ITV

Tag: Vikas Gupta

  • John Players celebrates the power of individuality with the launch of its latest AW’18 collection

    John Players celebrates the power of individuality with the launch of its latest AW’18 collection

    Celebrating the spirit of today’s youth which is playful, fashionable and cool, John Players – ITC’s popular youth fashion apparel brand, unveiled its latest Autumn Winter’18 Collection in stores today. This season, John Players presents a larger than life imagery as an extension of its recent brand campaign ‘Be Younique’. The campaign takes its inspiration from today’s youth who believe in themselves, set their own trends and follow their own rules. With a focus on value and aesthetics, ‘Be Younique’ embodies the brand insight of ‘Unique is the new authentic’ and is meant to encourage people to feel confident in their own ingenious ways of styling, setting them apart from the crowd.
    John Players Autumn Winter’18 collection which is themed as ‘Jungle Diaries’, focuses on rebuilding man’s connect with nature. The latest collection is perfect for today’s young, confident, urban guy who is wild, spirited and believes in expressing himself through his wardrobe. John Players brings in that extra edge that makes all the difference, be the playful detailing, youthful patterns in jungle inspired motifs and refined aesthetics. Speaking on the unveiling, Vikas Gupta, CEO – ITC (Wills Lifestyle & John Players) said, “John Players is a brand that represents the pulse of the youth today who know exactly what they want and like wearing their hearts on their sleeves. We, as a contemporary fashion apparel brand, respect this individuality and believe that clothing is a reflection of one’s own self-image. Our Autumn Winter’18 collection Jungle Diaries draws its inspiration from nature and its elements. Imbibing the brand belief, it has been designed to resonate with today’s aspirational youth consisting of self-achievers, believers and go-getters. Going beyond the short-lived fads & trends, the Jungle Diaries collection is focused on bringing out one’s personality as we believe that what you wear has a larger story to tell about you.”
    The essence of this season is making your own style statement with stylish range of casual and formal wear. Jungle Diaries collection embraces nature in all its uniqueness and wilderness with sophisticated, natural palette applied to classic jungle and foliage prints. The comfort, casual smart collection features a range of utility pants, chinos, denims, shirts and t-shirts for all occasions and mood. The brand has combined quality and consistency with innovation in design, best fit and fabric detailing to give each garment its own unique story.
    The season highlight for John Players AW’18 collection is a stylish range of garments exclusively designed for statement dressing. It features trendy white shirts, denims and chinos with key elements in designing and fabric to offer the very essence of power dressing to today’s youth. The range of white shirts have been designed with special ‘Stay white’ finish that helps retain the whiteness upto 15 washes. Chinos and denims have also been crafted for comfort with features like High IQ for lasting color upto 20 washes, 4 way stretch and knitted denims for increased comfort, flexi waistband for better fit around waist and waistband gripper for keeping the tucked shirt in place. The collection also emphasizes on shirts, polos and t-shirts with fabric textures such as Twills, Dobbies, and Slubs to render stylish finish to apparels. Design, print and stitch detailing like functional pockets, interior foliage, turn up sleeves and chinos, shadow checks, inner collar bands, tapes and tabs have been used for playful styling to compliment today’s youth’s sensibility.

    Intricate detailing to fabric will be displayed through the AW’18 collection. Innovative anti-microbial finish has been applied to the garments to neutralize odor causing bacteria keeping the garments fresh during long days. Cool features like easy to iron (ETI) finish to reduce maintenance and special wash to avoid shrinkage will ensure longevity of apparels.
    Jungle Diaries – AW’18 collection from John Players has used quintessential elements of nature and has translated it into color palettes of lighter earthy tones like olive, beige, mustard, oranges, teal, grey and white to compliment the colors of the season and its mood.
    The collection will be available in all John Players stores across the country from 1st September, 2018.
    The collection price ranges Rs 999 onwards.

  • &TV’s Vikas Gupta heads for a new adventure

    &TV’s Vikas Gupta heads for a new adventure

    MUMBAI: Vikas Gupta has quit as the head of &TV programming. After serving a six-month notice, he has moved on. Gupta joined the channel on 1 September, 2015, and was reporting to &TV business head Rajesh Iyer.

