The 50:50 joint venture seeks to fill the niche market for a dedicated western music service in the region.

The channel will be branded MCM-the International Music Channel and will be transmitted in a new free-to-air analogue service over the region with distribution in more than 6 million households all over SE Asia up to the Philippines, and from Japan down to Indonesia, commencing early 1999.

Mauritius-based IndusInd Communications is a Hinduja group company with 49 per cent holding in one of the country's leading cable television company IN Cablenet with close to 3 million households operating in nine cities. Hence, the venture will assure MCM with preferential carriage in 3 million households in India from day one, claimed the company.

MCM was founded in France in 1989 with the idea of creating a western music channel because of the richness of musical creations in Europe and developing an important alternative choice for overseas viewers. Besides music, the programmes designed by MCM will also cater to the needs of young Asians.

MCM has been available in Asia and Oceania since 1996 on Asiasat 2 and broadcast on cable networks throughout Australia, New Zealand, Polynesia on DirecTV Japan platform.

The new MCM channel will telecast music 24-hours a day consisting of dance music, pop, rock, soul, hard rock, besides music videos, exclusive interviews, shows, concerts, shootings and rockumentaries. ``More music, less talk'' will be the MCM maxim.