ITV

Tag: Aditya Swamy

  • MTV India strengthens team

    MTV India strengthens team

    MUMBAI: 2014 has been a year of wins for the universe of the young, MTV. To further establish itself in the space, the channel has roped in Shalini Sethi and Keegan Pinto as programming and creative heads respectively. 

     

    Sethi will be responsible for further building original content based on her understanding of media consumption habits of young people. Working closely with young producers and talent, she will strengthen existing franchises while parallelly building new properties. 

     

    Keegan, who has worked on the biggest brands in the country, will bring his edgy creative sense to drive the bite across all communication elements including brand messaging, show promotions and short format content for multi-screen consumption.

     

    Both will be reporting to MTV India EVP and business head Aditya Swamy. 

     

    Talking about the new additions to the team Swamy said that people are the biggest asset of his business and the channel continuously looks for talent that believe in the power of MTV and are also hungry to push the envelope and challenge the status quos. 

     

    “Shalini and Keegan have an infectious energy and are key drivers in taking MTV into its next phase in the India journey.  I am thrilled to have them as part of the part and I am excited about the madness that we will unleash together,” Swamy said. 

     

    Speaking on her new role, Sethi added, “Looking in from the outside, MTV is the benchmark for everything ‘cool’ when it comes to the youth. And now that I’m here, I can already feel the excitement that drives this brand. It is indeed a pleasure to be here at a time when the channel is adding some very interesting shows and also delving deeper into fiction. I’m looking forward to working with the great set of people that I’ve met here and hoping that I’ll be able to create some great content for an iconic brand like MTV.”

     

    Pinto said, “MTV is the first and last word on youth and the young at heart. It is a monument, a legacy, a bastion of pop-culture and music so much so that people tend to forget it’s an acronym and quote it as if it were a word. It is synonymous with innovation, passion and is known for reflecting the way the youth like to be and express themselves.”

     

    He further added, “To be working with people who have been instrumental in defining generations of young people and head the creative team is an extremely exciting idea for me. To add to a brand of this stature, a brand that I grew up with, a brand that enriched my imagination as a creative person, is a humbling honor. I love edgy content and MTV is all about bite and bigness. I look forward to being part of this fascinating culture which encourages creativity and being unabashed in every aspect of work.”

     

    Prior to joining MTV India, Sethi led programming at bindass. She began her career as a production assistant with Picture This Co and soon moved to AIM Television, a production house where she worked on TV shows such as Khubsurat and Indian Holiday. Moving from Delhi to Mumbai she worked on many projects such as Breakfast with Zee and Deepa Mehta’s movie Earth 1947. Post which she joined the Moving Picture Company.

     

    With more than a decade of experience, Pinto’s previous stints were with Lowe Lintas, Bates 141, Rediffusion Young & Rubicam, O&M and Colenso BBDO Auckland, New Zealand. His work has won him accolades in both the international and national circuits including the prestigious D&AD, One Show, Adfest, Cannes Lions, Abbys and Effies.

  • MTV ‘Roadies X2’ takes a different route

    MTV ‘Roadies X2’ takes a different route

    MUMBAI: MTV Roadies has become India’s longest running reality show and this time round, there’s something different in store. “It’s the 12th season and yet it feels like the first,” says MTV India EVP and business head Aditya Swamy about the cult youth reality show.

     

    So what is special this season? For starters, the show has gone for a complete makeover. This year it is breaking the format wide open, thus bringing in the unexpected.

     

    Going the unexpected way…

     

    This season, few changes in the format are the highlight:

     

    1) Sans the bad boys Raghu and Rajiv, it brings on board a whole new legion of gang leaders to join the original roadie Rannvijay Singh. The new gang leaders are actress Esha Deol, Olympic medalist and boxer Vijender Singh and television actor Karan Kundra.

     

    According to Swamy each one of them represents a certain factor. For instance, Vijendra represents the fact that winning is all that matters; Kundra represents that Roadies is just not about being physically tough but also being smart and Deol represents the girl power.

     

    “Each of them brings new packet to the show and along with them they will bring their own fan base that will increase the viewership base for the show itself,” adds Swamy.

     

    2) Having a female personality as a gang leader in Deol itself is a novelty this season.