    Confirming the news to Indiantelevision.com, Gupta mentioned, “While there were rumours that I left all of a sudden, I served two months in addition to my notice period. I have had an amazing time working with &TV. We have done such wonderful shows such as Santoshi Maa, Badho Bahu and Gangaa together, which I am leaving behind. I wish &TV all the best!.” Gupta also posted on a social media platform: “& I pack my bags for my next adventure.”

    Gupta started his career as a trainee with Balaji Telefilms and moved on to DJ’s Creative Unit as the associate creative head. He went back to Balaji Telefilms as the associate creative director and was involved with shows such as Kis Desh Main Hai Meraa Dil and Kitni Mohabbat Hai. He worked as MTV India programming head from February 2014 to December 2014.

    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 gathering significant experience, he turned to production and started his own production house — Lost Boy Productions — almost four years ago. Over the last three years, Lost Boy has produced shows such as Channel [V]’s Gumrah and The Serial (co-produced with Balaji Telefilms); as well as Bindass’ Yeh Hai Aashiqui.

  • &TV’s Vikas Gupta heads for a new adventure

    &TV’s Vikas Gupta heads for a new adventure

    MUMBAI: Vikas Gupta has quit as the head of &TV programming. After serving a six-month notice, he has moved on. Gupta joined the channel on 1 September, 2015, and was reporting to &TV business head Rajesh Iyer.

    Confirming the news to Indiantelevision.com, Gupta mentioned, “While there were rumours that I left all of a sudden, I served two months in addition to my notice period. I have had an amazing time working with &TV. We have done such wonderful shows such as Santoshi Maa, Badho Bahu and Gangaa together, which I am leaving behind. I wish &TV all the best!.” Gupta also posted on a social media platform: “& I pack my bags for my next adventure.”

    Gupta started his career as a trainee with Balaji Telefilms and moved on to DJ’s Creative Unit as the associate creative head. He went back to Balaji Telefilms as the associate creative director and was involved with shows such as Kis Desh Main Hai Meraa Dil and Kitni Mohabbat Hai. He worked as MTV India programming head from February 2014 to December 2014.

    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 gathering significant experience, he turned to production and started his own production house — Lost Boy Productions — almost four years ago. Over the last three years, Lost Boy has produced shows such as Channel [V]’s Gumrah and The Serial (co-produced with Balaji Telefilms); as well as Bindass’ Yeh Hai Aashiqui.

  • Vikas Gupta to join &TV as head of fiction programming

    Vikas Gupta to join &TV as head of fiction programming

    MUMBAI: Lost Boy Productions’ Vikas Gupta is all set to join media mogul Subhash Chandra’s new general entertainment channel (GEC) &TV as head of fiction programming.

     

    Gupta will join the channel from 1 September, 2015 and will be reporting to &TV business head Rajesh Iyer. He will be stepping into the shoes of Doris Dey who currently holds the position. 

     

    Confirming the news to indiantelevision.com, Gupta said, “Challenge is what drives me and &TV is an extremely exciting space to be in. I am looking forward to work with Rajesh and team and hope it will be a memorable and successful adventure like all the other assignments I have been a part of.”

     

    Gupta started his career as a trainee with Balaji Telefilms and moved on to DJ’s Creative Unit as an associate creative head. He went back to Balaji Telefilms as an associate creative director and was associated with shows like Kis Desh Main Hai Meraa Dil and Kitni Mohabbat Hai. He also worked as MTV India programming head from February 2014 to December 2014.

     

    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, he turned to production and started his own banner – Lost Boy Productions – almost four years ago. Over the last three years, the production house has come up with shows like Channel [V]’s Gumrah and The Serial (co-produced with Balaji Telefilms); as well as Bindass’ Yeh Hai Aashiqui.

