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Tag: Viacom18

  • Madison Media will now be handling the media planning and buying duties for the entire range of brands of​ Viacom18

    Madison Media bags Viacom18 Media AOR

    By A Correspondent​

     

    Madison Media has been announced the Agency-on-Record for Viacom18. Madison Media will now be handling the media planning and buying duties for the entire range of brands of ​Viacom18.

     

    Sudhanshu Vats

    ​Said Sudhanshu Vats, Group CEO, Viacom18:

    “Our constant endeavor to build a portfolio of brands and leverage synergies therein, has been one of the guiding philosophies that has facilitated our tremendous growth over the first decade. As we step into our next decade, this consolidation of our media duties under one agency will allow us to effectively influence economies of scale for the entire network, thereby uniting the diversified brands under one umbrella. With their rich lineage and varied body of work across industries, Madison Media is the apt partner to journey with us on this next growth phase.”

     

    Vikram Sakhuja

    ​Added ​Vikram Sakhuja, Group CEO, Media and OOH, Madison​:

    “It is particularly exciting to be chosen as Viacom18’s consolidated media AOR at a point in time when it has successfully celebrated its first decade and is poised to develop segmented offerings for 130 Crore Indians. Viacom18 is the country’s foremost storyteller with leading brands in almost every broadcast genre it operates in. Add to that the allied businesses the network has invested in –merchandi​s​ing and live events – and for an agency nothing can be headier and more dynamic than be a partner in the marketing of such varied content.”

     

     

  • From one line to five lines of business and three channels to 44… Viacom18 has come a long way

    It’s a Perfect 10 for Viacom18!

     

    By A Correspondent

     

    On November 6, 2017, Viacom18 completed a decade of existence. And to celebrate the occasion, a mother-of-all-celebrations was held at Mumbai’s National Sports Complex of India on Friday.

     

    Reliance Industries Chairman and Managing Director Mukesh Ambani was in attendance. As were upwards of 4000 members of the media and entertainment fraternity. Ambani spoke after Viacom18 Group CEO Sudhanshu Vats addressed the gathering. A gesture that received many accolades also saw many moved was Ambani thanking Network18 and Television18 founder Raghav Bahl, the folks at Viacom and the founding team. And given that every ex-staffer was invited to the party, the statement received a huge round of applause. In his speech, Ambani promised devoting more time from his busy schedule to Viacom18. That’s a birthday gift from me, he said while underscoring the potential for the entertainment sector in the digital age.

     

    Earlier, Vats said:: “In my mind, we are a 10-year-young future-focused organisation that continuously challenges status quo. Unlike legacy players we have often entered new areas much later and yet carved out a distinctive identity for ourselves. We are proud of our ability to nurture and manage a multi-brand, multi-platform and multilingual network while growing at a blistering pace and fostering a winning culture based on a shared set of values. 10 years ago it would have been hard to imagine that a three=channel, Rs 80crore network would mushroom into a profitable full-play Rs 3100crore media powerhouse that has spread its wings across 80 countries. That said, our journey has only just begun. Kudos to our team for creating magic time and again for our fans and audiences.”

     

    To mark the occasion, Viacom18 unveiled its corporate brand film titled ‘Open New Worlds’. On the occasion of the tenth anniversary, the group also announced two major developments – Colors Tamil will be launched in February 2018 while OTT platform Voot’s subscription-based premium offering will be launched by mid-2018. In keeping with its focus on regional entertainment, the network plans to offer digital original regional content on Voot and dial up its thrust on regional movies as well. The network is also aggressively dialing up its play in the kids ecosystem, where from just television content, it has now taken its homegrown characters to the silver screen, to millions of digital screens via Voot Kids, merchandising and even to live experiences. Viacom18 also announced its latest social change campaign, in partnership with The Nudge Project, to provide livelihood training and job placements to underprivileged youth, through residential programmes. Viacom18 has also started a crowdfunding initiative through Milaap.org so that likeminded citizens can contribute to this cause.

     

    Open New Worlds, notes a communique, articulates the reason the brand exists in the lives of people, brought alive through Viacom18’s decade-long engagement with over 500+ million  Indians. The brand film, conceptualised by Leo Burnett Orchard and produced by Offroad Films, explores how Viacom18 has been encouraging everyday Indians to explore possibilities, push their own boundaries, embrace opportunities and challenge norms. The narrative of the film is carried forward through a melodious title track sung by celebrated singer Jubin Nautiyal.