     

    3) MTV wants to reflect youth power in the show. For the past 11 seasons, judges took over the power to select the contestants. This year, the channel has given the power to the audience as well. “There is the power to the audience and young people believe that they have the power to drive change more than ever,” states Swamy.

     

    4) Another change in the format is the journey itself. Roadies X2 gangs will ride along the scenic route from the holy city of Varanasi to the birthplace of The Ganges in Nepal.

     

    “Like always everyone expected the journey will start from Goa but this time around it is starting from Varanasi and goes all the way to the Himalayas. It is going to be a visual delight in terms of locations and the feel of the show,” Swamy says.

     

    Let the game begin…

     

    The auditions were held in four cities – Pune, Kolkata, Delhi and Chandigarh in December. Thousands of hopefuls showed up at each audition venue, some even camping over night to get an early entry into the auditions.

     

    According to Swamy, auditions are an event in themselves. He believes that the confidence is growing in the youth every year. “The views of youth are becoming much broader and liberal today. I see less lack of judgments and much more acceptance happening with young people. To top it all, I also see more and more girls coming in for auditions, which is very positive sign.”

     

    In the game, participants will not just compete against each other to become the ultimate ‘Roadie’ but will compete in gangs too. Each ‘gang leader’ – Rannvijay, Vijender, Kundra and Esha – will pick five participants for their own gangs.

     

    These gangs and their leaders will then compete against each other through a series of tasks to eliminate each other from the show. The gang leader and the gang member that stays through the end, winning the maximum number of tasks will be adjudged as the winner.

     

    Roadies X2 will see participation of 20 contestants (five members in each of the four gangs) and will air for 17 episodes.

     

    Behind the scenes

     

    Swamy shared his thoughts on how tough it is to make a reality show in this country. He reveals that out of 12 months, July is the only month of break for the channel.

     

    The channel starts planning for the show sometime in August followed by audition rounds that takes place in September till November. And the shoot begins in the month of December followed by the edit etc. The show goes live in the month of January with the season ending in the month of June.

     

    “People say that Roadies is the longest running reality show in the country, but what people don’t think that it is tough to make a reality show in this country. It is our labour of love. Every member of the crew has to embody that Roadies spirit because they live in the toughest of conditions, work with really challenging situations. A lot of the tasks are actually done by the crew themselves to check whether it is safe and do-able.”

     

    Swamy says that everybody has a role to play. Nobody is a celebrity and nobody is a worker, all are Roadies. Each one comes back wiser, stronger and more confident every season.

     

    Big pockets

     

    This season Hero MotoCorp continues to be the title sponsor and Vivo Smart Phone has come on board as the associate sponsor along with traditional long term partners like Mountain Dew, Ciat tyres etc. In all, the channel has roped in 12 sponsors this season. Swamy believes it is a big magnet for advertisers as well to connect with the youth.

     

    The show is all set to hit the television screens on 24 January with expected 20 per cent higher advertising revenues in its 12th season. It will be aired on Saturdays at 7 pm.

     

    According to media analysts, the channel expects 15 per cent higher ad-rates for its 10-second slots, while the title sponsor, Hero has spent about 22-25 per cent higher to get the association.

     

    While the channel chose to remain tight-lipped about the financial details, the analyst has also informed that a single 10-second slot on the show is being offered at Rs 25,000 – Rs 30,000.

     

    Along with this, unlike many other successful properties on television, Roadies demands Rs 15,000 – RS 17,000 for a 10-second slot on the repeats of the episodes too, which is close to 50 per cent of the original telecast.

     

    Marketing buzz

     

    The channel has targeted top colleges in the country to promote the event. It has also got on-board few Bollywood celebrities like Amitabh Bachchan, Abhishek Bachchan, John Abraham and Akshay Kumar to talk on how excited they are that the show is coming back on television.

     

    Roadies is also very popular on the online platform and has high viewership. Digital auditions too will help the channel attract eyeballs from the youth.

     

    According to a media planner, even in the 12th season, the show is going to work for the channel. “It’s become a youth icon now. There is no chance of the show seeing a fatigue as it has already made a strong base for itself in the crowd. Every year there will be newer audiences coming in to watch the show. Moreover, on the digital front too, the channel gets good traction. To top it all, it’s fun and popular.”

  • Viacom18: The ‘Bigg Boss’ of brand integrations

    Viacom18: The ‘Bigg Boss’ of brand integrations

    MUMBAI: Evolution is the key to survival. And the Media and Entertainment industry has mastered the art.