  • Code Red to present a special series ‘Talaash’

    Code Red to present a special series ‘Talaash’

    MUMBAI: Folklore and urban legends have, over the years, impacted human behavior and played a critical role in shaping our belief in the existence of the paranormal. While to many these folklores are figments of imagination, most urban legends stem out of human frailties. After successfully tackling various topics like suicide, violence against women and children, and entrapment, COLORS’ solution-driven show, Code Red will now throw light on some of the most popular paranormal occurrence in the country and narrate the untold story behind every supernatural incidence through a brand new series titled Talaash.  To take viewers through tales that have influenced their mindsets, COLORS has roped in Anita Hassanandani and Shaleen Malhotra. Produced by A Lost Boy Productions, Code Red’s Talaash series will narrate urban legends and popular ‘hearsay’ that have impacted the society and will go on-air starting 20th April, 2015 at 10:30 PM on COLORS.

     

    Speaking about the launch of the new series, Manisha Sharma, Programming Head – Colors said, “Through Code Red, we have sensitized viewers about issues that impact society based on human frailties while empowering them to deal with inner and outer demons. Through the initial episodes on Code Red, we have created a ray of hope to viewers who might have been on the verge of giving up. After Umeed, Awaaz and Chakravyuh, we are now announcing the Talaash series – which brings to light stories that set beliefs in society. Our aim is to bust popular myths that have been passed along generations, forming opinions and set patterns in people. As another aspect of human frailty comes forward, we hope to inform viewers about the existence of certain paranormal energies around us.” 

     

    Commenting on the series, producer Vikas Gupta from A Lost Boy Productions said, “There are stories of oddities and abnormalities which have, over the years, become legends. Code Red’s Talaash series promises to create an engaging proposition for viewers while building empathy for the wandering spirits along with the underlying message of hope.”

     

    Code Red Talaash touches upon the unknown and the reasons why these paranormal energies exist while building empathy for them in the minds of the viewers. The series highlights the lasting impact that injustice has had on the minds of those offended. Very often, the impact affects that soul of the person wronged; much after the person is deceased. An unusual yet humane way of addressing the unknown, Code Red Talaash aims at demystifying popular myths and urban legends that have been passed along generations.

     

    Commenting her association with the show as an enabler of change, Anita Hassanandani says, “We are often told by our friends and family members to not go to a particular place owing to some unkown energies that might have existed there, making us form superstitions in our mind. These beliefs are then passed on to our acquaintances and then take the shape of an urban legend that the society blindly accepts without questioning its authenticity. Code Red’s Talaash series investigates these superstitions and strives to create a sense of relatability in the minds of viewers for the unknown phenomenon which have shrouded their judgments and set beliefs.” 

     

    Adding further, Shaleen Malhotra comments, “The concept of Code Red’s Talaash series is very intriguing and different. It is not a horror show; in fact, it talks about incidents that we have all heard of and adds an emotional quotient to it – making us empathize with these supernatural elements.” 

     

    Some of the tales that will be revealed on Code Red’s Talaash during the course of the show include an autorickshaw story based in Mumbai’s suburb of Borivali, a legend about a water-well in Rajasthan, and even the true story behind the ‘unsafe’ claim for Delhi’s Cantonment Road. Television’s well-known faces such as Asha Negi, Shilpa Saklani, Suhasini Mulay, Sana Amin Shaikh among others will play key roles seen during the course of the show on Code Red Talaash.

  • Vikas Gupta bids adieu to MTV India

    Vikas Gupta bids adieu to MTV India

    MUMBAI: It was almost after a decade when MTV India got on-board a programming head in Vikas Gupta in January this year.  Tagged as the youngest creative director of the industry, Gupta has now decided to move on. Currently he is serving his notice period and his last day in the office will be January 2015.

    When contacted, Gupta confirmed the news to indiantelevision.com. “Yes I have put down my papers at MTV India. I had given myself a year with the channel and it turned out to be a brilliant year. The channel topped the ratings chart; we have the number one fiction and non-fiction shows so it has been an exciting achievable year. Now I am looking for newer challenges,” he said.

    “Thankfully, I am getting a lot of opportunities and will lock on something very soon,” he added.

    Though he refused to divulge further information, sources indicate that his next move will be to the big screen with Ekta Kapoor’s Balaji Telefilms.

    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, 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.

    He has also worked with Max New York Life Insurance for almost a year.

     

  • MTV goes spooky!

    MTV goes spooky!

