Category: Reality

MTV and MTV EXIT, presents “Traffic” by Anurag Kashyap

MUMBAI: A beautiful life is something that each human aspires to live. But what happens when you are lured by opportunities that seem beneficial but in reality are a nightmare? Human trafficking is a real life horror that has victimised thousands of people across the globe. In an initiative that brings light to these atrocities and works towards ending them, MTV, India’s leading youth brand, MTV EXIT, the world’s largest behaviour change campaign in the fight against human trafficking and exploitation, and one of India’s finest directorial talents, Anurag Kashyap, present “Traffic”, an eye-opening five-episode thriller series. The series is part of a global campaign to educate young people about the growing presence of trafficking in the world, and aims at inspiring them, so they can STOP. THINK. ACT. The first episode of “Traffic” airs on MTV on February 28, 2014.

More than 200,000 persons are believed to be trafficked into, withinor through India annually. According to studies conducted by the Ministry of Women and Child Development, there are 3 million commercial sex workers in India, of which an estimated 40% are children. The five episodes of “Traffic” will highlighting varioustypes ofhuman trafficking, such as domestic servitude, forced marriage, being sold into prostitution, enslavement in a foreign land, organ trafficking and bonded labour.

Speaking about this endeavour, AdityaSwamy, EVP and Business Head, MTV India, said,“Traffic is our initiative to raise awareness around human trafficking. It is happening every single day, all around us. Each one of us can make a difference and that’s what we want to communicate with this 5 part series. We are leveraging what we do best, content curation along with our broadcast and digital capability to reach out to people in a voice that will make them listen. MTV EXIT has done exceptional work in this field globally and it’s with these learnings that we begin the India chapter.

Anchored and produced by the multi-talented AnuragKashyap, a 30-minute episode of “Traffic” will air every Friday at 7:00 pm starting February 28, 2014. “Traffic” will follow the journey of five people who were misled into the darkest abyss but emerged victorious by building up the strength to ask for help. With an aim to create awareness of this ever-growing social evil, each story will be narrated in a gripping format taking the viewers on a roller coaster ride of emotions.

Anchor and Producer, “Traffic”, AnuragKashyap said, “Over the last few years, I have wanted to work on a project on human trafficking. So when I was approached by MTV for ‘Traffic’, I was thrilled. Through these films I want to reach out to my fans, especially the youngsters and make them aware of the perils oftrafficking.”

Nirmala Nair, Country Manager – India, MTV EXIT said, “Research shows that an estimated 20.9 million people globally are in forced labour at any given time due to trafficking — and Asia contributes to 56% of this figure. While the statistics are shocking, very little is being done towards this cause. This is where MTV EXIT steps in. We’re committed to engaging, educating and empowering young people with the information and tools they need to help end human trafficking. Through ‘Traffic’ we will reach out to a huge audience of young people with information on human trafficking, and provide them with clear actions to reduce the demand for trafficking. It’s time to take a stand and act.”

Debra Rosen, Movement Director of Walk Free said, “Education and awareness is the first step to bringing modern slavery to an end. That’s why a series like ‘Traffic’ is so important. It not only teaches you how to protect yourself, but inspires you to share your knowledge so that more people make ending modern slavery a priority.” In order to help reach an even larger audience, an anthem for “Traffic”was created by one of the most talented musicians in the country, Hitesh Sonik. Penned by renowned lyricist Piyush Mishra, the anthem is sung by Suraj Jagan.

“Traffic” by MTV and MTV EXIT will be supported by a 360-degree marketing campaign across platforms. In addition to on-air, fans will also be engaged through various social media platforms.

“Traffic” starts February 28, 2014 at 7pm only on MTV

February 27, 2014
Channel V celebrates the real Heroes

MUMBAI: Come February 23rd and new heroes will be born. Channel V, the country’s number one youth GEC, is coming up with a new show that shares stories of sexual assault and in the process instills fear in the accused and the feeling of strength in the victims. Simply called Heroes, the new show produced by Endemol India, not only makes the youth aware of the hazards in the society but also shows means and methods to bolster themselves and combat such situations.

Heroes is a re-enacted drama series based on the incidents of sexual assault which happens in various places such as hospitals, offices, schools and colleges and happens to people of different social strata, different gender and different age. The show will contain narration by the victims and the actual incidents faced by them will be recreated in the same episode.

Each 60-minute story will bring one sexual assault story to light from the point of view of the victims. From the time when they were being harassed to that threshold moment when they could not take it anymore and fought back. These stories will celebrate the fearlessness of the people fighting against the many social institutions trying to bring them down. Finally what will emerge are the real Heroes of our society, of our country.

Says Prem Kamath, EVP & GM-Channel V, “The new motto of our channel has been ‘V Correct Hai’ and what can be more correct than a show like Heroes. Sexual assault happens in our society every day in some form and a show like this will make people more cautious and also empower them against all the forces at play. The show reiterates our belief in the philosophy that the abuse will stop when the silence does.

On creating a format that deals with real life issues such as sexual harassment, Deepak Dhar, Director and CEO, Endemol India says, “We are determined to create a show for the audiences and get them to take notice of this unspoken yet massive plague like issue which women in India face on a daily basis. The format competently tackles the behavior and addresses the education barrier which is lacking. ‘HEROES’ is also an ode to the women whom have shown the courage to walk out of such thorny affairs with their head held high.”

