Brands
Vivo, Denver, Syska, PC, Manforce & Hike board Splitsvilla on MTV
MUMBAI: With India’s original dating reality show celebrating a decade, MTV, the iconic youth brand, brings back the most watched game of love ‘Splitsvilla’ with a renewed take on the concept of dating, with an all-new exciting theme – ‘Catch Your Match’. In its latest season, Vivo Presents MTV Splitsvilla X, powered by Denver Deodorants, Syska Personal Care, PC Jeweller & Manforce, connected by Hike Messenger will not be any less than a carnival for sponsors who will ride high on the longest running dating reality show’s massive viewership amongst the youth of the country. The latest season of the show will be hosted by MTV VJ, Rannvijay Singha and Bollywood’s femme fatale, Sunny Leone who will enable the contestants to discover whether there is any science behind falling in love as the tenth season of Splitsvilla goes on air on 23 July at 7pm, on MTV.
Splitsvilla, the cult show revolving around dating and relationships has only been steadily rising in popularity since hitting the Indian Television scene ten years ago. Its last season attracted massive viewership from amongst its core target audience which stood at 19 million across the All India 15-21 Youth audience and 100 million across the All India All 2+. With such strong following, the latest season promises to bring in more audiences with its unique new twist while retaining the fun-filled flavour that Splitsvilla is known for.
Owing to the massive reach of the show amongst youngsters, some of the top brands and new entrants in the industry grabbed the opportunity to be associated with the show. Loaded with sponsors, Splitsvilla X has been successful in clinching lucrative deals with leading brands in the country. With Vivo Smart Phones as the title sponsors, the show also has Denver deodorants, Syska Personal Care, PC Jeweller & Manforce as the powered by sponsors while Hike Messenger is onboard as the connected by sponsor.
Elaborating on the concept of the show and the sponsorship deals, Viacom18 head – youth, music and English entertainment Ferzad Palia said, “Splitsvilla is the biggest youth reality show in India. In its landmark tenth season, it is watched by 150 million Indians across platforms every year. And we keep growing with every passing season in both viewership and advertising revenues! We at MTV take great pride in this being a ‘home grown original’ format. This year we’re upping the game to a new theme – ‘Catch Your Match’, where it’s ‘heart vs head’. Great excitement in store for our 10th anniversary.”
Vivo India CMO said, “Splitsvilla embarked on to establish new rules of youth programming over a decade ago and today enjoys being one of the most watched show by youth. Spiltsvilla showcases relationships, relevant for today’s young generation much like Vivo, a brand that believes in surprising the audience with its innovation. With Splitsvilla witnessing its 10th anniversary this year, we are hopeful that our core target audience i.e youth will find it even more thrilling and will be a memorable season for the contestants and the millennial generation. We congratulate MTV on running nine successful seasons and we wish Splitsvilla X Season 10 tremendous success.”
Along with VIVO Camera and Music who has come in as the title sponsor on Splitsvilla X, MTV has also brought on board Denver Deodorants, Syska Personal Care, PC Jeweller and Manforce as the powered by sponsors; Hike Messenger as the connected by sponsor; Iarra and Macho as the associate sponsors; Voot as the streaming partner, Red FM as the Radio Partner, Jawed Habib as the Salon Partner, Café Creame as the Café Partner, Gianis as the Hangout Partner and Florista as the Gifting Partner.
With every new season of Splitsvilla, MTV comes up with a fresh new theme to keep the youth glued to their TV screens. The theme for the latest season of Splitsvilla has been conceptualized keeping in mind the psyche of the youth of today. With so many dating apps available to them and the mathematical formula involved to find ‘the one’, MTV thought it would be great to employ the same thought and see whether there’s any science involved behind falling in love in today’s day and age with the theme ‘Catch Your Match’. To reach out to the youth across the nation the show will be supported by a 360degree marketing push by creating multiple touch points using mediums like TV, Outdoor, Print, radio, brand associations and digital. And with Rannvijay and Sunny back as the hosts, the excitement is just about beginning!
Brands
Lululemon picks former Nike executive to be its next chief
Heidi O’Neill, who helped grow Nike into a $45 billion giant, will take the top job in September
CANADA: Lululemon has found its next chief executive, and she comes with serious credentials. The athleisure giant named Heidi O’Neill as its new CEO on Wednesday, ending a search that has left the company running on interim leadership since earlier this year. O’Neill will take charge on September 8, 2026, based out of Vancouver, and will join the board on the same day.
O’Neill brings more than three decades of experience across performance apparel, footwear and sport. The bulk of that time was spent at Nike, where she was a central figure in one of corporate sport’s great growth stories, helping take the company from a $9 billion business to a $45 billion global powerhouse. She oversaw product pipelines, brand strategy and consumer connections, and played a significant role in shaping how Nike spoke to athletes around the world. Earlier in her career, she worked in marketing for the Dockers brand at Levi Strauss. She also brings boardroom experience from Spotify Technology, Hyatt Hotels and Lithia and Driveway.
The board was unequivocal in its enthusiasm. “We selected Heidi because of the breadth of her experience, her demonstrated success delivering breakthrough ideas and initiatives at scale, and her ability to be a knowledgeable change and growth agent,” said Marti Morfitt, executive chair of Lululemon’s board.
O’Neill, for her part, was bullish. “Lululemon is an iconic brand with something rare: genuine guest love, a product ethos rooted in innovation, and a global platform still in the early stages of its potential,” she said. “My job will be to accelerate product breakthroughs, deepen the brand’s cultural relevance, and unlock growth in markets around the world.”
Until she arrives, Meghan Frank and André Maestrini will continue as interim co-CEOs, before returning to their previous senior leadership roles once O’Neill steps in.
Lululemon is betting that a Nike veteran who helped build one of the world’s most powerful sports brands can do something similar for an athleisure label that has genuine love from its customers but is still chasing its full global potential. O’Neill has done it before at scale. The question now is whether she can do it again.