     

    With changing times, the broadcasters, advertisers along with media agencies are coming up with newer and better ways to put forth their message to their viewers beyond the 10 sec or 30 sec TVC. Innovative ways are being found and negotiated to go beyond the 12 minute ad cap authored by the government.

     

    One such network, which through its numerous entities, can be said is at the forefront of it is Viacom18. Take a look at its latest film Mary Kom or Colors’ Bigg Boss. They are a perfect example of how brands can be integrated.

     

    According to Viacom18 group CEO Sudhanshu Vats, as the network offers sponsorships, it will continue to strengthen the value additions like in the case of Snapdeal and Bigg Boss.

     

    Madison Media, recently did brand integrations with the reality show for TVS Scooty Zest and Britannia. Says the media planner from the agency, who didn’t want to be named, “No other network has so many reality shows under its belt. And they all provide a perfect platform to showcase what the sponsor needs to communicate to the audience.”

     

    The deal is made on the table when sponsor and title sponsors come on board. The value additions help the brands to get value for the big bucks they spend on them.

     

    For instance, in Bigg Boss, the key carriers of the brand integration which is also an integral part of the show’s format are the various ‘tasks’ that are given to the housemates to prove themselves. “We ideate in a manner that a brand /product gets woven beautifully in a given task and their positioning and offerings gets highlighted in a seamless manner. For example, the Snapdeal portal used by the housemates to buy essential household items,” says Colors CEO Raj Nayak.

     

    Brands that associate as sponsors, gets branding presence in the house most suitable for their category.  The Garnier Men’s Products posters are put up in the bathroom, which gets featured in the show every day; similarly, making a call to a loved one, using the Oppo Smart Phone.  Nayak adds, “Suitable to the format and content, brand consumption/ usage is also integrated within the day’s activities.”

     

    The network’s youth entertainment channel, MTV, started embedded advertising in the beginning of the year and since then have had many clients willing to take the new form of advertising. The first few ones being Nokia, Tuborg, ITC and Gionee. 

     

    The phenomenon isn’t new, but a lot of broadcasters are taking the route to keep the advertisers happy as well as get in the mullah. The network, which follows the restricted advertisement air time, hikes its rates at regular intervals to keep the in-flow going. And through its numerous properties keeps the marketers happy. 

     

    With the onset of reality shows, advertisers have got more opportunities. Also, one can have repeat messaging in non-fiction shows, which is not too easy to introduce in fiction shows.  However, if ample development time is given, then even in fiction shows brand stories can be fused, as Colors did with Tata Motors for its show 24.

     

    IPG Mediabrands India GM (content and experiences) Dhruv Jha elaborates on the Tata Motors and 24 deal. “These integrations are more like an extension of the media deals, but they need to done in a smart manner. A forced-upon integration can put off a viewer and not benefit both the channel and the brand as well.”

     

    To make the integration an integral “part” of the show, one needs to draw the fine line. The task isn’t easy.

     

    Ideation starts with the brand brief; next comes synergising the key messaging of the brand with the most suitable content piece so as to hit the viewers/ consumers in the most fitting manner.  It is also important to review the operational aspect during ideation – arranging for the products, branding scope in the scene, feasibility of integrating the brand ambassador etc.  Social media is often used to create pre and post telecast buzz around the integrations.

     

    “Innovation is something that has been ingrained in our channel’s DNA, and as the saying goes, if you’ve seen it before, it ain’t innovation. We challenge ourselves with every show – whether its Bigg Boss, Khatron ke Khiladi, Jhalak Dikhhla Jaa, India’s Got Talent or 24 to ensure that there’s a delight factor both for the viewers as well as the sponsors,” boasts Nayak.

     

    The brands which show the most interest to come on board are e-commerce and smartphone companies. And now with the markets stabilising, the channels are also seeing renewed interests from auto sector, food and FMCG sectors.

     

    The trend is now veering towards integration of brands “strategically” across all engagement points and not be uni-dimensional or have a shotgun approach. 

  • Web series ‘Chase the Monsoon’ back on MTV

    Web series ‘Chase the Monsoon’ back on MTV

    MUMBAI: We don’t want the website to be an extension of television, but want it to be a separate entity, is what MTV India EVP and business head Aditya Swamy plans for his online properties.  He believes that the channel cannot ignore the platforms where the youth is.