Starting 23rd Feb, 2014 watch Heroes, every Sunday at 7pm only on Channel V.

February 22, 2014
Zee to bring bachchagiri with DID L’il Masters

MUMBAI: Dancing isn’t just about mean moves; it’s also about attitude. This is the reason why Zee TV is all set to bring back DID (Dance India Dance) L’il Masters, now in its third season, to replace the ongoing DID season four.

Starting 1 March, children aged five to 12 years will mesmerise audiences with their awe-inspiring performances every weekend at 9 pm. This time round, the show positioning is: ‘from dadagiri to bachchagiri’.

Zeel content head (Hindi GECs) Ajay Bhalwankar, who recently resigned from his post, explains: “Though the world is heavily borrowed from dadagiri, bachchagiri in no way gives any leeway to over-smartness or cockiness. Kids aren’t show-offs but they do have a ‘don’t mess with me’ attitude when it comes to dance. They aren’t afraid of a little competition and stage fear means nothing to them.”

Says Nitin Keni of Essel Vision Productions, producer of the show: “These are genuinely gifted children and little powerhouses of talent who astonished us with their unimaginable talent. Along with entertainment, Zee and Essel Vision have always endeavored to become the most coveted platform for aspiring youth and women in the country and with the third season of DID L’il masters, we only hope to strengthen that conviction of ours.”

Season three will follow a similar format with 16 contestants divided into four teams led by skippers including Sanam Johar, Raghav (Crockroaz) and Swarali Karulkar (DID 4 contender) with the fourth name still under consideration. Masters Geeta Kapoor, Ahmad Khan and Mudassar Khan will judge the performances while veteran actor Mithun Chakraborty (Mithun Da) will once again lend his characteristic wit to the platform. Hosting the show would be popular television actor Jay Bhanushali.

So what’s the talking point of this season? “We, as a channel, don’t have to do anything new. Of course, we have plans to think about new dance forms, acts and visuals but what is really new is a fresher mind, fresher and more original talent. Kids are typically very informal; they have a mind of their own and when they perform, they completely rock the stage,” says Bhalwankar before adding, “I couldn’t have imagined some of the steps they ended up doing during the auditions.”

He lavishes praise on the talent possessed by these kids. “They can change the format and mould it; they can mould their performance… We have to give them a format which allows them freedom. Bachchagiri is a format for us, and the entire control has been given to the kids,” he says.

According to Zeel new programming head Namit Sharma, who assumed responsibility only yesterday, season three is a lot about evolution. “Lil masters is a very unique show. It is fun, engaging, heartwarming and at the same time, inspirational, because you are watching these kids doing all the fantastic moves. This year, we are keen on seeing the kids grow and evolve rather than just contestants in a reality show,” he says.

Already, dancing fever has gripped the nation with auditions being held in 15 cities including Mumbai, Delhi, Kolkata, Vadodara, Jaipur, Raipur, Indore, Bhubaneswar, Guwahati, Dehradun, Chandigarh, Ranchi, Patna, Jammu and Lucknow. The number of participants has risen 25 per cent from last year’s one lakh contestants. After more than four months of auditioning, 100 children have been selected, of which, 16 finalists will be selected in mega auditions being held this week.

Speaking of her experience, Kapoor said: “Judging kids was a tough call. We had to be easy with them. However, each and every child is a winner for us. We don’t treat them as contestants but as normal kids.”

While Khan felt their main job was to console the kids who’d been rejected in the auditions phase. “Somewhere down the line, they are conditioned to the fact that they are here to get popularity. They don’t come with a positive mind that they will get selected,” he said.

On their part, the skippers said they enjoyed choreographing the ‘patakas’

Johar, a contestant of DID season three, said: “It’s very interesting to choreograph kids. After becoming a skipper, you can’t show or teach them moves which are repetitive; we have to do something new. Instead of getting scared, we have to be prepared to do something innovative.” Raghav, who is famous for his slo-mo style said: “It is all in nature. You get to learn a lot from your surroundings. We don’t have to teach anything to the kids creatively. Get them on stage, and they will burn the dance floor. They are very smart. Plus, they come prepared.”

Industry sources say the channel is looking at anything between Rs 180 and Rs 190 crore from DID L’il Masters season three with anything between Rs 1,20,000 and Rs 1,80,000 for every 10 seconds.

Marketing and promotion

A 360-degree marketing plan is on the anvil comprising outdoor, print, television and radio to sustain audience interest in the property. As part of on-ground, children will form special ‘Dhating Naach Tolis’ and visit various housing societies in Mumbai and Delhi to play Holi with the residents as a mark of the festival.

Vignettes have been created for television where kids will sometimes be seen talking about a show before it starts and encouraging the audience to see it. On the digital side, there are plans to create a hashtag #DIDLM for greater engagement with the viewers.

No doubt the show will face tough competition from the ongoing India’s Got Talent on Colors and the upcoming Mad in India on Star Plus. While Mad in India is a 75,000 per 10 sec slot, IGT is 1.25 lakh. But with the last season having opened at 5.8 TVR, Bhalwankar remains unfazed. “When kids come to the show, they have a ball. I don’t think we will need masala to get ratings or eyeballs. Other people can worry,” he laughs.

