Several more musical channels slated to appear
To the delight of those who not only like to listen but also to “watch” music, several more music channels are slated to appear on Ukrainian TV by the end of the year. Those are MTV-Ukraine, Star TV, Biz-TV and M2.
Currently, this TV niche is represented by the widely-broadcasted M1 and cable channels O-TV, RU Music and Enter-Music. M1 appeals to youngsters with a mainstream taste in music, playing Ukrainian, Russian and Western pop, and offering a number of TV shows. O-TV is similar, but in a much more primitive way, and the content of RU Music can be easily derived from its name. Enter-Music, on the other hand, stands alone, with its collection of quality modern videos based on the MTV-Europe format and informative music programs, featuring amazingly sharp and critical comments from journalists. But what do the new channels have in store for us?
MTV-Ukraine already made an attempt to go on air about a year ago. However, the project fell apart, and everything had to be started anew. I can’t wait to see what will come out of it, in fact, with videos of Ukrainian stars playing alongside the latest releases from America and Europe, and programs hosted by Ukrainian VJ’s, interspersed with shows like “Pimp My Ride.” M2 – a younger brother of M1 – is going to be targeted at a more “adult” audience, which, apparently, means concerts by Russian artists like Valeriya and Nikolay Baskov, and Ukrainians like Taisiya Povaliy and the singing rector Mykhaylo Poplavskiy. Star TV has appeared in the place of Odessa radio station Star FM, and just like its predecessor, will cling to the dance music format.
Finally, the resurrection of Biz-TV sounds rather promising. Having first appeared in 1995, Biz-TV aired as fragments on STB channel and later on some others, until closing down completely a few years ago. Its attempt to attain the quality of standard European channels, especially MTV, was quite clear, featuring charismatic VJ’s, a worthy lineup of artists, interesting programs and a cool design. If the new Biz-TV manages at least to keep up with its initial trend, it should be good enough already.