     

    A decade ago, Viacom18 was formed as an equal joint venture between global entertainment giant Viacom Inc. and  Network18, with three channels – Nick, MTV and Vh1. The network launched its marquee GEC Colors in July 2008 that raced to occupy the #1 rank within nine months of launch. The rest as they say is history.

     

    The Viacom18 Story:

  • This year’s event will see Nick toons MotuPatlu, Shiva, Dora, Boots, Doggy Don, Ninja Hatori and GattuBattu have a fun time and match steps with celebs attending the awards show

    Nickelodeon Kids Choice Awards 2017 to be held December

    By A Correspondent

     

    After two successful editions, Nickelodeon is set to host the ‘Nickelodeon Kids Choice Awards 2017’ in December. The award affords children to vote for their favorites. Last year saw Shah Rukh Khan win the title of Icon of the Year and Deepika Padukone win the best actress award for Bajirao Mastani. Kala Chashma, was voted as the best song by kids while Temple Run was nominated as the best mobile game and Leander Peas received the Nickelodeon Khiladiyon Ke Khiladi Award.

     

    This year will also see Nick Toons Motu Patlu, Shiva, Dora, Boots, Doggy Don, Ninja Hatori and Gattu Battu match steps with celebs attending the awards show. Said Nina Elavia Jaipuria, Business Head, Kids entertainment cluster, Viacom18: “Kids are at the centre of all that we do at Nickelodeon. We have once again curated an unmatched family experience with Nickelodeon Kids’ Choice Awards that is not only a category first but more importantly also empowers the young generation by recognising their choices.”

     

     

  • Common man to share Bigg Boss House along with celebrities

    Colors Super to air Bigg Boss Kannada Season 5

    By A Correspondent

     

    Colors Super, the second Kannada language entertainment channel from Viacom18, has announced the fifth season of Bigg Boss Kannada. Host Kichcha Sudeep will return to the show in a new avatar.

     

    Commenting on the new season, Ravish Kumar, Head – Regional Entertainment, Viacom18 said: “Colors Super has been enthralling viewers with its riveting content since its launch. While Colors Kannada has positioned itself as the market leader, it’s time that we fortified the strength of Colors Super, and what better way to do that than through Bigg Boss. We feel the strategy will benefit the channel immensely and take it to its next level. The new aspects introduced in the show will make for an interesting watch for the viewers, and also hearten the business prospect for brands that associate with our channels.”

     

    Said Parameshwar Gundkal, Business Head – Colors Kannada and Colors Super as well as director of the show:“Season 5 of Bigg Boss has infused elements of unpredictably into every aspect of the show. This season we will air Bigg Boss Kannada on the fastest growing Kannada GEC, Colors Super. And we will witness a volatile mix of commoners and celebrities compete for the attention of Bigg Boss and viewers support. Sudeep is really the only constant we have on Bigg Boss and with good reason. His charm, wit, humour and style are a huge part of the Bigg Boss entertainment package. Now with commoners coming into the kind of spotlight even the famous are not used to, this season is set to become to the most unpredictable season in the history of Bigg Boss Kannada.”

  • This year the Film Preservation & Restoration Workshop India aims to mobilize the South Indian film industry towards restoration and preservation

    Third film restoration and preservation workshop takes off in Chennai

    By A Correspondent

     

    The Film Preservation & Restoration Workshop India (FPRWI) 2017 was flagged off in Chennai and is being held from October 7 to 14.As reported earlier, Viacom18 is the cause partner with Film Heritage Foundation (FHF) for this annual workshop for the third consecutive year. Actor and filmmaker (and soon politician?) Kamal Haasan was the Chief Guest at the opening event while acclaimed filmmaker Mani Ratnam was Guest of Honour at the occasion. The ceremony was held in the presence of celebrated filmmaker Shyam Benegal, Ramesh Prasad, Chairman of the Prasad Group and award-winning filmmaker, archivist and founder director of Film Heritage Foundation, Shivendra Singh Dungarpur.