February 11, 2014
‘Khatron Ke Khiladi’ to return soon in a repackaged avatar

MUMBAI: “When you burst the blocks of your life, a blockbuster is created,” says filmmaker Rohit Shetty, who after giving blockbusters like the Golmaal franchise and Chennai Express is set to take on a new role that of a TV show host. The director, who is known for reviving the action genre on the celluloid, will be hosting the fifth edition of Fear Factor: Khatron Ke Khiladi with the tagline “Dar Ka Blockbuster”.

As the tagline suggests, the show is going to burst the fear blocks of 12 celebrities in its upcoming edition, the announcement was made amid much fanfare in the city last night. The show is set to return on the General Entertainment Channel – Colors after almost two years. With a changed format that will see 12 celebrities and no commoners, the show will be shot in Cape Town, South Africa over a month.

“Few people from the production team are already in South Africa to make sure that the pre-production work is all done and set,” says Endemol India CEO Deepak Dhar, who is producing the show. Another group is ready to fly next week with the contestants.

The last season of the show that premiered on Colors in June 2011 was also shot in South Africa. Dhar says that the country has been chosen again because the Endemol South Africa team is really well-equipped and would be helpful in coming out with a season full of adrenaline-rushing adventure.

Dhar describes this season as a “really mean season” as the level of stunts have just gone up and the animals coming on the show are going to add to it. “With Rohit on board, the scale of the show has elevated. Plus, some of the best stunts from the Fear Factor US have been replicated,” he says.

To give the audience a close view of what a contestant is going through while in a box full of cockroaches or a cage full of snakes, multiple cameras will be used. “Go Pro cameras, fly cameras and a lot of other hi-tech devices will be used to capture all the actions in the best possible way,” says Dhar.

However, it is not so much about the technique in terms of filming as much as it is technique in terms of stunting, he remarks.

But considering the varied types of stunts, a lot of new techniques have also been used to capture them. “The kinds of stunts we have picked up this time are varied in nature. We have chopper stunts, car stunts, bike stunts, underwater stunts besides a lot of other interesting activities that will make the show really entertaining,” says Colors Weekend programming head Manisha Sharma, adding that the show will be packed with edgy content and will explore some of the most interesting locales of South Africa.

Dhar says the budget has also gone up by about 20 per cent as compared to the last season. While he doesn’t disclose the figure, a reliable source from the channel informs the production of a non-fiction show like this costs approximately 50-60 crore.

Hitherto, the slot hasn’t been decided as the production is yet to begin. “That’s a discussion that going on internally as well,” says Colors CEO Raj Nayak when we quizzed him if KKK is going to replace India’s Got Talent. However, for the time-being what is fixed is that the show will be aired during the weekends.

The last season was aired after Indian Premiere League got over. However, Nayak thinks that since cricket has become a year-round affair, it isn’t a threat for the show. “We may start the telecast alongside IPL,” he says as he remarks that if big budget Bollywood movies that were not released during the IPL season earlier can be released then KKK can also be telecast. However, if it runs parallel to the IPL, the channel may think of running a ticker with the score of the cricket match being played on that day.

Nayak says that discussions about the advertisers and sponsors are still on. However, the channel is expecting good sponsorship deals. “Our sponsors come last as we ask for lots of money and a lot of negotiations go on,” he quips.

Media planners think there shouldn’t be a problem in getting interesting deals for a show like KKK. Madison Media Sigma COO Vanita Keswani thinks that since the show is coming back after a gap, the interest of the viewers as well as the advertisers around it will be enthusiastic.

“The telecast of a format year after year leads to decaying of the idea. A break is good as it would bring certain rejuvenation,” she says and adds the show already has a brand name that will work for it. As far as the sponsors and advertisers are concerned, Keswani thinks that till the time the content of a show is good, they will put in their money. “Any way, these days the advertisers look for better content and not ratings as ratings may or may not come in even if the show is good,” she remarks.

Contestants who will be vying to conquer their phobias comprise Ranvir Shorey, Nikitin Dheer, Mugdha Godse, Dayanand Shetty, Rajniesh Duggall, Rochelle Maria Rao, Gauahar Khan, Kushal Tandon, Pooja Gor, Mahhi Vij, Salman Khan and Geeta Tandon.

January 31, 2014
‘Roadies XI’ is back with a bang

MUMBAI: The mother of all reality shows – MTV Hero Roadies – is back with Season XI which promises to be one heck of a roller coaster ride.

With the tagline ‘Ride for Respect’, the new season is slated to hit TV screens on Saturday, 25 January at 7pm. The adventure will see seven boys and seven girls bike riding from desert to desert, starting with Sun City Jodhpur and culminating in the Rann of Kutch. Leading the pack will be the winner of season I of MTV Roadies, Rannvijay Singh and MTV Roadies producer, Raghu Ram.

Hero continues to be the title sponsor for the show. Whereas, the channel has roped in nine associate sponsors on-board including brands like CEAT, Mountain Dew, Spraymintt mouth freshener, Karbonn tablets among others.

