The media giant, Emap, is expanding its fledgling interests in TV
with a new cable and satellite music channel, Magic, to launch next
spring.
The channel will take the brand values of the Magic AM radio stations,
which Emap operates around the country, on to TV in a format similar to
Emap’s existing TV channel, the Box.
Magic will use the same interactive digital technology as the Box to
enable viewers to control the pop videos they want to see on screen. It
will target an older audience than the Box’s 12- to 35-year-old market,
with a mix of new and established album artists chosen to appeal to
25- to 44-year-old viewers.
The addition of Magic to the Emap broadcasting portfolio marks a bid to
expand its command of the music market - which it serves through a
number of magazines, such as Smash Hits, as well as its radio and TV
interests - on to a broader platform, drawing in consumers at the older
end of the spectrum.
Magic TV is a further example of Emap’s drive to extend its brands into
other media, exploiting existing consumer relationships from one medium
to the next and drawing in new fans who will follow the brand across
media.
Emap’s radio sales house, Emap On Air, will handle the sponsorship,
promotions and airtime sales for Magic TV. Tom Toumazis, the managing
director of Emap On Air, was unavailable to comment but is expected to
work with Magic radio’s existing advertisers to sell cross-media radio
and TV opportunities for the first time in the UK.
Ad sales for the Box are handled by Carlton Cable & Satellite, but it is
unclear whether this arrangement will continue in the long term.