     

    Said Sudhanshu Vats, Group CEO, Viacom18: “Over the years, our cinema has chronicled the culture and heritage of India. As the country’s foremost storytellers, we believe in the impact of cinema towards molding a generation and that a segment of aware and equipped film enthusiasts need to be nurtured, who can preserve and restore India’s cinematic heritage. The Film Preservation & Restoration Workshop is a step in that direction and we at Viacom18 are proud to be associated with this initiative”.

  • The MTV India Music Summit will be held from October 27 to 29, 2017, at the scenic locales of Fairmont in Jaipur

    Prasoon Joshi pens anthem for music summit

    By A Correspondent

     

    MTV along with Musiconcepts kicked off the MTV India Music Summit 2017 with the launch of an anthem penned by adman and lyricist Prasoon Joshi and performed live by Shankar Mahadevan. The summit will be held from October 27 to 29in Jaipur.

     

    Prasoon Joshi

    Said Joshi on the anthem:“Music has the power to connect, to create, to nurture and to inspire. Keeping this transformative power of music in mind, we’ve created an anthem that reflects the philosophy behind the inception of the MTV India Music Summit. The focus was on to highlight how this Summit is a confluence of ideas and influences and artists who bring their own unique touch to the art of music and make it their own. It’s a meditation on the transcendental nature of music and the richness that it brings to our lives just with a few notes. It’s that one magical note, the ‘Saccha Sur’ that every musician seeks. And what could’ve have been better than to have a genius artist like Shankar composing and lending his voice to this humble tribute to music. If this is how we’re kicking off the summit, one can only imagine the wonders that await us in Jaipur!’

     

    Raj Nayak

    Added Raj Nayak, COO, Viacom18: “The anthem penned by Prasoon Joshi and composed by Shankar Mahadevan is not only beautiful but it also succinctly captures the essence of the Summit. I hope, music makers and music lovers from across the country recognize the importance of the MTV India Music Summit and become a part of it to actively engage in celebration our musical heritage.”

     

    Said Ferzad Palia, Head, Youth, Music and English Entertainment, Viacom18: “The anthem ‘Ek Saccha Sur’ is the true expression of what this summit symbolises. And the fact that we have two of the foremost minds associated with music in India– Prasoon Joshi and Shankar Mahadevan – creating this anthem for us, is just the ‘cherry on the cake’!”

  • The MTV India Music Summit will be held from October 27 to 29, 2017in Jaipur

    Musiconcepts and MTV announce the launch of the first ever MTV India Music Summit

     

     

    MTV and Musiconcepts have come together to launch a gathering of over 50 artists celebrating non-Bollywood music in the form of MTV India Music Summit. The Summit, which will be attended by artists from various backgrounds and belonging to different genres of music, will be held from October 27 to 29, 2017, in Jaipur’s Fairmont hotel.

     

    Speaking about the MTV India Music Summit, the Founding Partners of Musiconcepts said, “The richness of the content that we have for the MTV India Music Summit is evident from our pick of topics, genres and artists. From Seduction by the queen of classical Kaushiki Chakraborty to the energetic Brilliance of Ustaad Shujaat Khan’s sitar to the soulful renditions by Ustaad Rashid Khan – it has been interesting to see what combinations can come together in this spectacular space.”

     

    Shedding light on the association with the summit, Raj Nayak, COO, Viacom18 said: “MTV initiated India into the experience of music on television, making it a socially and commercially successful phenomenon. Today the brand is synonymous with being reflective of the country’s youth – their preferences, beliefs, opinions, desires et al, especially where music is concerned. This presents us with the unique opportunity to partner with initiatives such as the India Music Summit which aims to bring artists from diverse musical backgrounds together to celebrate the rich variety of sounds available to us today including some which we may have forgotten, and some which we haven’t yet discovered. It’s an extremely noble and exciting event and we’re sure those attending the MTV India Music Summit will have a musically enriching experience.”

     

    Added Ferzad Palia – Head, Youth, Music and English Entertainment, Viacom18: “MTV is the universe of the young and music being one of the cornerstones of youth culture in India, has always been a key element in the brand’s development over the years. Thus, it is but a natural fit for a brand like MTV to be associated with a summit that is all about celebrating music in all its forms. The MTV India Music Summit is going to be an educational, enlightening and enriching experience for all those who attend and I would urge anyone who is even remotely interested in music to be a part of it.”