Significantly, the new edition of MTV Roadies is all about performance sans the vote outs and group politics. So, all 14 contestants will have to prove their mettle through challenging tasks and only their track record through the show journey will get them closer to winning the title.

“Every year, we try to conceptualise the theme of the show around a trending youth sentiment. It is not just about the show, audiences connect with the Roadies’ spirit of never backing down, perseverance and standing tall against all odds. We are pushing the envelope further this year by making the central theme all about the Roadies’ spirit and confidence,” says MTV India head marketing and insights Sumeli Chatterji. “So, while competition will be more intense and tasks will be more challenging; there will be no vote outs and no group politics. Every candidate will have an equal chance to show his or her mettle and win.”

The reason for going ahead with the no vote-out format, producer and judge Raghu Ram says that it is just to be fair. “In the past, many have complained that deserving contestants are voted out. While for me vote out is an interesting situation, we have been blamed for encouraging politics and thus we have done away with the vote out system altogether.”

But it doesn’t mean there won’t be any eliminations – a lot of other things will be introduced to make the show interesting and unpredictable.

Says MTV India EVP and business head Aditya Swamy: “This year on Roadies, we have seven boys and seven girls and they will have an absolutely equal chance in the Ride for Respect. Fresh twists in the format have made Roadies India’s longest-running reality show and this year’s format breaker ensures survival only of the fittest.”

Raghu, who usually gives goosebumps to the contestants with his stringent remarks, thinks that the reason behind the year after year success of the game is the love of the audience and the sheer belief that the show is a life changer for many. He remarks: “The show has made adventure and bikes a household name in India. The ten years have seen over five million hopefuls, grueling auditions, tough tasks and deserving winners. The new edition is all geared up to introduce an absolutely new avatar to everyone. What I can promise you is a triple dose of thrill, action and a lot more drama.”

However, when quizzed about the flak the show has got in the past for the use of abusive language, Raghu shots back and says: “I think much has been spoken about the language and it is time people should get over it. Language is not a problem because it is a reality show. Still, this year I have tried to make sure that there is no abusive language used from my end and the focus transforms to that instead of the other things in the show.”

Apart from auditions in Mumbai, Delhi, Chandigarh and Pune, this year, the channel also tapped Hyderabad and Kolkata. Also, an all-India audition was conducted online.

Marketing and promotion

This year, the strategy is not only about driving reach across the target audience but also engaging with consumers across various touch points.

A college connect program targeted at over 200 colleges sees Raghu and Rannvijay visiting the colleges and integrating with college festivals and college bike rallies across cities. “Our attempt is to integrate Roadies with city-specific events like Marathon in Pune, partnerships with malls, hangouts and clubs,” says Chatterji.

The channel is reaching out to over 150 power towns across UP and Gujarat through several BTL activations.

Roadies is active on social media as well with nearly 20 million visitors on its micro-site and around 7.8 million fans on Facebook. According to Chatterji, the last season clocked 65 million views online and was the most subscribed YouTube channel for a TV show.

Season XI will be consumed by fans through TV episodes, web episodes, on-ground events and Roadies’ branded merchandise including sunglasses, shoes and bags.

Besides, the brain behind the show, Raghu, has penned a memoir of his over-a-decade-long journey titled Rearview: My Roadies Journey, which explores the bright and not-so-bright side of this ride. Launched in Bangalore recently, the autobiography is available at Crosswords bookstores.

Verdict

All said, with so many youth-oriented shows from the same channel, what makes Roadies the brand it is? “This is a journey where the underdog can emerge a winner if he survives the game. This series generates intense emotions, not only from the participants and judges but also from the audience. The eliminations, tasks, contestants are always a topic of debate. You can love it, or hate it… but the youth can never ignore Roadies. This drives the social buzz and fan following,” says Chatterji.

However, a media planner says: “There are a lot of youth reality shows on Indian television today. No doubt, Roadies has gained popularity over the years but people now want to see some fresh shows. Though, it’s a good property for advertisers to invest in as the show has a brand value. Having said that, it’s not really going to grab enough eyeballs as the choice of the youngsters has evolved and they would like to watch something new rather than run-of-the-mill stuff.”

However, Raghu thinks that the TG identifies with the format. “The show is very young at heart. It explores human emotions very interestingly. It is not about the tasks, not about the vote-outs, but about facing circumstances and adapting to different dynamics.”

Roadies will be competing with shows like Emotional Atyachar: Love, Shaq aur Dhoka on Bindaas and the repeat telecast of Dil Dosti Dance (D3) on Channel V. Media analysts think that the show doesn’t really have a competition as nothing close to the similar format will be on air on the rival channels.

January 22, 2014
Colors bets bigger with India’s Got Talent 5

MUMBAI: It is said that emotions sell. It seems so right in the case of Viacom18 Hindi GEC Colors’ talent show India’s Got Talent (IGT) where the emotional stories clubbed with exceptional talent led it to win the Best Entertainment Programme at the Asian TV Awards 2013.

But while its fourth edition was high on pullling viewers’ heart strings, the fifth edition that begins on 11 January at 9:00 pm every Saturday and Sunday, promises to bring out not just the contestants’ emotional journeys but also oodles of undiscovered talent from the different corners of India.

