News Broadcasting
AXN launches hunt for hot Indian couple
MUMBAI: Temptation Island may not have worked in an Indian context for Star, but AXN seems confident its localised version of the Are You Hot show will draw in the audiences.
The AXN Hot N Wild Contest is the latest ground event from the channel this monsoon. A hunt down for the country’s ‘hottest’ girl and guy, the contest is modeled along the lines of the latest reality TV sensation Are You Hot currently on-air on Wednesdays, 11:00 pm in the Hot N Wild Time Zone on AXN. The ‘hottest’ male and female winners will go on to become television stars in one of AXN’s upcoming local productions.
The channel has tied up with Caf Coffee Day, CoffeDay Xpress and Planet M for the entry forms as also with indiatimes. A specially created Hot N Wild coffee is being brewed at the coffee outlets as incentive to participation, says an official release. Applicants also have the facility of directly uploading photographs through the AXN Hot N Wild Contest microsite. The AXN Hot N Wild road shows will hit Mumbai, Delhi, Bangalore, Chennai and Kolkata before culminating in city-centric auditions and a grand finale in Mumbai.
Registration for the contest begins on 25 June and the last date for entries is 13 July. The AXN Hot N Wild Contest is all about finding the perfect combination of sophistication, style, sex appeal and the right attitude in a person. The clincher in selecting the winners would be the spark of daredevilry that exemplifies the channel’s spirit of action and adventure, says the release. The participants will be evaluated by an elite panel of judges comprising some of the big names in the world of entertainment and glamour in a grand finale in the city after the two month long hunt.
Says Rohit Bhandari, assistant V-P sales and marketing, SET (I) Ltd, “With the ‘AXN Hot N Wild Contest’ we are essentially promoting a lifestyle. AXN has consistently provided viewers with the opportunity to lead an action / adventure lifestyle by tuning it into their lives, so what we offer on-air extends to our ground events as well. For a channel like AXN, it helps when the viewer feels he or she can participate in the shows, experience and feel them instead of just watching them on TV. Besides no other channel provides vicarious thrills and voyeurism better than we do.”
“The ‘AXN Hot N Wild Contest’ is an excellent way of establishing brand connect and extending the experience beyond television sets which for an international channel such as ours is extremely imperative.”
News Broadcasting
News18 India launches Command Centre war explainer with Arya
New show shifts from debates to decoding global conflicts and impacts
MUMBAI: News18 India has rolled out a new war-focused programme, Command Centre, featuring Gaurav Arya, as it looks to offer viewers a sharper, more grounded take on global conflicts amid rising tensions in West Asia.
Positioned as an “insider war room”, the show moves away from conventional panel debates and instead focuses on explaining military developments, decoding strategy and connecting global events to their everyday impact, from fuel prices to economic shifts.
The format leans heavily on visuals and data. The studio has been designed like a command hub, complete with large LED war maps, real-time graphics and an alert system to track developments as they unfold.
At the centre of it all is Arya, who brings his military background to simplify complex war strategies for viewers. His signature line, “Seedhi baat samjhiye”, anchors the show’s promise of clarity over noise.
News18 India managing editor Jyoti Kamal said, “Command Centre, featuring Major Gaurav Arya is designed to deliver accurate insights and a clear perspective on how evolving conflicts impact everyday life, from household budgets to national security. With expert voices analysing every development in real time, the show goes beyond headlines to decode what’s happening now, what it means, and what could come next.”
Echoing the intent, Gaurav Arya added, “In times of war, confusion is the biggest threat. With News18 India’s Command Centre, we are bringing viewers inside the war room, decoding strategies, tracking every escalation, and explaining, in the simplest terms, what it means for India and for every household. Seedhi baat samjhiye, this is where you understand not just what is happening, but what happens next.”
The weekday show will air in the afternoon slot and will also feature Gaurav Shukla, adding to its editorial depth.
With its mix of analysis, visuals and a clear focus on impact, the show reflects a broader shift in news consumption. Viewers are no longer just watching events unfold, they are looking to understand what those events mean for them.
