While HMT will be launching a four-month campaign, Bharat Petroleum will runthe commercial for its lubricant for three months. Besides, HMT issponsoring a programme called Made in India.

MTV believes the entry of the public sector could have a significant impacton the company's revenue this year. ``These are two new product categoriesthat are advertising on the channel. It will open a whole lot of segmentsfor us,'' said Sanjay Puthli, director, advertising sales and commercialdevelopment, MTV India.

Puthli's immediate target will be to get in the automobile and tyre sectors,two product categories which are yet to advertise on the channel.Forexample, he is talking with the public sector automobile giant Maruti UdyogLtd.

MTV's marketing strategy, says Puthli, is to approach clients category-by-category. The reason? To stimulate the product category and extend the rangeof advertisers to related segments. ``A particular brand stimulates theentire category. We can now get in the Castrols and the Titans,'' saysPuthli.

But what is the brand fit for HMT? The watch company wants to have a youngerappeal. Which is why it plans to run specific product and corporateimage-building campaigns. Meanwhile, Bharat Petroleum has associated withthe youth-specific channel for its lubricant product.

MTV is also looking at getting in credit card brands. The channel recentlyroped in Hong Kong Bank. Also on the channel's menu: educationalinstitutions. APTEC and NIIT are already advertising on the channel. ``Weexpect to have a rub-off effect as our channel is being used as anadvertising vehicle even by educational bodies,'' said Puthli.

MTV India, which posted a 240 per cent growth in ad sales last year, expectsto double its revenue this year. Sources say the company has already touchedlast year's revenue. There are 150 brands on the channel. ``Bothconventional youth brands like Pepsi and Coke and non-conventional youthmarketers like Parag Sarees, Intel and Nirma have successfully used MTV as amedium to connect with the youth,'' said Puthli.

MTV's maximum cumulative reach in the 15-34-year-old target group betweenthe period October 6, 1997 to March 28, 1999 is 35 per cent (in Sec A, B andC). The channel, according to Intam, is consistently having a higherviewership reach than Channel V during the same period.

MTV has revised its rate card and introduced a new time band between 4 pm--7pm. The airtime is now split across five time bands: morning (7 am--12noon), mid-day (12 noon--4 pm), prime 1 (4pm--7 pm), prime 2 (7pm--11 pm)and late evening (11 pm--2 am).

Based on research, the channel found out that viewership showed an upwardcurve during the afternoon slot between 12 noon to 4 pm but dropped between4 pm to 7 pm. ``It's not that we reduced our rates in the time band 4 pm to7 pm. But we noticed that the afternoon band was strong for us. So we splitthe airtime rates,'' said Puthli. Clearly, the channel with attitude isgetting a new attitude to attract advertisers.