Oxygen Media is tuning in the holiday spirit with additional content for its on-demand karaoke channel, Air Karaoke.
From Nov. 17 through Jan. 11, subscribers will have access to 20 holiday songs — twice the size of last year’s catalogue — as well as its year-round 80-song offering. Holiday karaoke songs include “The First Nöel,” “We Wish You a Merry Christmas,” “The Dreidel Song,” “O Come All Ye Faithful,” “Hark! The Herald Angels Sing,” “Joy to the World,” “Silent Night,” “The Twelve Days of Christmas” and “Jingle Bells.”
Cable operators are also decking the halls, so to speak, to promote Oxygen’s holiday initiative. For a second year, Time Warner Cable in Los Angeles will run a supporting sweepstakes, as subscribers ordering an on-demand holiday song are automatically entered for a chance to win three weekly prizes of $1,000 each or one grand prize of $10,000. The more songs a subscriber orders, the greater their chance of winning.
The sweepstakes is available to all 2 million Time Warner Cable subscribers in L.A. and will be promoted via Time Warner Cable’s entertainment magazine, direct mail, e-mail blasts and its Web site.
For its part, Insight’s system in Louisville, Ky., will enlist local radio station WXMA from Nov. 20 to Dec. 17. Listeners can submit audio recordings of their best performance of a Christmas carol based on Oxygen’s on-demand karaoke offering. First prize: a stereo sound system with microphones and a karaoke machine, a high-definition television and six months free Insight Digital Cable and HD DVR service.
“Last year, we just threw some songs up there as a fun thing. Now we have more customers — more viewers of VOD,” said Mary Murano, executive vice president of affiliate sales at Oxygen Media. She noted that cable operators have made on-demand content more widely available, through expanded offerings and more-aggressive promotions.
Since its launch on Time Warner Cable last year, Air Karaoke has been picked up by systems owned by Insight Communications, Bright House Networks, Knology, Patriot Media, Cox Communications and Sunflower Broadband. Comcast has its own pay-per-view karaoke channel.
While Oxygen doesn’t have immediate plans to expand its year-round song catalogue, it does refresh selections regularly and has recently refreshed 40 songs, many in the pop genre.
