Mirchi expands US footprint, launches operations in Bay Area

Mirchi, India’s leading city-centric music and entertainment company, has expanded its footprint in the US with the launch of operations in the Bay Area of California.
The company, which already has a presence in New Jersey, will now be available to close to half a million South Asian population living in the Bay Area, which includes San Francisco, San Jose, Oakland and Palo Alto.

As part of its growth plan, Mirchi will introduce its radio, digital and live events solutions to the region.

The move is in line with the company's vision to expand its global footprint and cater to the South Asian diaspora across geographies.

“Mirchi has been the No. 1 player in the Indian market for almost two decades now. In addition to radio, we have grown a successful solutions business. After expanding our footprint in the UAE, Qatar, Bahrain and New Jersey, we are excited to enter the dynamic market of the Bay Area,” Mirchi managing director and chief executive Prashant Panday said.

Earlier in 2021, Mirchi was relaunched in the UAE after a short hiatus. After that, it was launched in Qatar and Bahrain.

The company now has a presence in four countries outside India, with plans in motion to extend the reach to more countries.

It is looking at markets like Washington DC, Chicago (Illinois), Atlanta (Georgia), and Dallas, Houston or Austin in Texas, Panday said.

“With a presence in both East and West Coasts, now we will look at strengthening our footprint further. We already have Farhad (Wadia) as our country head in the US and he will work towards expanding within the US and in Canada too, which also has a large Indian and South Asian audience,” Panday said.

In the Bay Area, Mirchi will focus on delivering cutting-edge Bollywood content along with local updates relevant to its listeners.

It will also offer popular and exclusive content like the ‘Mirchi Top 20 Countdown’, ‘Club Mirchi’, ‘What Women Want’ with Kareena Kapoor Khan, ‘Bhatt Naturally’ with Mahesh Bhatt and Pooja Bhatt and ‘The Karan Johar Show’, along with other elements like ‘Mirchi Murga’ with RJ Naved and ‘Purani Jeans’ with RJ Sayema.

The brand will unroll its digital content and curate on-ground events to increase engagement levels with the audience.

As per various market estimates, the San Francisco Bay Area is a large radio market with annual revenue of $4 million. Currently just one radio station, Bolly FM, caters to the South Asian diaspora there.

The Mirchi launch will provide an ideal platform for national and local advertisers to reach the South Asian community in the Bay Area.

“The global entertainment market holds immense potential and North America, especially the Bay Area, is a market with a lot of demand for Hindi music and Bollywood content. Thus, leveraging Mirchi’s brand equity, strengths, and unparalleled content library, we look forward to catering to this demand and engaging with our target audience,” said Manoj Mathan, the head of international markets at Mirchi.

(Mirchi is part of Bennett, Coleman & Co Ltd, which also publishes The Economic Times)