Based on the international format, Britian’s Got Talent owned by FremantleMedia, the channel says that the endeavour this year has been to find talent that would defy the dimensions of a stage through acrobatic, aquatic and circus acts besides many other scintillating performances.

IGT’s auditions began much earlier in June and the number of cities and towns where the team scouted for new skilled contestants ballooned to 45, with their number of auditions also rising 45 per cent. Viewers will get to see familiar faces as judges: old-timer Kirron Kher is very much there for her fifth season; Karan Johar (in his second season) and and Malaika Arora Khan, who, in the last edition, had to leave midway to make way for Farah Khan (however, this time she assures she will definitely continue till the finale).

Also, there are two new hosts – stand-up comics and artiste Bharti Kher and Mantra who with different avatars every week will add a tinge of humour to the proceedings. What’s new this year is also the Golden Buzzer – which the judges can press to give a participant a direct route to the semi-finals. And since there’s a lot more being packed in this edition, it is no surprise that production budget has escalated. FremantleMedia India head of commercial & and operations Vidyuth Bhandary says it is up more than 25 per cent.

“Since we are exploring uncharted talent, the investment in everything has scaled up. The dimension of the show has changed with the inclusion of performances on water and circus besides other platforms. It required us to leave the studio and build separate sets so that the contestants could show their talent,” says Bhandary.

A source from the industry informs that the last edition of the show was produced in a budget of around Rs 23-24 crore and thus an estimated Rs 30-32 crore is being sunk in this time around.

“India’s Got Talent is our flagship property which has grown exponentially season-after-season thereby attracting larger participation individuals across the country” says FremantleMedia India managing director Anupama Mandloi. “Our team has worked together endlessly in an endeavor to showcase the creativity and enthusiasm which further adds to the scale and grandeur of the show.”

On view will be perfromers from 3 to 80 years with stunts that include pole dancing, basketball, para-gliders, synchronised swimming, fire jumping and diffusive neon painting.

According to Bhandary, it is one of the most difficult shows from the production point of view. “It is not controlled like other reality shows. The size of a talent group varies from two to more than hundred people and managing the logistics gets really difficult at times,” he says, also adding that the production team includes a specialised crew that can handle any critical situation should it arise.

“Since we have increased the variety of talent on the show, we have also scaled up the safety measures. Like during the water act, we had four divers ready to help in case of an emergency. There’s a fire marshal, ambulance, stunt team always in place. We make sure that the precautionary measures are always in place,” he adds.

Promotional budgets too have been hiked. So if the channel’s marketing team has drawn up a well-thought digital campaign, the on-ground activities and campaigns on other mediums are no less.

Colors digital head Vivek Srivastava says that the digital campaign is divided in two parts, the first starts with a unique Twitter Concert before the show’s launch.

“Starting tomorrow, we start our two-day crowdsourcing activity for which we are inviting our Twitter followers to compose lines around the show using the hashtag #IGTTwitterConcert. The final composition would then be taken forward and sung as a song by a band. The final song will be launched with the show on 11 January,” he says, adding that the idea is to engage the audience completely.

The second phase begins after the show goes on air. “In that, through different mediums, we would promote the talent on the show with their stories,” says Vivek.

Even on radio, two innovative campaigns have been designed. While an Acapella act will be presented by this season’s participant, Ki Umjer that will be aired across radio stations and cities to showcase the international caliber of talent that will feature on the show, another one in association with Red FM will bring together 30 RJs from across the country in Mumbai.

“The RJs will tell the stories of the talented individuals who reside in their cities,” says Colors marketing head Rajesh Iyer.

Another on-ground activity is planned at Mumbai’s famed Churchgate station that will take place just before the on-air launch.

“It will give the common public a chance to show the talent in them,” says Iyer, adding that the overall outreach programme involves 3500+ spots on television, ads in 50 plus edition of key print publications, over 8,000 radio spots, OOH covering 100 towns and DTH imprints.

“Since our target audience includes everyone from young to old, we have planned these extensive campaigns to pull in maximum number of viewers,” he says. IGT’s concept is very different from any other show currently on air on any other channel. Unlike other reality shows that focus on one particular talent like singing or dancing, this one gives a viewer a varied variety. But still competition is competition. And that seemed to have touched one of the judges Karan Johar too. Karan whose celebrity chat show, Koffee With Karan airs on Sunday at the same time slot on Star World. He jokingly asked the media during the press conference which show would they prefer to watch him on – IGT or KWK? Karan didn’t get a straight answer but Iyer on a lighter note quipped, “We don’t compete with Koffee With Karan.”

However, he doesn’t dismiss competition with other GECs when they all are running reality shows at the same time slot – Zee TV has its most popular property – Dance India Dance 4, Star Plus has Nach Baliye 6 and Sony has Boogie Woogie. “But we can’t be threatened by that. What we have got to do, we have got to do,” he says.

Colors’ weekend programming head Manisha Sharma seconds and adds, “Every show says that they are different. But we have done well and have grown year after year because of our differentiated content. It’s the diverse talent that we bring on our show that works.”