     

     

  • The show will air on weekdays at 10.30pm and on weekends at 9pm

    Colors to start Season 11 of Bigg Boss on Oct 1 on

    By A Correspondent

     

    The promos have been on air for a few weeks, the social media and television press have been talking about it for a while, and so there was no real surprise that Salman Khan continues as host of Season 11 of mega reality show Bigg Boss. The show launches on Colors on October 1. It will air at 10.30pm Monday through Friday and on weekends at 9pm.

     

    The show details – save the names of the inmates – were revealed to the media in makeshift hangar created at the Tarapore Garden society in the heart of the television software production district in North West Mumbai. The presser happening in a housing complex was in line with the neighbourhood theme of the season.

     

    Billing it as the biggest reality show on Indian television, Raj Nayak, COO, Viacom18 was excited with the launch and the continuing patronage of its sponsors – Appy Fix, Oppo phones and CP Plus security devices. “We are happy to strengthen our partnership with Parle Agro’s Appy Fizz and Oppo Camera Phones for this season as the presenting and powered by sponsors respectively,” he said.

     

    “Voting this year will happen exclusively through Voot,” Nayak said on the sidelines of the media unveiling, adding: “This year has been wonderful for Colors with unique propositions like India Banega Manch and Rising Star and another successful season of Khatron Ke Khiladi.”

     

    Meanwhile it was a big thumbs up from the sponsors of the show, and host Salman Khan in his inimitable style did his bit to boost the equity of the three present. Said Nadia Chauhan, Joint Managing Director and Chief Marketing Officer – Parle Agro: “Bigg Boss, as a property, only seems to be getting bigger and better with every season.  Our association has not only helped us to cement a significant market position but also to create several innovative brand propositions.” This is the second year Appy Fizz has been presenting sponsor of the show.

     

    Will Yang, Brand Director, Oppo India, “This is our fourth year with Bigg Boss P’owered By’ sponsorship. We have continued our association as the results have been tremendous and the recall amongst our target audience has been remarkable. We believe this year’s alliance will create more buzz and reach out to more audience which is Young and Fashionable as our brand”

     

    Talking about the security of the Bigg Boss house, Yogesh B Dutta, COO – CP PLUS added: “CP PLUS is excited to be an integral part of the Bigg Boss house by Intelligently securing the show this time. This is our third consecutive year of participation with the reality show. “

     

    On the innovations that the show has lined up this year, Manisha Sharma, Programming Head – Colors said: “After the success of the last season with a common man taking the crown, this season we are adding another layer to the theme by giving the housemates ‘padosis’ for company. There are quite a few exciting and innovative elements like an ‘aakhara’ and a ‘kalkothri’. Viewers will be thrilled to see the way these spaces are going to be used.  You will also see Salman Khan in a new avatar in terms of a host. For the first time ever Salman will move around in the Bigg Boss neighbourhood and will be staying alongside the contestants.”

     

    Commenting on the format of the show, Deepak Dhar, Managing Director & CEO, Endemol Shine India said, “Last season, we experimented with a new format and put the commoners and celebrities inside the Bigg Boss house, which created history. This season we will add another interesting spin to the drama with the introduction of a ‘Padosi’. The journey gets more fascinating this year when the contestants face unpredictable situations, which will add to the entertainment factor that the franchise is synonymous with.”

     

  • Colors and Nickelodeon themed studios will provide a real-life experience of the world of TV to kids

    KidZania Delhi partners Colors & Nickelodeon

    By A Correspondent

     

    Viacom18 has partnered with KidZania Delhi and as a part of the partnership, KidZania Delhi will have a Nickelodeon and Colors-themed TV studio.

     

    Speaking about the collaboration with KidZania, Raj Nayak, COO, Viacom18 said: “At Viacom18, we believe that creating experiences through multiple touchpoints goes a long way in fostering an engaged relationship with consumers. This partnership with KidZania brings a perfect opportunity for us to collaborate with like-minded partners and creating a platform for children to experience different aspects of the media & entertainment industry.”

