... launches 24-hour channel
... 'DStv will beg us'
Nigezie found substantial fame as a 24-hour music and lifestyle channel on HITV a few years ago. Soundcity is presently enjoying the same fame on the DStv platform. And now, X2D is set to also enjoy the same fame as it has also become a 24-hour.
X2D is, to gospel music, what Soundcity and Nigezie are to secular music. X2D, acronym for Xclusiv 2 Divinity, is unarguably Nigeria's top contemporary gospel entertainment TV channel. Founded by Deji Irawo, it started five years ago on HITV and OGTV in Ogun State and has now gone into 24-hour broadcast on My TV and Infinity TV.
Speaking with Entervaganza, Irawo said, "It's only natural that we should become a 24-hour channel. That's the trend in the world now and we had to follow the trend, not just because it's the trend, but because it will help us better in our aim of spreading the Word of God faster and better.
"Also, the increase in demand for our daily content across various TV stations, the rise in the obscenity on TV channels, emergence of multitudes of gifted gospel artists in our communities, the need to preserve our families and raise a generation for Christ and our resolve to create a more excellent brand brought us to the point where we just had to make the shift to a 24-hour channel to be viewed across Africa and the world."
And when Entervaganza asked him why X2D's 24-hour broadcast is not on the DStv platform, being that DStv is presently regarded as the most prestigious broadcasting platform in Africa, Irawo was extremely blunt in his response. "We went to a whole lot of stations, including DStv and StarTimes, to discuss with them about broadcasting on their platform.
We were charged some crazy millions by some of them, and so it was not just feasible to work with them. "Now, in the case of DStv being the best platform, it is not. It has just over a million subscribers, a figure which is not even up to that of some of its rivals. Our partnership with Infinity TV takes us to an estimated audience of over 40 million viewers across Africa, so not being on DStv is not a loss.
"Besides, there are a lot of politics going on at DStv that is not apparent to people outside the broadcast sector but we on the inside. It's still the politics of Nigeria versus South Africa. I beat my chest to say that the people at DStv are trying to protect a gospel channel which they have already. They know that when a Nigerian does something, he does it so well that he will be the trailblazer.
"But they can protect the channel all they want. We are not bothered as we know that when we have made the statement we want to make to make to the whole world, DStv will beg us to come and broadcast on their platform and then we'll name our price to do that." Regarding the issue of programmes being repeated by TV channels, an issue which is a sore point with TV viewers, and if X2D's 24- hour channel will also be repeating programming, Irawo was once again blunt. "We cannot say that we'll not repeat programmes. But hopefully, that will be kept to the barest minimum.
We've been gathering materials for five years to help us in this 24-hour broadcasting and we are even partnering with Christian producers and gospel musicians and other Christian stakeholders to produce content that will help us not to repeat programmes.
To this end, we are offering free airtime to people who can produce content. Yes, free, we'll not charge them a kobo for it, but then we'll all have to sit down and work out an arrangement whereby we'll still make money."
Understandably, those in the gospel entertainment field are very excited about the development, as it will afford them unlimited time to showcase their creative efforts. Commenting on it, one of them, Righteousman, a musician as well as video director, said, "Recently, I took a musician for promotion at a radio station, and the presenter we met said the music we brought was gospel so it can only be played on Sunday.
And that made me wonder, if gospel music can only be played on Sunday, then why do they play the Wizkids, D'Banjs and so on as well on Sunday? I say, if Sunday is the day for gospel music, then let it be strictly for gospel music. So X2D's 24-hour broadcast is very welcome as it is strictly for gospel music."
In her own case, Nikki Laoye, a gospel musician and media practitioner, complained that gospel musicians are marginalised by the media, something X2D wouldn't do. "Can you imagine that when Sasha and Gaise were recently honoured as Ekiti State cultural ambassadors, only Sasha was mentioned by the media? Gaise wasn't because he's a gospel artist," she said. Also commending the initiative were other popular gospel musicians that included Kenny K'ore, Olufunmi, Sola Allyson and Joe Praiz.