    MUMBAI: The channel that loves to break from the monstrous mould has done it once again.

     

    The youth channel, MTV, which is guided by the mission to kill boredom, is all set to launch a brand new show which will focus on love in a supernatural setting. The show christened Fanaah – An impossible love story marks the channel’s debut into fantasy genre. The programme is set to go on-air starting 21 July, every Monday-Friday 6pm onwards.

     

    The show comes in after the premier of MTV Splitsvilla 7 which also celebrates the theme of love. The reason for the overdose of love on the channel is: love stories never go out of fashion.

     

    The concept of the series revolving around supernatural took shape a couple of months back when MTV through its research  across 40 cities and 11,000 youth at the MTV Youth Marketing Forum found out that fantasy love tales and the supernatural world captivate their imagination.

     

    “In real life though youngsters might resist a commitment, but they are exploring relationships. They romanticise the idea of eternal and true love. Also, in India there is nothing available on television on fantasy fiction,” states MTV India head – marketing and insights Sumeli Chatterjee.

     

    Building on these findings, MTV decided to come up with a unique story of teen love featuring vampires and werewolves.

     

    The show will feature popular television artists Karan Kundra, Ritvik Dhanjani, Ratan Rajput, Anita Hasnandani and Chetna Pandey in prominent roles.

     

    According to Chatterjee what will hit the right chord with the audiences is its storytelling. The storylines are very complex. “It is based on today’s world and resonates the ambitions of a regular youngster. Be it an urban youth or from a smaller town, everybody will be able to connect to it. The narration will have a time lapse in it. There will be a complex storytelling and with the parallel digital universe, it will help the audience to understand the story and also connect back to the plot conveniently.”

     

    What sets apart the show from the rest is the styling and the characterisation , which Chatterjee claims is a never seen before.

     

    MTV programming head Vikas Gupta says, “Love is a very strong emotion and with MTV Fanaah we want to push the boundaries of what love can mean to different people and what can one achieve purely through the power of love. It’s a great story and we’re glad to have the biggest and the hottest actors, who have a very strong, connect with the youth in India.”

     

    Talking about how this show will be different from the rest, Chatterjee says, that while the routine serials would portray characters as heroes and villains, in Fanaah, life is not exactly black and white. All the characters are grey. They are not exactly good or bad, they are good and bad. “This would make it an interesting viewing and easier to relate to for the viewers,” she adds.

     

    Considering the internet audience love fantasy fiction as a plot, the show will be marketed heavily on digital as well. The channel is creating a parallel universe on the website which will follow the track on television. It will talk about why a particular character behaves in a particular manner.

     

    Along with a robust on-air promotion, the show will also be supported by a 360 degree marketing plan. The teasers for Fanaah were launched earlier last month through a unique leak video featuring lead actor Karan Kundra. The video which showed Kundra biting a girl at a bar went viral and generated a lot of curiosity.

     

    The channel has got on-board Cafe Coffee Day as its Cafe partner, Miss Malini as its social media partner and RED FM as its radio partner.

     

    Media planners feel that today’s youngsters have seen the vampires and werewolves love stories in international films and shows. Therefore, Indians broadcasters need to go beyond the usual to catch the attention and imagination of these youngsters.

     

    The show is going to have a neck-to-neck competition with Yeh Hai Aashiqui on bindass and Gumrah (Season 3) on Channel V.

  • 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, Vh1 create cyber security awareness

    MTV, Vh1 create cyber security awareness

    MUMBAI: Just like there are two sides to every coin, there are two faces to internet communication; one bright and the other not-so-bright.

     

    Taking upon themselves the task of exposing this dark underbelly of an otherwise sunny occupation are television networks the likes of Vh1 and MTV.

     

    Vh1, which had earlier aired season one of the reality-based documentary-series, Catfish: The TV Show, is all set to telecast season two of it, beginning 27 April. For the uninitiated, ‘catfish’ is not the name of a fish (at least in this case) and refers to a person who creates fake profiles on social media sites by using someone else’s pictures and biographical information only to trick unsuspecting persons into falling in love with him/her. ‘Catfish’ is derived from the title of a 2010 documentary where filmmaker Nev Schulman discovers that the 20-something woman, he’d been carrying on online with, hasn’t exactly been honest in representing herself to him. Vh1’s show is inspired by Schulman’s film.