IGT kick-starts its first episode with Bollywood’s favourite leading lady Madhuri Dixit-Nene who will join the judging panel while sharing inspirational stories and anecdotes with the participants. Subsequent episodes will also feature special guests including Remo D’souza, Manish Paul amongst many others.

IGT’s advertisers include Maruti Suzuki for the presented by tag, it is powered by L’Oreal Paris Total Repair 5 and associate sponsors include Tata Ace and Amul Macho.

And it isn’t just that the Colors and Fremantle team that’s oozing with confidence this season, even industry experts have given IGT the thumbs up. Lodestar UM’s vice president Deepak Netram says it has a huge appeal because of the kind of talent it brings. “The promo of a girl with an amputated leg has already sent shockwaves. It has raised the expectations and the curiosity both. The promos have build up the excitement around the show. There’s shock value along with emotional backing and it’s something really to look forward to,” he remarks.

Weekends for Colors’ fans obviously aren’t going to be the same.

January 8, 2014
‘Bigg Boss 7’ was unique in many ways!

MUMBAI: The end of the year 2013 seemed to be really good for the general entertainment channel Colors. One of its biggest properties of the year, Bigg Boss7, reportedly made on a big budget of 115 crore, not just got it audiences’ attention but also took its tally a notch higher in the ratings chart. The show was high on viewership throughout the season, however it was its finale episode on 28 December that added the cherry on the cake.

Interestingly, the finale of the reality show became “phenomenon” according to Colors’ weekend programming head Manisha Sharma. “It had all the makings of a ‘masaledaar’ blockbuster including power-packed performances by the contestants and the host Salman Khan himself. This season has been the most watched, most buzzed and most trended season of all times. We are ecstatic with the response that the Grand Finale has garnered, not only in terms of TVTs but also with the kind of conversations that were generated across social media platforms,” says Sharma about the show that garnered 9,577 TVTs in the week 52 of TAM TV ratings.

Many things have worked for the reality show that went on for 104 days unlike 96 days in the earlier editions. From a unique contestant mix, a fresh look and feel of the house, two different living conditions with the hell and heaven concept, to unique tasks and inclusion of an adorable pet – Heaven as a friend and confidant, just added to the show. “We have pushed the boundaries to raise the entertainment quotient of the show. The combination of all these elements have made the seventh season of Bigg Boss as one of the most popular season with the audiences,” says Sharma.

It wasn’t easy for the team working behind the show to put everything together in place. Endemol’s (the show’s production house) MD Deepak Dhar says the process of planning and casting for the show begins much before it goes underway. “The moment one season is over, our casting team starts short listing contestants for the next season,” says Dhar, who remarks that a total of almost 500 people were involved in the production of the show out of which 420-430 persons were stationed in Lonavala where the 10,500 sq ft Bigg Boss house designed by Omag Kumar was located.

“While managing the production crew has been a big HR exercise, what has worked in our favour in all the seasons is that the crew is really enthusiastic and are on its toes 24/7 to come across that one moment that could make the episode fun and entertaining,” says Dhar.

For the recently concluded season, the crew could see the action unfolding in the house from the 147 windows in the house from where the 80 cameras were also placed in the camera galli(a dark alley that surrounds the periphery of the house and supply the editors with constant feed about what is going on inside). “There was a projection control room where the story editor sat with his team of 15 editors as they ran through the 24 hours of footage on a daily basis and edited it to a short episode of 44 minutes. With so many different elements, the USP of the show remains the editors who work on 12 hour shifts to ensure that all key moments and happenings are captured within the 44 minute time frame of the episode,” says Sharma.

Dhar seconds and adds, “It is like a newsroom. There’s never a moment in the house that we can afford to miss.”

There used to be a lot of hustle bustle for the weekend episodes for which host Salman Khan visited the house. In fact, there was an additional crew of around 100 people to take care of things during the shooting of the weekend episodes.

This season, according to both Dhar and Sharma was very unique. Sharma says each day in this season was unique in its own way. “Emotions like friendship, hostility, jealousy, love that manifested within the contestants set the stage for an engaging viewing experience. There were some tasks that pushed the contestants to achieve targets that they had not even considered. The biggest example of this is the fact that two of the contestants – Sangram Singh and Kamya Punjabi broke the international Big Brother record by staying under a box for more than 50 hours.”

Dhar, who has been personally involved in the production process over the years, says that this season they knew how to handle the difficult situations that cropped during the show. “Our 24/7 security team assures that there’s no complication on-location,” he says when quizzed about handling the situations when contestants got in to a brawl with each other, or threatened to jump off the fence etc.

“Our teams are extremely alert and over the seasons have learnt how to handle on-ground situations. Our primary prerogative is to ensure that the contestants follow the rules of the game as well as remain safe throughout their stay inside the Bigg Boss house. For this, we have Bigg Boss who steps in as the ultimate authority inside the house. He guides the contestants and ensures that harmony is maintained,” adds Sharma.

While it’s too early to say anything for the next edition, Dhar remarks that they are going to make the show bigger and better. “It’s going to be a new challenge,” he concludes

January 4, 2014
Bigg Boss’ rides high on negative publicity

MUMBAI: Not that Bigg Boss, or for that matter even the original format Big Brother, has ever been in news for good things, but the seventh season of the celebrity reality show seems to be riding high on negative publicity. While in the earlier seasons, it was just the in-house fights, some of the most popular ones involving Dolly Bindra, Raja Chaudhary, Kamal R Khan, Pooja Misra etc, which made headlines, this time the happenings inside the house is also coming out and reaching the police station.

