MUMBAI: Viacom18’s English entertainment channel Colors Infinity is poised to take Indian content to newer heights with the launch of The Stage, which is the first ever home grown English language singing show.
Slated to launch on 10 October, 2015, The Stage will be aired on weekends at 9 pm.
Colors Infinity is looking to push the envelop with the launch of this show. What’s more the channel has put its marketing might in extensively promoting the show across digital and on-ground platforms. From broadcast to print, a buzz has been created about the new reality show in the country.
Speaking to Indiantelevision.com, Viacom18 EVP and head of English entertainment Ferzad Palia said, “We know there is a huge amount of talent in the English space across the country. This is just not a Mumbai, Delhi, Bangalore show. We are pushing the envelope heavily by going into the reality space in the English entertainment genre, which has never been done before. The talent will be grown and taken forward.”
When asked whether original English entertainment content like The Stage would work in India, a senior media planner opined, “Somebody had to push the envelope. I don’t see any reason why original English entertainment content should not work in India. It might not get success immediately, but eventually, in the long run, I see it tasting enormous success.”
With a jury comprising Vishal Dadlani, Monica Dogra, Ehsaan Noorani and Devraj Sanyal, The Stage will be hosted by Shibani Dandekar.
The show will provide a platform to 20 raw talent from around the country in a quest to find India’s best English language singer. The winner of the title will bag a record deal with Universal Music, which would be released globally, a 10 city tour, a mentorship program and a Renault Duster. Viacom18’s marketing muscle will also be used to back the winner’s career across all platforms.
The Stage is produced by SOL. Speaking about the show’s unique format, SOL producer Fazila Allana says, “The show clearly depicts how talented Indian artists are. We looked for some great singers who will bring something new for the people and whose voices will stand above the rest. The contestants have their own individuality.”
“The Stage has given me a chance to reveal the hidden gems of our nation. It marks a landmark in the music and entertainment industry,” asserts Universal Music Group South Asia MD and CEO Devraj Sanyal.
Throwing light on the expectation from the show, Palia says, “We are happy with the show getting a good response. Whenever someone pushes the envelope and does something different, you see the entire society talking about it and that was our objective. There is great talent sitting out there and they don’t have a platform to showcase it.”
Not running after ratings, Palia says that the channel’s objective was to come up with something unique for the Indian audience. “We don’t sell according to the ratings and we didn’t think about the expenses while doing the show,” he informs.
