“We will renew thrust on strategic alliances”

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: our subscriber base. Music lovers still find a dearth of variety in the Indian radio space, to which we offer an effective solution.

In these three years what, according to you, has been the biggest turning point for the company?

We are living in an age of media explosion. Traditional media are undergoing phenomenal changes and the entry of digital, online and ‘new media’ is accelerating this growth at an exponential speed. Not only is this a global phenomenon but closer home, the Indian media and entertainment industry is expected to grow at an 18% compound annual growth rate and reach an overall value of $22 billion by 2011 from its present size of $9.7 billion. (Source: a PwC report for Ficci).

Talking of music consumption, greater accessibility has pushed the industry to the next level. Whether it is the traditional notion of turning on the radio or downloading your favorite music to a personal gizmo (iPod, cell phone etc) the consumer enjoys a plethora of choice. International music trends are making their presence felt even in the tier-2 markets in India. Another trend, albeit less talked about, is the health and wellness awareness influencing the music consumption.

Analysts say that WorldSpace is still far behind competition because of its subscription-driven model. What is your take on that?

On the contrary, satellite radio has been acknowledged as one of the fastest growing offering in this space. This is borne out by the fact that in the US alone there are over 10 million subscribers of satellite radio services, despite there being hundreds of FM stations. Being the pioneer, our strategy is to ensure our target has the right association with our offering. We plan to increase our visibility with marketing and outreach efforts besides certain cost-effective partnerships.

There are no conventional ads on WorldSpace radio. How long do you think you can sustain growth without advertising revenue?

We don’t have any plans of selling ads on WorldSpace radio. WorldSpace garners revenues from consumer subscription fees, sales of equipment, provision of certain services to governments, leasing satellite capacity and other items, including technology licensing.

The co-branded association with the movie Lage Raho Munnabhai was a huge success. Are you looking at similar associations in future?