The recent news is about a case against actor Ajaz Khan. Apparently, on 28 December, a case was filed against him for calling BJP’s prime ministerial candidate Narendra Modi a “chor”. The BJP political wing in North Mumbai lodged a police complaint against Ajaz and the show for apparent defamatory statement.

The number of legal cases this season has just been on a rise. The first case was against Armaan Kohli filed by Sofia Hayat for sexual assault. The actor was taken to Lonavala police station from the Bigg Boss house but however he got and re-entered the house.

If that wasn’t enough, another case was filed in Hyderabad against the host Salman Khan and the producers of the show for allegedly hurting the religious sentiments. According to the complainant, certain expressions used by the actor for describing elimination and promotion of participants were offensive.

Surprisingly, there was not much use of abusive language in this season of the show. However, other factors like celebrity tantrums, physical proximity among contestants all have kept the show in the spotlight since the beginning. From Kushal Tandon jumping off the wall and contestants flouting the rules of the house to two contestants getting intimate in the house, everything has kept the show in the limelight.

Recently, there was also a strong buzz that actor and producer Sachiin Joshi was also going to take strong legal action against Kushal Tandon. The actor was in the show to promote his filmJackpot and was called ‘dedh footiya’ by the TV actor.

With only two days to go for the show’s finale, one can only hope that the season ends without anymore controversies.

December 27, 2013
Nach Baliye 6 partners with Twitter to engage audience

MUMBAI: Keeping up with its legacy of introducing innovative digital initiatives, Star Plus has got into an exclusive association with Twitter India to introduce the Nach Baliye Twitter Mirror.

The Twitter Mirror is a high engagement tool which has been used for some of the biggest global television events like the Academy Awards and the Grammys. Now, Nach Baliye will become the first ever TV show for which the Twitter Mirror will be used.

The Nach Baliye Twitter Mirror is going to be a permanent installation on the sets of Nach Baliye that will be aired from tomorrow on Saturday and Sunday at 9 pm on Star Plus, and will give all the celebrities of the show a chance to get clicked through the Twitter Mirror, and then automatically tweet that picture.

With this, the fans will get a chance to sneak in to the lives of the celebrity contestants who are participating in the show. The Mirror will capture some of the candid and interesting moments between the real life celebrity couples and also the judges on the show. In order to make the entire experience seamless and complete, the celebrities will also be shown getting them clicked on the Mirror during few episodes of the show Nach Baliye – Parde Ke Peechey.

Talking about this initiative, Star India SVP marketing and programming strategy Nikhil Madhok said: “Over the last couple of years one has seen the emergence of the second screen as an important platform for television content. Star Plus realises the great engagement possibilities this offers, and also understands how a differentiated offering for the second screen can help deepen bonds with our viewers. The Nach Baliye Twitter Mirror comes from this philosophy, and we are extremely happy to work with Twitter India to bring this great innovation for the first time for a television show.”

India market for Twitter head Rishi Jaitly added: “Twitter is the world’s leading real-time information network where users follow, share and experience content that is live, public and conversational. In India, Twitter brings audiences closer to the people and organisations they care about, including television shows, stars and moments. We are pleased to see Star Plus embracing Twitter and the Twitter Mirror during Nach Baliye to engage and grow its audience in authentic ways.”

Produced by Frames Productions, Nach Baliye 6 is hosted by Gautam Rode and Karan Wahi. It brings together 11 celebrity jodis in a season that is touted to be the boldest and edgiest ever.

November 8, 2013
The seven season itch

T he daggers are drawn and the battle field is set for what promises to be one of the most closely watched fights in recent television history.

We’re talking about the ensuing tussle between two of the small screen’s hottest properties: Sony Entertainment’s Kaun Banega Crorepati season seven vs. Colors’ Bigg Boss season seven.

While there really are no guesstimates as to which among these two shows will succeed in grabbing more eyeballs (… and TVTs), both Hindi general entertainment channels (GECs) are more than ready for the kill.

Sony is betting big on the seventh season of KBC which comes to drawing rooms beginning 6 September, in a new and improved avatar. Not to be outdone, Colors is kick-starting Bigg Boss season seven – The ‘Wow’ and the ‘Aow’ barely nine days later i.e. 15 September.

We identify our strengths and weaknesses, and then see how we can complement our strengths with new shows, says confident Raj Nayak

Rechristened Saptakoti Mahadhani… Kaun Banega Mahacrorepati, KBC will be aired every Friday to Sunday at 8:30 pm. whereas Bigg Boss season seven will be telecast Monday to Sunday at 9:00 pm.

So what is the USP of this particular season, which the GECs are banking on?

KBC aims to create a platform of opportunities for Indians across ages, genders and socio-economic groups, and has had a makeover in terms of its format and prize money, which is now a whopping Rs 7 crore, among others.

Bigg Boss, on the other hand, arrives with a novel theme of heaven vs hell – The ‘Wow’ associated with the former and the ‘Aow’ with the latter.