    Catering to a segment called screenagers, the channel is ready to offer a lot more in terms of content.

    Come 5 August, and the channel is back with the second edition of MTV ‘Chase the Monsoon – Driest to the Wettest’. CEAT continues to be the title sponsor for the show.

    This web reality programme fuelled by social media is all about eight riders (two in a team) who will for 21-days go on a road trip across the country with a limited budget to explore the sights, scenes and life during monsoons.

    Like last year, the teams will have to share their daily experiences on social media – Pinterest, Vine and Instagram – to earn social fuel which will help them increase their daily budget. Apart from fuel generated through interactions, the teams can also earn points through various tasks.

    With a focus on creating content which people will love to consume and more importantly share, MTV India digital head Ekalavya Bhattacharya points out, “Our research highlighted that bikers love riding for various reasons, but most of these experiences are linked to nature, food, culture, and heritage.” These are the four themes which the teams will pursue, this year.

    What personally excites Bhattacharya this season is the route from Kutch to Cherrapunji. “It is going to be an experience which no one will ever forget. It is also a route not many bikers would have taken.”

    With a tight budget of Rs 3,000 – Rs 6,000 per day, the teams will have to manage fuel, food, shelter and every other expense with it. “Often this money runs out and that is when your social skills come to the fore,” he adds.

    It was last year that the channel first experimented with web-based reality series. The response then was not at par with that of channel’s expectations even though it tried to generate attraction through numerous hashtags on Twitter, videos and content on its Facebook page.

    However, for this season, Bhattacharya is not concerned about the engagement level, as he believes the channel’s online attraction has increased manifold over the past months. “The show is social in its design and engagement is least of an issue as of now.”

    On creating the blueprint for the show, while he agrees that there is always chaos in the process, but for him, that is where joy lies. “We’ve got entire walls charted with possible routes, Plan B’s, content plans etc. It takes around a month of planning and hard work to pull off a show like this. It has also got a lot of learnings from the previous season, and we’ll amplify our effort where required,” informs Bhattacharya.

    The contestants were shortlisted based on the channel’s primary research which comprised finding out information about the different types of riders and their riding experiences. “Like last year was based on one of our research parameters, we had specially blocked a team only for couples. Riding together in the rain, was seen by many as a romantic experience,” he recalls.

    Post the web series, the channel will showcase the experience to its viewers through four TV episodes.

    On the marketing part, digital will lead the front, but one will see a lot of on-air and print support as well. xBhp is the channel’s biking partner and will help them with community outreach as well.

    The show’s Facebook page ‘MTV Chase the Monsoon’ has so far grossed 259,222 likes at the time of penning the article. It is also being talked about on Twitter through the MTV India profile, which has 1.2 million followers.

     ‘Chase the Monsoon – Driest to the Wettest’ won five awards last year, including Gold for the best non-fiction branded content show at the Abby’s.

  • Adding oomph to MTV ‘Splitsvilla’ Sunny Leone style

    Adding oomph to MTV ‘Splitsvilla’ Sunny Leone style

    MUMBAI: Oodles of oomph marked the launch of MTV Splitsvilla. After six seasons of what is easily the channel’s hottest property, MTV is all set to raise the bar with the upcoming season to be hosted by VJ Nikhil Chinapa and sex-siren Sunny Leone.

    As MTV EVP and business head Aditya Swamy puts it: “Our job is not only to entertain, but to lead young people.” Advertisers are only too happy to invest big bucks in season seven, given the popularity of Splitsvilla thus far. Brands such as Killer (title sponsor) and Manforce, Fogg and Karbonn (powered by sponsors) have already come on board the show.

    This time however, viewers are in for something different. Twenty hot and happening girls including lingerie model Scarlet Rose and former Miss Goa will be seen vying for the attention of seven male celebrities including Ayaz Ahmed, Abhishek Malik, Ashwini Kaul, Mayank Gandhi, Mayank Pawar, Rishabh Sinha and Shravan Reddy. “In the previous seasons, we had fresh faces, but this time round, we have seven male celebrities who know each other because they are from the TV industry. That is the biggest format change and is going to create its own chemistry and set of equations in the villa,” explains Swamy. It’s as if he went out to sell the first season of Splitsvilla just yesterday. “I can’t believe seven years are over,” he adds.

