The rise and fall of Brand [V]

How an iconic music channel lost the plot even as rivals flourished in the same space

The music had stopped long before Star India pulled the plug on Channel [V], screeching to a halt as the network repeatedly sent out mixed signals about its leadership, positioning and programming. The once iconic property slid from the heights of public adoration in the late 1990s to being a shadow of its former shows through the 2000s and then, slowly into  anonymity towards the end of its days on air.

Such was the power of [V] that rival MTV India doffed its hat upon the channel’s demise saying: ‘Channel [V] has been a comrade in the last two decades’