ITV

Tag: MTV Splitsvilla

  • MTV Splitsvilla ropes in 10 sponsors for its eleventh season

    MTV Splitsvilla ropes in 10 sponsors for its eleventh season

    MUMBAI: It’s that time of the year again! MTV, India’s No. 1 youth brand is back with the most watched dating reality show, Splitsvilla. The show returns with a refreshing take on dating – Emotions vs Science, that captures the fate of the contestants’ love-life. The eleventh edition, OPPO MTV Splitsvilla XI powered by Denver Deodrants, Alo Frut Juice, Manforce, Vega Hair Styling Appliances, Beauty Partner Lotus Make Up and Celebration wear partner Manyavar has attracted an array of sponsors. MTV VJ Rannvijay Singha and Bollywood Beauty, Sunny Leone once again take on the reins to host the eleventh season of Splitsvilla starting 5th August, every Sunday at 7.00 PM as couples make tough choices to stay in the game.

    Splitsvilla has redefined the dating reality show in India leading to a consistent rise in popularity from its very first season. The growth in viewership accompanied by the sponsors it attracts is a testament of the show’s reach and influence amongst the youth of India. The last season garnered a phenomenal growth of 25% over the previous seasons.  The eleventh season will revolve around a social experiment where the contestants can rely on an oracle – a mathematical algorithm or follow their heart to find the ideal partner. The theme has been conceptualized to stay relevant to the youth while delivering content that is entertaining and interesting.

    On the success of the show, Ferzad Palia, Head – Youth, Music and English Entertainment, Viacom18 said, “MTV has always been a pioneer in creating reality show concepts. Splitsvilla being one of our most successful franchises continues to grow in leaps and bounds. With every successive season, it is encouraging to see growth on both television as well as on VOOT. Continued support and growth in sponsor revenue on the show clearly demonstrates the popularity Splitsvilla enjoys. Rannvijay and Sunny are the darlings of the youth, we are confident that our viewers are going to enjoy this new season of Splitsvilla where science plays a pivotal role in one’s love life.”

    Speaking on the association as the title sponsor, Will Yang, Brand Director, OPPO India said, “OPPO has always focused on being present across all touchpoints to offer the best kind of experience to all our consumers and that is the reason why we insist on integrated marketing to connect better with the youth. Millennials today are the drivers of the society as they are the primary growth factors to a brand and being an integral part of the youth through various platforms, entertainment being one of our key focuses. Our associations are keenly mapped keeping in mind what’s popular amongst the youth. We are extremely excited to be the presenting sponsors for Splitsvilla. Platforms like Splitsvilla help us in establishing a connect with our audiences across cities in the Indian market.”

    Immense popularity of the show amongst the youth has led Splitsvilla to successfully grab lucrative deals with some of the most prominent brands in India. The show has meticulously created seamless tasks integrating sponsors which adds value to both the brands.

    To reach out to the youth across the nation the show will be supported by a 360degree marketing push with multiple touch points using mediums like TV, outdoor, print, radio, brand associations and digital.

  • Bacardi’s survival ingredient: Localisation

    Bacardi’s survival ingredient: Localisation

    MUMBAI: Localisation is the key factor to survive, today. As more and more brands, channels and groups enter different markets in the globalised world, they need to adapt according to the local flavour.

     

    The reason behind it is simple: give people what they can easily relate to.

     

    And keeping this in mind, Bacardi has launched two falvours for the Indian palate – Aam Panna and Nimbu Paani – for its low-alcohol ready-to-drink brand, Breezer.

     

    The company which believes in leading the way in innovation; be it in product formulation, packaging or creation of unique concepts and brand properties, with Breezer Indi Mix, it continues the trend. This also makes it the first example of a global spirits brand introducing local flavours in India. “Indi Mix was created based on our research which showed that Indian consumers love our current flavour range but at the same time are also keenly interested in new variants based on familiar flavours. Aam Panna and Nimbu Paani are well-known and well-loved coolers which tap into consumer experiences and memories, and therefore, we have chosen them as the first two flavours,” says director sales & marketing Manish Seth while elaborating that it will continue to innovate and beguile the customers by launching unique properties and flavours.

     

    India is among the key emerging markets for the company and is going to be an important source of volume growth in the coming years. By 2020, India will have the youngest population in the world with an average age of 29. Low per capita consumption compared to other countries is also expected to help. According to IWSR India is also the third fastest-growing market for international brands.