    Swamy informs that five episodes of season seven have been canned till now at the Samode Palace near Jaipur, where the entire unit will be stationed for another 30 days.

    For MTV India programming head Vikas Gupta, Splitsvilla is the second project after Jhand and he is quite happy with the way the new season is shaping up. “When we thought of bringing SV back, our first thought was to make it more real, credible and bigger. I wanted it to go to Jabalpur, Dehradun and Kanpur,” he says.

    Replying to a question about the choice of Leone, Gupta says, “Yes, Leone came into the picture because earlier, we had a great partnership with her. People will come to watch Leone and sample it, but then what next? What next for people to continue watching the show?”

    That’s when MTV thought of roping in celebrities. “MTV is a small channel, why would any celebrity come just like that. Most of the celebrities are big enough to be daddies today, married. So the choice of celebrity was very important. We might have had some very popular celebrity, but they were not of the right age nor MTV material. So we thought, met, shortlisted, borrowed, beg, stole and everything that we could to get the final seven boys,” says Gupta. Surprisingly, there were no auditions and simply “A lot of coffees, dinners and meetings happened with the boys,” confesses Gupta.

    However, the girls went through a lot of interviews, tasks and other things to get into the top 20. Revealing how difficult it was to get the right people on the show, Gupta says, “Usually, people want to come to such shows to become famous. The intention was not just to get hot models.  In fact in this season of SV, there is a girl who weights 135 kilos. Why can’t an overweight girl find romance…?”

    “When I was discussing with my team, I told them I want a girl who is next door to find that prince charming and can a celebrity go beyond the look and find people with whom he/she can actually connect. Who will get married after the show? I hope someone does,” laughs Gupta.

    Speaking about her association with MTV Splitsvilla, Leone says, “With the show all set to launch, I’m more excited than ever. Having watched MTV Splitsvilla in the past, it’s a great experience to now be a part of it. I’m really happy to be associating with MTV once again, this time to be the host of MTV Splitsvilla and I look forward to a great time and hope that this season, contestants find true love as that would be the real win.”

    Indeed, there’s a lot more heart in this edition of SV if sources from the channel are to be believed. “Yes, this season, there is someone actually falling in love. We are talking about love generation right now,” reveals a source.

    The team working on the show has more than 25 people from the channel and more than 100 people on the production side.

    Marketing and promotion

    This time, the theme is fairytale romance and hence, MTV is marketing the seventh edition in much the same way, whether it’s promo shots or activations across markets. The idea is to connect not only to people in metros but in non-metros as well.

    “We are doing a digital activation called ‘Spilt-snapper’, which will give one winner a chance to be in the villa and shoot all the behind-the-scenes pictures as the photographer of the show,” informs MTV India head of marketing and insights Sumeli Chatterjee.

    There will also be ‘Break-a-berries’ to profile contestants. It will tell viewers what each of the contestants is expecting from a relationship. Apart from this, there will be a lot of radio integrations with Leone. An industry source reveals that the show is a huge property for the channel for which it would be spending anywhere between Rs 4-5 crore.

    Expectations

    Consumer feedback is very important for the channel, says Swamy. “What they like and what they don’t like, what they expect… we start planning with all that knowledge,” he adds.

    A lot of work goes into the making of a reality show like SV. There are three to four benchmarks and ratings are an important element. “What people say on social media gives us a lot of real-time feedback and for us, we are fine if people hate the show or love the show. If they hate it, that means they are watching the show,” laughs Swamy.

    “People hate us and love us, both are good to have and you have to learn to live with both. A lot of the channel’s content is also consumed beyond television. What happens on the channel’s websites, YouTube, mobile app, is a big benchmark for the channel that triggers steady viewership for the channel. People share, like and comment and that is a kind of earned media,” he adds.

    Recalling the first season, he says, “Casual dating was not accepted in India when SV started. We are trying to say casual dating is fine. You have to understand your opposite sex, and that is why SV was born,” Swamy signs off.

    The 13-episode series will hit the television screens from 14 June, every Saturday at 7pm.

