GECs
Mattel to kick off ‘National School Scrabble Championship’
MUMBAI: Mattel Toys India Pvt. Ltd, in association with Birla Sun Life Insurance, has set the stage for the Mattel National School Scrabble Championship 2006. The zonal rounds will be held on 11 and 12 November and the final on 22 November in Mumbai.
This year the brain-teasing word game championship will reach out to more than 200 schools across India, with a total of over 1000 students participating from Mumbai, Delhi, Bangalore, Kolkata and Pune, states an official release.
Mumbai city alone, is expected to witness the participation of more than 300 students from close to 60 schools. Ten winners from each zonal final will be shortlisted for the national finals.
The championship is applicable for students between the age group of 7-15 years and the event will be organised under the aegis of Scrabble Association of India.
The big highlight of this year’s championship will be a grand trip for the champion and his parents to Malaysia, courtesy Cox and Kings. Kingfisher Airlines has joined in to support the event as the Travel sponsor for the Championship.
Announcing the championship, Mattel Toys India managing director Sanjay Luthra said, “Scrabble, now 56-years old, is the world’s largest selling word game, with over 100 million sets sold in 29 different languages across 121 countries. In India our efforts have always been to try and encourage school kids to develop their vocabulary and analytical skills through the game of Scrabble.
“The Mattel National School Scrabble Championship provides a platform for students to test these skills at a competitive level. This year, the Championship will be much bigger than ever before, with a lot more students pitting their Scrabble® skills against each other.”
MUMBAI: Lights, camera… connection because this time, the game isn’t just about winning, it’s about who’s with you. Sony Pictures Networks India is gearing up to launch a new reality game show, Tum Ho Naa, expanding its unscripted slate with a format that promises both emotion and engagement.
The show will premiere soon on Sony Entertainment Television and stream on Sony LIV, with Rajeev Khandelwal stepping in as host. Known for his measured screen presence and selective choices, Khandelwal’s return to television adds a layer of familiarity and credibility to the upcoming format.
While specific details of the gameplay remain under wraps, the positioning suggests a reality format that leans as much on emotional resonance as it does on competition, an increasingly popular blend in Indian television, where audiences are gravitating towards content that offers both stakes and storytelling.
Khandelwal, reflecting on his return, noted that his choices have often been guided by instinct rather than convention, describing Tum Ho Naa as a project that feels “close to the heart”. His association also signals Sony’s continued focus on anchoring new formats with recognisable faces who bring both relatability and depth.
The launch comes at a time when broadcasters are doubling down on original non-fiction formats to drive appointment viewing, even as digital platforms expand parallel reach. By placing the show across both linear television and OTT, Sony appears to be aiming for a dual-audience strategy capturing traditional viewers while engaging digital-first consumers.
As the countdown to premiere begins, Tum Ho Naa positions itself not just as another game show, but as a reminder that sometimes, the biggest prize on screen isn’t the jackpot, it’s the journey shared along the way.
