio for free, WorldSpace, the satellite-based digital radio services provider, has a paid subscription base of over 1.64 lakh. The company entered India in 2005—wobbly on its feet. Today, the network has 40 radio stations playing the widest possible variety of music. Harshad Jain, the company’s chief marketing officer, and the man at the helm of its growth strategy, tells FE’s Pritha Mitra Dasgupta what it takes to build a paid radio station in India.

You started off in 2005. How difficult it is to establish a satellite radio station vis-à-vis terrestrial radio?

The biggest challenge we faced was to create awareness for the product offering. Satellite radio is a new category and we are the only player in the Indian market. A primary difference between terrestrial broadcasting and satellite radio is that satellite radio is not constricted to a geographical area. Thereby we are able to create truly national stations, which essentially means a Malayali living in Kochi or Mumbai can tune in to Malayalam music on RM radio and catch up with his kind of music. This also means a British citizen living in Delhi can tune in BBC World Service on WorldSpace and get the news from his broadcaster. On a programming level, satellite radio has the ability to offer more channels and provide niche programmes.

WorldSpace had a staggered opening in India. Today its subscription base is over 1.64 lakh. In a country where people listen to radio for free, how did you log such a growth?

Radio has been the most cost-effective source of entertainment in India for a long time. India’s radio industry is projected to post a healthy growth of 32% over the next few years to touch Rs12 billion (nearly $270 million) in revenues by 2010 on the back of a robust economy and easing of stiff investment rules.

In the past few years we have expanded our retail presence and offer a choice of over 40 stations playing the widest choice of music, entertainment and information, which can be accessed from anywhere in the country.