  • Pepsi MTV Indies clocks a reach of 17mn homes within 2 months of launch

    Pepsi MTV Indies clocks a reach of 17mn homes within 2 months of launch

    MUMBAI: After the most spectacular house-warming party Mumbai has ever seen, Pepsi MTV Indies – the world’s largest platform for independent sub cultures has crossed over 17 million homes in reach within just two months of its launch. The channel dedicated to showcasing indie music and other indie subcultures across other art forms including independent films, graphic art and comedy. Pepsi MTV Indies is available across leading DTH and digital cable platforms, has a content rich responsive website and a unique indie music discovery app across iOS and Android.

     

    The programming of the channel includes mood based user generated playlists, artists busking on the streets of India, indie‘pedia’ to bring viewers upto speed on the happenings in the indie world, stories from amazing world that exists backstage, insights into iconic album art of our time, showcasing unusual suspects, graffiti art, bespoke automobile designing and avant garde fashion.

     

    Speaking about the phenomenal success of the channel, Aditya Swamy, Head – Pepsi MTV Indies, said, “Our goal is to be the worlds largest indie stage and the start couldn’t have been better.  With a content line up that doesn’t exist on any other broadcast platform, this is a truly differentiated offering and the initial feedback has been very exciting. Indies is a collective, and so many people in the indie scene are treating this as their own platform and are working with us. With the basics now in place, it’s time to crank up the action”

     

    For on air content, along with a repository of original content that Pepsi MTV Indies already has, it has also tied up with the likes of Balcony TV, Indie Earth and Bluefrog TV for more content and will be exploring more partnerships of a similar nature in the future to keep the music fresh and the videos interesting for the audience that’s always in search of something new.

     

    As a part of its on ground footprint, Pepsi MTV Indies has been associating with some of the hottest gig in town. From F.A.M JAMs (Films Arts Movies) at The Daily, Bandra to creating an innovative music sharing station at the Converse Rubber Tracks Finale when Mumbai found a new gig venue in the form of Richardson and Crudas to crowd-sourcing one band entry which turned out to be the highlight at the DIY Day in Delhi, Pepsi MTV Indies has been leading the revolution in the way the youth are experiencing music today.

     

    The channel, Pepsi MTV Indies seamlessly integrates into the digital world. A slick, editorially rich, responsive website ensures a delightful user experience across devices. With videos streaming, users can create playlists, share gig updates and feel the experience of other indie fans up close and personal. On the mobile front, a unique Indie music discovery app has been created which is accessible across all Android and iOS platforms. Concerts and festivals are a key part of the Pepsi MTV Indies footprint. Recently, Pepsi MTV Indies also became the official launch partner for the eagerly awaited album created by indie rock legends Indian Ocean in association with some of the biggest names from the Indian music scene, thus making it one of the most sought after destinations for everything indie.

  • Pepsi MTV Indies to reach the audiences by 15 March: Aditya Swamy

    Pepsi MTV Indies to reach the audiences by 15 March: Aditya Swamy

    MUMBAI: It’s set to change the indie scene in India. The announcement of the launch of the ambitious indie channel – Pepsi MTV Indies from the Viacom 18 group was made amid much fanfare last month. However, the launch date was kept a secret. Now, MTV India EVP & Business Head Aditya Swamy reveals that the channel may go on air pretty soon.

     

    On the sidelines of the launch of MTV Films on Saturday, Swamy revealed: “The test run for Pepsi MTV Indies started on Monday, 3 March and will continue for the next two weeks.”

     

    Continuing further, he said that in all probability the channel should reach the audiences by the weekend starting 15 March.

     

    The feed for the channel is being beamed off from the satellite Measat 3. Swamy informs that all the operators are on board for the distribution of the channel. However, he didn’t reveal the pricing of the channel.

     

    Talking about the content, Swamy stated that there are plans to use Pepsi MTV Indies as platform to discover independent artists, find their unique sounds, their independent music and their expose it to the mainstream audience of MTV. “For example, you will find Vishal Dadlani’s Pentagram on Pepsi MTV Indies, but the music of Vishal-Shekhar will be on MTV. Similarly, you will find The Raghu Dixit Project on Pepsi MTV Indies, but you’ll hear the compositions of Raghu Dixit for Bewakoofiyaan on MTV,” he said.

     

  • MTV and HUL launch ‘MTV Films’

    MTV and HUL launch ‘MTV Films’

    MUMBAI: In a first of its kind collaboration, MTV India, the leading youth entertainment brand and Hindustan Unilever Limited, India’s largest Fast Moving Consumer Goods Company are coming together for the launch of MTV Films.

