(6 October 2008 9:00 pm)

MUMBAI: Not content with giving rival Hindi GECs sleepless nights in India, the two-odd-month-old Colors is now set to take the world by storm. Well, almost. Viacom18, the JV between Indian Network18 and US media giant Viacom, has joined hands with The New Media Group KK (TNMG), parent of the World On-Demand IPTV platform. to enable the channel to be seen via the IPTV service World On-Demand.

Confirming the development ot Indiantelevision.com, Viacom18 Media Pvt Ltd SVP network development Sanjeev Hiremath said the service started on 1 October.

“We are happy to partner with TNMG to extend Colors’ entire spectrum of emotions to the Indian viewers in Japan, Korea, Taiwan and Australia,” said Hiremath. “Colors has received tremendous response since launch in India and we are confident that its shows will now become household names amongst the Indian diaspora in these markets soon.”

Beginning 1 October, World On-Demand members have been getting the latest programming from the GEC through subscribing to one of a number of channel packages that are aimed at specifically at underserved communities around the world. Colors will be available free for a limited time on the service as part of a global marketing campaign highlighting the new launch.

“We are happy to be the first TV platform in the world to offer Colors to our subscribers and to help promote this brand. The success of the channel in India and its ability to draw subscribers from other communities is a testament to the job Viacom 18 is doing, and it matches the cross-community emphasis that we take in our marketing and its mission,” said World On-Demand sales and distribution VP Sumit Ahuja.