MAM
MSN, Mark Burnett enter partnership for ‘Rock Star: INXS’
MUMBAI: MSN and Mark Burnett Productions have entered a deal wherein MSN will be the official online home for Mark Burnett Productions’ upcoming reality series Rock Star: INXS in the US.
MSN will create content and sell advertising on the site, which will be available at http://rockstar.msn.com and accessible across the MSN network.
Launching in June, the MSN Rock Star: INXS site will extend and enhance the show for both the contestants and the audience by taking fans backstage and giving them a VIP rock star experience through video, content and communication tools from MSN Entertainment, MSN Video, MSN Music, MSN Spaces, MSN Messenger, MSN Alerts and MSN Shopping. The site will let people see up-close the talent and commitment it takes to become a rock star by bringing them virtually inside the competition.
Rock Star: INXS, which will air on CBS in the US this summer, is the ultimate aspiration television series: a competition aimed at finding a new lead singer for the multiplatinum band INXS. Each week, a contestant will be voted off the show by a combination of INXS band members, judges and audience members.
Fans who visit the official site for the series on MSN can do the following:
Get the latest information and gossip from the show
Relive contestants’ performances again and again on MSN Video and share them with friends
See exclusive content filmed specially for MSN
Download custom playlists from the contestants and INXS band members on MSN Music
Check out blogs on MSN Spaces from key members of the show
Chat with other fans to share thoughts about the show and support favorite contestants through MSN Messenger and MSN Spaces
Shop for official Rock Star: INXS merchandise on MSN Shopping
Take Rock Star: INXS polls and quizzes via the Encarta online encyclopedia.
Brand advertisers interested in the unique opportunity to reach a massive, highly engaged, cross-generational, 18- to 49-year-old target demographic — and all fans of rock n’ roll and reality TV — can advertise on the official MSN Rock Star: INXS site and within the multiple MSN services that Rock Star: INXS will leverage.
Ad opportunities on MSN for the site include 15 second or 30 second streaming video ads on MSN Video, and standard Universal Ad Package (UAP) ads on the MSN Rock Star: INXS site and throughout the MSN network.
“We’re excited to team up with MSN for this series because it gives us access to a massive online audience and multiple platforms to reach fans and build communities. In addition to offering exclusive video and music content, we can use interactive communications services like MSN Spaces and MSN Messenger to help fans develop an even deeper connection to the series,” said Mark Burnett.
“Mark Burnett is a rare talent, and we’re thrilled to be working with him on such an exciting project. By combining the creative excellence of Mark Burnett with the customer reach and technology expertise of MSN, we will deliver a dynamic site that lets people interact with the show and our advertisers’ brands in compelling ways,” said MSN Information Services and Merchant Platform senior vice president Yusuf Mehdi.
Brands
Yes Madam taps Rajpal Yadav’s Chota Don nostalgia to power new digital campaign
Home salon platform ropes in Tanya Mittal as it bets on humour and pop culture to showcase trust and convenience
NOIDA: India’s fast-growing home salon platform Yes Madam is leaning on nostalgia and a dose of comic chaos to pitch its services. The brand has launched a new digital campaign starring Rajpal Yadav and influencer Tanya Mittal, reviving Yadav’s much-loved Chota Don character to underline the reliability of at-home beauty services.
The campaign marks Yes Madam’s first collaboration with Rajpal Yadav and revisits the quirky Chota Don persona made famous in the 2007 film Partner. Produced with Footloose Films, the film blends slapstick humour with a nostalgic callback to spotlight the platform’s promise of dependable, quality services delivered at home.
The storyline plays out like a miniature action comedy. Tanya Mittal finds herself surrounded by goons and calls for help, only for Rajpal Yadav to appear in full Chota Don mode, dispatching the attackers in his trademark comic style as Mittal cheers him on. The drama then flips abruptly to a calmer scene, with Mittal relaxing at home while enjoying a Yes Madam service and insisting the heroic episode really happened, even as posters of Chota Don decorate her house. The film ends with Yadav’s voiceover declaring that the incident may or may not have happened, but the trust and quality of Yes Madam’s services certainly have.
The collaboration also follows a broader show of support for Rajpal Yadav within the industry. In the growing wave of backing for the veteran actor, Mayank Arya, co-founder and chief executive of Yes Madam, publicly supported actor-producer Sonu Sood’s call for concrete help from the film industry and corporate brands. Arya took to the social media platform X urging companies to move beyond expressions of sympathy and instead offer tangible opportunities to the actor amid his ongoing legal and financial challenges.
He wrote, “Seconded @SonuSood. Even brands should come forward to help the great talent. @Rajpalofficial will also be a part of an ad film @_yesmadam! Have already aligned the team on it. #ComeBackStronger.”
Seconded @SonuSood. Even brands should come forward to help the the great talent.@Rajpalofficial will also be a part of an ad film @_yesmadam !
Have already aligned the team on it.#ComeBackStronger https://t.co/Q7qpJttLTs— Mayank Arya (@iammayankarya) February 11, 2026
Rajpal Yadav recently surrendered at Tihar Jail after the Delhi High Court rejected his plea seeking additional time to repay dues in a long-running cheque-bounce case. The actor had been accused in the case in 2018 after he was unable to repay a loan taken for a film project that failed at the box office. The court later ordered him to surrender after the dues remained unpaid.
The situation triggered a wave of support from several high-profile figures. Sonu Sood emerged as one of the most prominent voices, expressing solidarity and promising Yadav a role in his next film. Sood emphasised that industry support should be about dignity and real job opportunities rather than charity. Celebrities including Salman Khan, Ajay Devgn, Gurmeet Choudhary and Guru Randhawa have also publicly extended financial and professional support.
Before surrendering, Rajpal Yadav shared an emotional statement in which he spoke about feeling alone and unsupported, a remark that struck a chord with many in the industry. However, his brother later clarified that the actor would never have intended to suggest that he lacked support from colleagues or well-wishers.
Reflecting on the campaign, Mayank Arya said the film was designed to entertain while strengthening the brand’s message. “At Yes Madam, we have always believed in creating campaigns that connect with audiences in an engaging and memorable way. I had earlier spoken about the importance of extending meaningful opportunities to Rajpal Yadav, and we are glad to be the first brand to take that step forward with this collaboration. Through this film, we wanted to create a compelling narrative while also reinforcing the trust and reliability that customers associate with Yes Madam’s services,” Arya said.
Akanksha Vishnoi, co-founder, said the campaign leans on nostalgia to strike a chord with digital audiences. “Consumers today engage deeply with content that blends entertainment with relatability. With this campaign, we wanted to revisit a nostalgic moment while subtly reinforcing the convenience and reliability of at-home services. Rajpal Yadav’s Chota Don is an iconic character that instantly evokes nostalgia and humour, making it the perfect fit for this campaign. Tanya Mittal’s presence added a vibrant energy and helped us bring the vision of the campaign to life,” Vishnoi said.
Founded in 2016, Yes Madam offers salon and spa services at home through trained professionals using hygienic, single-use product formats. The platform now operates in more than 55 cities across India, pitching convenience, transparency and quality to a growing base of urban consumers.
The new campaign, rolling out across social media and video platforms, makes its pitch with a wink. The Chota Don rescue might be fiction, but the promise of a salon at your doorstep, the brand suggests, is the real deal.