     

    Speaking about creating an experience for kids, Nina Elavia Jaipuria, Head – Kids Entertainment Cluster, Viacom18 said: “Nickelodeon has always endeavored to engage with kids by providing them unique and immersive experiences that are unparalleled.  This partnership is another step towards inspiring kids with an inimitable curated platform that facilitates learning, development as well as play.  The Nickelodeon studio will now allow kids to be a part of their favoruite ‘Nicktoons’ life thus building an everlasting bond with them.”

     

    Added Sanjeev Kumar, CEO KidZania India, on the partnership: “We are delighted to partner with Viacom18 for Colorsand Nickelodeon studios, which will bring an exclusive experience for kids and we look forward to expanding this partnership in the future.”

     

    As part of building an ecosystem, KidZania will also have Voot Kids, the kids content destination from Viacom18’s OTT service.

     

     

  • Voot was the only online video service that was shortlisted for the awards

    Voot wins IBC2017 Innovation Award for content distribution

    By A Correspondent

     

    Viacom18’s video-on demand streaming service Voot has bagged the ‘International Broadcasting Convention 2017 (IBC2017) Innovation Award for Content Distribution’ for its Progressive Web App (PWA) product- VOOT Lite. VOOT was the only online video service that was shortlisted for the awards, along with other leading organisations, amongst 190-plus entries from around the world.

     

    Voot launched a Progressive Web App (PWA) product and that includes offline page caching functionality, fast loading, responsive interface and push notifications. Voot, notes a communique, was an early adopter of this technology which led to a huge jump in users and video watch time on its mobile web.

     

    Gaurav Gandhi

    Speaking about the awards, Gaurav Gandhi, COO, Viacom18 Digital Ventures said: “To win the IBC2017 Innovation Award for Content Distribution is a huge honour for us at Voot. In the Video steaming business, both Content & Technology play an equally important role. While Viacom18 is well known for pioneering efforts & leadership in the content business, it is indeed great to have our company feature on the global technology leaderboard as well. In this business particularly, partnerships & alliances are key to achieving big milestones and we would like to thank the team at Google for providing us support in our PWA”

     

     

  • The Big Bang Awards 2017 is presented by Colours Viacom18 and powered by The Times of India and Vijay Karnataka

    Ad Club B’lore’s Big Bang Awards to be held on Sept 15

    By A Correspondent

     

    The Advertising Club, Bangalore’s Big Bang Awards will be held this year on Friday, September 15.

     

    “The response we received this year is very good and we are gearing up for putting up a great event for our prestigious annual award night., said Sanchayeeta Verma, President of Ad Club Bangalore. “The Big Bang Awards, is unique as it is fully online from its entry to judging stage. This enables both, people from across cities to participate and judges from across the country and APAC to evaluate the entries, Verma further added.

     

    Malavika Harita, former President and Chairperson of The Big Bang Awards Committee, said We have put together a jury of over 50 eminent people drawn from Creative, Media, PR, Marketing, Advertising, Research and Healthcare, to judge the entries received this year. We have been conducting the Big Bang Awards for over 20 years now, without ever courting a controversy. The Big Bang Awards 2017 is presented by Colors Viacom18 and powered by The Times of India and Vijay Karnataka. Red FM is the Radio Partner.

     

  • Pathak comes with an experience of more than 16 years in the programming industry

    Viacom’s Ranjit Pathak joins 93.5 Red FM as National Programming Head

    By A Correspondent

     

    Red FM has appointed Ranjit Pathak as the National Programming Head. Phatak, who was leading the creative and strategic vision of MTV programming at Viacom 18, will now lead the programming for Red FM network based out of Mumbai. Commenting on the switch,Pathak said:”I am very excited to get aboard on Red FM. For me this also acts as a platform of change, moving from a TV background to Radio where I feel there is a huge potential for this media. As for contributing to Red FM’s programming, I plan to stick to the basics of Bajaate Raho and build from that.”

     

    With the new hire in the leadership team, Nisha Narayanan COO, Red FM added:”Ranjit has had an illustrious career in the television industry. Having worked on brands like MTV and Bindass, his vast knowledge and experience about the variety of audience specifically the youth will act as a major catalyst in amplifying our Bajaate Raho proposition through interesting, innovating and youthful content on air. We aim to push the envelope further with his induction to the team.”