     

    MTV Films, a unique initiative, will present six original films by six young, cutting edge and cult directors of new age Bollywood –  Anurag Basu, Anurag Kashyap, Rohan Sippy, Nikhil Advani, Abhinay Deo and Shoojit Sircar, each a stalwart in his own right. Starting March 23, 2014 at 7 PM one director’s movie will be showcased each month for six months which will be inspired by the philosophies of different HUL brands such as Sunsilk, Tresemme, Ponds, Lakme and Close Up amongst others. Through each movie, the iconic directors will portray the take of today’s youth on age old topics of love, family, friendship, relationships and ambitions in an hour long entertaining story.

     

    Speaking about this initiative, Aditya Swamy, EVP and Business Head of MTV, said, “Content is the No1. social currency of today and that makes it the most powerful medium to connect with consumers. Our partnership with HUL reflects the thought leadership both partners bring to the media and marketing world. Getting six superstar directors to create wonderful stories for brands is a coup and we are excited to launch a brand new franchise with MTV FILMS.”

     

    Hemant Bakshi, Executive Director, Home & Personal Care, HUL, said, “HUL firmly believes in pioneering and creating newer ways of engaging consumers by leveraging popular culture. With the launch of MTV Films, we will re-define the way in which brands tell their stories to consumers. This initiative will focus on communicating brand purpose and we are confident that it will resonate with our audience and build brand love.”

     

    Ravi Rao, Leader – South Asia, Mindshare, “Mindshare has been instrumental in raising the bar and pioneering Innovations for Unilever through its strategic partnerships and alliances. This is a yet another initiative for Unilever that will usher in a new era in innovation which will set the template for ‘best practices’ in the region. We are very proud of this initiative that we have driven with MTV and we look forward to scaling up the model year on year.”

     

    Amin Lakhani Leader-South Asia, Team Unilever, “Converting India’s passion points into key communication opportunities is our endeavour and a challenge we thrive on. Story telling is the new mantra to connect with our consumers, something that we have done over the years with much success. This initiative is the new benchmark not just from the uniqueness of the concept, but ably complimented with scale and execution. Moving away from branded placement, into branded content in its most pristine form with this initiative, is something we are very proud of.”

     

    This distinctive collaboration goes ‘beyond television’ platform with multiple touch-points like mobile, online and radio to engage the consumers.

     

    So gear up to see a unique film every month from March 23, 2014 at 7 PM kick-starting with Anurag Basu’s film, ‘REAL FM’ only on your favourite youth entertainment channel, MTV

  • MTV India gets a programming head in Vikas Gupta

    MTV India gets a programming head in Vikas Gupta

    MUMBAI: MTV India is all set to strengthen its programming team. After almost a decade, the channel will have a programming head in Vikas Gupta. The channel confirmed the development with indiantelevision.com. An official from the channel informed that Gupta will take up the new role from 3 February, 2014 and will report to MTV India EVP and business head Aditya Swamy.

     

    Confirming the news Gupta ecstatically remarked, “Yes, I am going to join in as the programming head for MTV India.”

     

    “MTV is always known for the brand it is. The fact that it has an amazing youth appeal will always be at the back of our mind while making the shows. Making aspirational and youth-centric shows will always be the mantra for the channel,” adds Gupta.

     

    He started his career as a trainee with Balaji Telefilms and then moved on to DJ’s Creative Unit as an associate creative head where he worked for four months. He went back to Balaji Telefilms for a successful stint as an associate creative director and was associated with shows like Kis Desh Main Hai Meraa Dil and Kitni Mohabbat Hai.

     

    Interestingly, the TV fraternity also recognises him as the youngest creative director of the industry. He entered the industry at a young age of 19. After getting enough experience as a creative, he turned to production and started his own banner – A Lost Boy Productions – almost three years ago. In the last three years, the production house has come up with entertaining and critically acclaimed shows like Channel [V]’s Gumrah and The Serial (co-produced with Balaji Telefilms); and Bindass’ Yeh Hai Aashiqui.

     

    Earlier, he has also worked with Max New York Life Insurance for almost a year.

  • ‘Roadies XI’ is back with a bang

    ‘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.