     

    The two new flavours are currently available across Haryana, Maharashtra, West Bengal, Goa and Karnataka. Rest of the cities can expect to have these summer coolers available very soon with another eight locations launching in the coming month.

     

    Apart from this, to mix with its TG, the company which recently introduced ‘BACARDI Untamable Since 1862’, a massive global identity shift, a tribute to Bacardi’s remarkable history hailing across 152 years, will integrate with its flagship musical property Bacardi NH7 Weekender.

     

    Recently, it also tied up with MTV in conjunction with the launch of MTV Splitsvilla. “We look forward to announcing exciting activations across India as well unique digital innovations this year. We will also be releasing the new series of the cult brand property ‘The Dewarists’ as well as hosting season 3 of Grey Goose Style Du Jour (India’s only style forecasting event),” says Seth adding that digital marketing for Bacardi remains to be the staple feature across all properties.

     

    As per various media reports, Bacardi enjoys 97 per cent monopoly in the low alcohol RTD. Many came and went. Take United Breweries’ Shotz and Cruiser, for instance, launched a decade back got a tepid response from the 2.5 million sized market and hence, had to be withdrawn.

     

    This only proves the old-ad adage, when in Rome, do what the Romans do!

  • 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.

  • Sunny Leone to host MTV Splitsvilla

    Sunny Leone to host MTV Splitsvilla

    MUMBAI: Actress Sunny Leone will soon be seen scorching TV screens across India as she steps into her new role as the host of the seventh season of MTV’s flagship show, MTV Splitsvilla.

     

    A sizzling Leone will be seen co-hosting this immensely exciting season of the show alongside MTV VJ Nikhil Chinapa.

     

    Speaking about her decision to host MTV Splitsvilla, Leone said: “MTV is an iconic youth brand. I was always fascinated by the edgy content, the cool shows and always wanted to be a part of it. After moving to India, I got the opportunity to watch Splitsvilla and enjoyed it quite a bit. It’s great that I now get to be a part of it. I am absolutely excited about working on the show and I know it’s going to be a treat for me and my fans alike!”

     

    MTV VJ Nikhil Chinapa added, “It’s great to be back with another season of one of MTV’s most popular shows – MTV Splitsvilla. This year, we’re changing things around to raise the stakes and the excitement around the show. In its 7th season, MTV has put together not just a fantastic new cast but also has made some very interesting changes to the format.  With all the elements coming together, MTV Splitsvilla promises to deliver the best season we’ve ever had to fans this year.”

     

    MTV India programming head Vikas Gupta asserted: “MTV Splitsvilla is a sexy show which delves into the love, life and relationships of hot young people. It’s about the youth finding love and what choices they make. Sunny is a gorgeous woman who has a great fan following which makes her one of the most sought after faces in the industry today and we’re extremely delighted to have her as the face of our flagship show. In MTV Splitsvilla’s season seven, you will see Sunny in a way you’ve never seen before.”

  • MTV Splitsvilla Season 6 – The Grand Finale!

    MTV Splitsvilla Season 6 – The Grand Finale!

    MUMBAI: As Nikhil said in the previous episode, this is the last lap of MTV Splitsvilla Season 6 and undoubtedly, it is full of twists and turns. The Splitsvillains are in for a shock as their frenemies, the ex-Splitsvillians re-enter the villa. With words flying like daggers from both sides, ex and current Splitsvillans come together and take the most crucial decision of this season.

    As the next day dawns, the temperatures soar high during the final Hotness Quotient session, where the ex-Splitsvillans take a surprising decision as to who will represent them. The third pair emerges for the finale but before going for the ultimate battle, they will have to choose one pair from the two couples remaining in the villa and fight it out with them to seal their fate for the last round of Splitsvilla 6 Grand Finale. After a long battle of strength, stamina, pain and perseverance the tide turns towards the spirited pair.

    Finally, the battleground is set! The couples are ready to claim the throne that awaits them. The final task will test all qualities that a pair in love should posses in three stages- a maze: to test their combined strength; an obstacle course: to test their compatibility; and a leap of faith: to test their faith in each other. But the catch is, during every stage one member of each pair will be blindfolded! It definitely can’t get hotter than this!