     

    Meanwhile, MTV India, which had previously aired its own brutally honest take on cyber evil in the form of MTV Webbed season one, is prepping up for the soon-to-be-telecast season two of the show. The 13-part anthology drama series revolves around victims of cyber abuse, cyber bullying and cyber stalking and is targeted at 12 to 24 year olds.

     

    According to MTV India associate vice president, head – content & programming Vikas Gupta, all MTV Webbed stories are based on true incidents that have happened with real people. With India ranking third in terms of prevalence of cyber abuse, it wasn’t difficult finding stories. “In fact, we are working together with the Cyber Crime Awareness Society (CCAS), which is helping us with the research. As the name suggests, the CCAS is an entity that works towards creating awareness about cyber safety. It conducts workshops, offers training programs, compiles case studies and also run a helpline,” he said.

     

    MTV’s social campaign, MTV ACT, which strives to create awareness about social causes, has tied up with CCAS to drive cyber security awareness. MTV is hosting cyber safety awareness workshops in over 200 colleges across 10 cities to encourage students to surf smart. CCAS meanwhile is educating youngsters about apps and measures that can protect them from getting ‘webbed’ in everyday life.

     

    Like season one, MTV India had earlier planned to air season two of MTV Webbed in September, however, the phenomenal response to season one made the network push ahead the dates of telecast.

     

    Talking of the host of the show, Gupta says, “Kritika’s role is not going to be either preachy or detached. While she narrates the stories, she would also be playing the role of a friend and guide, providing tips on cyber safety and basically providing information for the youth to surf smart and stay safe. She will be empowering the youth to enjoy the internet in a secure manner. On the show, at the end of each episode, she will be joined by a cyber expert as well, who will provide easy tips and ideas on how the youth can ensure their own safety online.”

     

    “Our stories are about teenagers who get into difficult situations because of the mistakes they commit online. The protagonists have to believably portray the trauma faced by the victims in order for us to honestly tell the story. Hence, casting plays a crucial role as these actors carry the show on their shoulders,” he adds.

     

     The objective of MTV Webbed season 2 is to create awareness and empower the youth so they can avoid making mistakes that lead to disastrous situations. “With our focus clear, we exercise necessary caution while approaching each story. Hard hitting situations have to be portrayed honestly otherwise bringing out the severity becomes difficult. But yes, having said that, the viewers of MTV Webbed 2, fall in the age group of 12 to 25 years, so we have to be careful as to how graphic we can get. It’s a show that’s meant for all and everyone should and needs to be able to watch it,” says Gupta.

     

    So has MTV started marketing the upcoming season? MTV India head – marketing, media & insights Sumeli Chatterjee says, “Youth preferences today change incredibly fast; hence, it really does not matter how soon you launch the next season. We are happy that the first season was loved and appreciated; and therefore, drafting out the marketing plans becomes that much more interesting. We have dialled up the engagement quotient of the marketing plans this year with the interactive workshops, mall activations and outreach to 200+ colleges.  We have an in-house creative team that produces all previews. And we work with Vizeum that handles our media and digital plans.”

     

    She adds, “We are also using re-marketing based interactive campaigns on web and mobile this time. Through numerous interactive campaigns online and offline, we are driving the message ‘surf smart, stay safe’. While we have put together an extensive TV, radio, web, mobile and outdoor plan – that will drive awareness for the show; we have an extensive online and on-ground outreach that will drive engagements around the key messaging.”

     

    In the digital space too, pop-up spam ads on high traffic websites e.g. e-commerce sites and music / movie streaming portals will urge the audience to click for quick wins, fast bucks and so on – just to reveal the ugly truth of getting ‘webbed’. This interactive campaign integrated with re-marketing-based tailored ads on web, would drive home the message of smart surfing.

     

    Smart surfing is extremely relevant for today’s connected generation. Not surprisingly, season one of MTV Webbed has garnered much love. Whether season two fares as good or better only time will tell…

     

    MTV Webbed airs on Fridays at 7 p.m. on MTV India.