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All you '90s kids, no Channel V on television anymore

All you '90s kids, no Channel V on television anymore

Nov 26, 2017
12:57 pm

What's the story

Mostly celebrated for defining Indie-pop culture for an entire generation and being the coolest space on TV in the '90s, Channel V is reportedly shutting shop after a 20-year-long stint in India. Launched by Star India, the music channel will most likely be replaced by Star Sports 1 Kannada. Here's looking at Channel V's rise, its fall and all the nostalgia in between.

Nostalgia

More than just a music channel

Channel V, for the longest time, was a lot more than just a music channel. In a no-internet age, it served as YouTube's prototype feeding viewers home-grown music by indigenous rockstars and making video-jockeying young India's dream profession. It's also known for launching the careers of several celebrities, most notably Ayushmann Khurrana, Aditya Roy Kapur, Purab Kohli, Neeti Mohan and Anushka Manchanda.

Reaction

The YouTube of '90s: Twitterati reminisce the good old days

It feels like the end of an era for us '90s kids. Most things that we loved so much while growing up either don't exist anymore or are fast fading from memory: Barista, Planet M, Archies, Harry Potter, and now Channel V. Of course, Twitter had to burst out in nostalgia. Channel V's former employees and once-upon-a-time viewers all mourned the irrevocable loss.

Twitter Post

Lola Kutty aka Anuradha Menon on Channel V's exit

Twitter Post

Celebrating the end of an era

Downfall

Channel V kept changing too much too quickly

Poor branding, lack of a focused strategy, and low viewership killed Channel V. However, to stay relevant, it re-invented itself every three years in the past decade. Launched exclusively as a youth-centric music channel, it switched to fiction and reality shows in 2012, and back to music in 2016. Channel V kept changing too drastically too soon and hence lost connect with its audience.