WHEN MTV launched in 1981, it set out its stall with its first video broadcast: Video Killed the Radio Star by the Buggles. Its intentions were clear — it was starting a music-industry revolution.

The opening salvo of Bubble Hits, the new Irish-owned music channel that launched last Monday on Sky Digital — the satellite television station in which News International, owner of The Sunday Times, has a 35.3% stake — was similarly apt if less deliberate.

“We weren’t sure exactly what time Sky were going to switch us on,” says James Hyland, the main partner behind the venture. “We were told it would be between 10 and 12 o’clock.”

The screen flickered and the channel went on air during the chorus of Bright Idea by Orson. “We couldn’t have planned it better,” says the entrepreneur.

Hyland’s bright idea is a non-stop music channel to challenge MTV and its clones, but with no commercial breaks. No ads, no pimping of rides, no tours of celebrity cribs and no Jackass. Just music, and the odd backstage chinwag with a pop star. Its presenters include the model Glenda Gilson.

This new concept has raised eyebrows among members of the advertising community, many of whom are agog at what they consider the commercial suicide of a television station relying solely on programme sponsorship and premium-rate text requests for its revenue. Nor will the new channel have its own advertising budget.

Bubble Hits is aiming for a 0.02% share of its potential audience of 30m people in Britain and 1m at home. This, says Hyland, will give it 77m viewer “hits” a month, which would be more than enough to entice plenty of sponsors.

So far, it has lined up teen perfume brand So . . .? as a competition sponsor, and according to Hyland another 45 sponsorship and competition packages are ready to be signed. AIB is bankrolling the €2.9m venture.

Hyland’s office sits on top of the 24-hour Tesco in Ashbourne, Co Meath. It’s not very rock’n’roll, and few shoppers are aware of the would-be broadcasting revolution above their heads.

Hyland is aged just 23, his business partner, Lee Walsh, is 22, and he is currently checking to see if the pair are eligible for entry in the Guinness Book of Records as the world’s youngest television moguls.

Hyland is unrepentant in the face of sceptism. “I don’t like rules, any rules. If people are being negative about Bubble Hits, it’s because they didn’t think of the idea themselves. We know this can work, and it’s a low-cost model because we have no real studio or programming costs, just music rights to pay for.”

Low-cost model? Screw the rules? This is all eerily reminiscent of a young Michael O’Leary and Ryanair.

“It’s funny you should say that. I’ve actually e-mailed both Michael O’Leary and Richard Branson, because I want to sit down with them. I really admire them. They give two fingers to the authorities, and say: ‘This is my business and I’m going to run it my way. I don’t care what anyone else thinks.’ ”