Music and Youth
MTV to up its game in 2019 with new format shows
MUMBAI: After claiming to have doubled its viewership in 2018, MTV is all set to up its game by launching the eighth season of MTV Unplugged, a singing show, on 26 January, 8 pm onwards. Royal Stag Barrel Select and MTV have collaborated to present the program.
Viacom18 youth music and English entertainment head Ferzad Palia said that 2018 was a landmark year for them. “Ace of Space, Elevator Pitch, Dating In The Dark worked really well for us. Ace Of Space did so well that we had to extend it to 30 days because of consumer demand. It was a big gamble with the daily reality format. It gave us rich dividends both on TV and on Voot. 2018 has made us more bullish about 2019,” he said.
Palia added that the plan is to introduce new shows and formats that haven’t been seen ever. Also, hundreds of hours of content, bringing seasons of the old shows and seven to eight new format shows are on the cards.
According to him, the year 2019 will observe key trends like content will be consumed by viewers whenever and wherever they want to. He said, “The other trend that I see is organic growth of television will continue because you have a large base of audiences just coming in to consume entertainment on TV and there will also be significant growth on digital consumption.”
Looking at the consumption of TV over the past three years, It has grown at a faster rate than it was growing earlier, he added. Palia feels that that the rate of digital consumption has also grown significantly because in the smaller base, the percentages are high so more content is getting consumed across devices. “So the honest truth is that the content will win if the stories are breaking through the clutter because consumers are spoilt for choices as they have options as to what content to consume and on which screen,” he concluded.
MUMBAI: Mumbai is about to witness something it has never seen before. The Global Youth Festival arrives on 6-7 December at Jio World Garden with 15,000 attendees and 60-plus experiences sprawled across six sprawling arenas. On its sixth edition, this is no ordinary jamboree—it is a carefully orchestrated collision of wellness, adventure, arts, music, yoga and social change.
Chief Minister of Maharashtra Devendra Fadnavis will throw open the proceedings with a landmark ceremony, signalling the state’s backing for a movement that has already mobilised youth across 20-plus countries and 170-plus cities. The sheer scale is staggering: 500-plus volunteers powering the machine, 600,000-plus volunteer hours logged across previous editions, and millions of lives touched annually.
The speaker roster is formidable. Diipa Büller-Khosla and Dipali Goenka, chief executive of Welspun India, will share the stage with Malaika Arora in conversations spanning leadership, creativity and culture. Union Minister for Sports and Youth Affairs Mansukhbhai Mandaviya will also attend, reinforcing GYF’s reach into the corridors of power.
But this is not mere talk. The Solaris Mainstage promises concerts from renowned Indian artists. Innerverse delivers a 360-degree LED spectacle of art, technology and sound. The Love and Care Arena houses hands-on projects spanning women’s empowerment, child education, rural upliftment and animal welfare. India’s largest outdoor sound-healing experience awaits. An inflatable obstacle course, neon drifter karts and open-sky bouldering cater to thrill-seekers.
Some have branded GYF the “Coachella of Consciousness.” Others call it “India’s Largest Sober Festival.” Spiritual visionary Pujya Gurudevshri Rakeshji, who inspired the festival, will deliver the Wisdom Masterclass. Every rupee goes to charity.
After Mumbai comes Kolkata on 14 December. New York looms next year. For one weekend in December, Mumbai becomes the epicentre of youth-driven change—and nothing will be quite the same after.
Tickets available on BookMyShow. Visit youthfestival.srmd.org or follow @globalyouthfestival on Instagram.