A quick look at what’s new in both the shows:

KBC’s money tree will now comprise 15 questions and it will boast a brand new lifeline called ‘Power Paplu’ to aid those who seek to revive an already used lifeline. ‘Flip the question’ (Alat Palat) will replace ‘Ask the expert’ while ‘50:50’ will replace ‘Double Dip’.

In the entire game play, a hot seat contestant may now use only four of the five lifelines on offer.

A new feature ‘Play along’ has been introduced for the Fastest Finger First contestants who do not make it to the hot seat.

Well, competition is a reality. Within the very aggressive, competitive market, you have to differentiate the niche, says N.P Singh

Using ‘Play along’, they can play with the hot seat contestant and the one who answers the maximum number of questions in the minimum amount of time gets to win one lakh rupees at the end of the episode.

Additionally, the time limit for the ‘Phone a friend’ lifeline has been increased from 30 to 45 seconds. What’s more, audiences can win by playing the Ghar Baithe Jeeto Jackpot.

In contrast, Bigg Boss promises to be a roller-coaster ride for audiences, what with the heaven vs hell theme.

Of the 14 contestants, seven will be new names residing in a separate heaven themed house while the remaining seven will be old members, staying under one roof in another hell themed house, who’ve already been members of the Bigg Boss house during the last six seasons. The contestants from both the houses would be pitched against eachother in a series of tasks.

Among the newbies entering the Bigg Boss house are Shekhar Suman, Vatsal Seth, Suraj Pancholi, Kushal Tandon, Pratyusha Banerjee and Sonarika Bhadoria. The seventh newcomer is still to be identified.

Blast from the past: Hellcat Pooja Mishra is among the old members who will continue to occupy the house. Other members are still not confirmed.

There will be some amount of competition and fragmentation between the two shows, says Deepak Netram

Apart from programming frills, the channels themselves seem super confident about their respective properties. Moreso considering Bigg Boss has had a successful run last season with an opening of 4.0 TVR (television viewership ratings); ditto for KBC’s last season which opened with 6.1 TVR.

Colors CEO Raj Nayak says the channel is very clear and conscious in its strategy to be a complete household entertainment channel. “Today if you do a FPC (Fixed Point Chart) check across all channels, you will see Colors has the maximum variety. While strategy is one part, everything we do involves risks. But when I say risks, we take calculated risks. We identify our strengths and weaknesses, and then see how we can complement our strengths with new shows. If we succeed, they become better. If not, we keep trying,” he exults.

Asked if Sony has any particular strategy to beat the competition, SET chief operating officer N.P Singh says, “Well, competition is a reality. Within the very aggressive, competitive market, you have to differentiate the niche. Sony in its last 17 years has always run shows which are different from the rest and that has set us apart and we continue to follow that strategy.”

Since it is the seventh season, both shows have a great following and it will be very hard to choose one, says Ashish Bhasin

While Lodestar UM vice president Deepak Netram agrees there will be some amount of competition and fragmentation between the two shows, he is quick to point out that they cannot be compared. “They are unique in their own way. From the past what we have seen is KBC ratings have been there year on year. So we hope to maintain that. Bigg Boss on the other hand is looking bigger; the promotions are really huge and have happened way in advance. So it will be interesting to see how this pans out,” he observes.

Aegis Group plc chairman India and CEO southeast Asia Ashish Bhasin echoes Netram’s sentiments saying it will be a tough call between two very established properties. “Since it is the seventh season, both shows have a great following and it will be very hard to choose one. What viewers always believe in is content. If the content is of the viewers’ interest, people will definitely opt for that. The main competition will be when something else comes at that time – say a big movie is being launched by another channel or any big news event – which show loses out in that instance is going to be more interesting to watch,” he opines.

peaking from the point of view of advertisers, Bhasin says this particular slot is becoming increasingly attractive to them as it is also the hub of reality shows. “Advertisers will go where the eyeballs are and choose the most cost-effective way to get them. That’s how pricing will be done. And that can vary depending upon what the market rates are for that channel around that point of time. I don’t think finding advertisers for any of these shows will be an issue,” he says.

On his part, Nayak maintains Colors’ non-fiction shows generate more traction from advertisers than its fictional shows and Bigg Boss gets some of the biggest brands. However, he adds that it works as a loss leader and the channel has been investing in it because it is a cult show. This apart, it generates a lot of buzz. Estimates are that it is in the region of Rs 15-20 crore.

Most advertisers across categories agree that since both KBC and Bigg Boss are big properties and have local audiences across age groups, they cannot afford to ignore any one of them.

“Who would not want to take advantage of these shows to reach out to their target group? People are waiting for the shows to start and with festivals coming up; no one would be a fool to favour one over the other. Maximum eyeballs give us maximum reach,” says an advertiser who didn’t wish to be named.

As things stand, both the shows have gone viral on various digital platforms. Bigg Boss seven’s official Facebook page boasts around 1.8 million likes and more than 30,000 people talking about it. KBC Seven is not far behind with 1.6 million likes. Both are popular on Facebook but don’t seem to be trending that much on twitter.

Whether Big B’s charisma will work or Salman Khan’s swagger, only time will tell…

September 6, 2013