GECs
Life OK to showcase Mallika’s Magic
MUMBAI: The countdown to Life OK’s much anticipated show The Bachelorette India has begun. Starting 7 October, every Monday to Friday from 9.30 pm to 10.30 pm, all eyes will be on Mallika Sherawat as she hunts for the perfect mate from among 30 eligible bachelors, who will pull out all stops to win the sexy siren’s heart… and hand.
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People will either hate it or love it believes Ajit Thakur
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“You will either hate it or love it,” says Life OK general manager Ajit Thakur about the non-fiction show.
Scheduled to run for five weeks with 28 hours of total content, 40 to 50 per cent of shooting has already been canned in the City of Lakes. Produced by SOL Productions with Lux Inferno and Ghadi Detergent as co-presenting sponsors, the show is in keeping with Life OK’s promise to add an Indian flavour to the much awaited reality series. As for Mallika, she is a magnet for publicity, whatever she does.
But why make the show a week day property? “This kind of content is universal in nature. If you view from a concept perspective, on other GECs, a week day concept is all about soaps and the emotional content is very high. So love is the corner stone for everything that happens on a GEC from Monday to Friday. Considering this fact, we thought this was the best time,” says Life OK marketing head Pratik Seal.
Marketing-wise, several activities have been planned. Digitally speaking, Life OK has organised a ‘live tweeter outdoor’ at Delhi University North Campus, where people can come and tweet their wishes to Mallika. “It’s a mood meter. Mallika’s mood changes on how you tweet. For example, if you criticise, she becomes grumpy; if you praise her, she is all happy. This activity is still on and students there are enjoying it,” explains Seal. Special tabs, games and apps, and video leaks on YouTube have been built into the digital activity.
Secondly, throughout the five weeks, Life OK will have a video diary, also known as a regular video blog, on YouTube that will be updated regularly.
Thirdly, there will be a live tweeter hastens during the show, where people can tweet about their favourite moments.
Fourthly, Life OK has undertaken on-ground activations in over 38 cities. Add to that, colleges in UP, Delhi and Gujarat will celebrate Rose Day as a prelude to the show. A Google hangout with the lady on 7 October is also in the pipeline.
Fourthly, Life OK has undertaken on-ground activations in over 38 cities. Add to that, colleges in UP, Delhi and Gujarat will celebrate Rose Day as a prelude to the show. A Google hangout with the lady on 7 October is also in the pipeline.
Radio and television activations have been undertaken on a huge scale and TV promos of the show have received a good response.
Speaking about hoardings, Seal says: “We did Phase I and Phase II of the campaign. The first phase was about selling the concept of war while the second phase was about showcasing love.”
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There will be people coming, who want a break from Hindi GECs, says a confident Pratik Seal
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Of the entire show budget, the channel is learnt to have spent around eight to ten per cent on marketing the upcoming show.
Will the show grab enough eye balls in the face of such stiff competition? “Our attempt was to reach out beyond the GEC audience. We want to target more youth, more men, and more family as a unit; that has been our objective. If we manage to do that, half of our job is done. So there will be people coming, who want a break from Hindi GECs, to see what new biryani is cooking,” says Seal confidently.
But comparisons with NDTV Imagine’s Swayamvar are inevitable and the industry isn’t too gung-ho about Life OK’s experiment with a similar format. “We’ve already seen enough of Rahul Mahajan, Rakhi Sawant and Ratan Rajput’s Swayamvar. What new is the show going to add? Just by changing the face of the person does not mean that the show is going to catch the attention of the viewers,” says a director.
“Forget the daily soaps on other GECs. I think Bigg Boss is going to be the show’s biggest competitor. I am watching Bigg Boss since three weeks and I am already glued to it. I would not like to switch to any other channel for that one hour,” says an industry professional.
GECs
Samsung TV Plus launches Kings of Comedy channel
New free FAST channel brings iconic Hindi comedy shows to millions of Samsung Smart TV owners.
MUMBAI: Samsung TV Plus has just turned up the laughter volume and it’s completely free. The leading free ad-supported streaming television (FAST) service in India has launched Kings of Comedy, a premium comedy channel featuring some of the country’s most beloved primetime shows. Available exclusively on Samsung TV Plus, the channel delivers back-to-back hits including Comedy Nights with Kapil, Khatra Khatra Khatra, and Comedy Nights Bachao, with no login or subscription required.
The launch marks a milestone for free streaming in India, offering audiences a dedicated comedy destination directly from their Samsung TV home screen. It arrives as Samsung TV Plus India celebrates its 5th anniversary, during which the service has grown its monthly active users by 42 per cent and more than doubled its total viewing hours. The platform now offers over 180 free channels across 14 languages.
Samsung TV Plus India general manager and head of business development Kunal Mehta said, “Comedy is the heartbeat of Hindi entertainment, and Kings of Comedy brings together the shows Indians already love, completely free on their Samsung TV. Our focus remains the same take the content people know and make it effortless to access.”
Globally, Samsung TV Plus has surpassed 100 million monthly active users across more than 4,500 channels, solidifying its position as one of the world’s leading free streaming services.
Kings of Comedy is now available on all compatible Samsung Smart TVs. For viewers seeking non-stop laughter without any cost, this new channel delivers a royal treat proving that sometimes the best entertainment really does come with no strings (or subscriptions) attached.
