Music and Youth
MTV is all prepped up with season 2 of ‘India’s Next Top Model’
MUMBAI: Calling fashionistas in town. MTV is back with season 2 of India’s Next Top Model (INTM) which begins airing on 10 July. The show will air every Sunday at 7 pm.
Like season one, season 2 of INTM will see 13 contestants living together in a house in Mumbai for 10 weeks, under 24×7 camera surveillance. The girls will meet leading experts from the fashion and modelling industry who will teach them the skills necessary to be a professional model.
Bulldog Media & Entertainment, which holds the rights for the Indian franchise, is excited about season 2.
“We had an amazing response for season 1 with extremely loyal viewers. What surprised us is that the show was not only popular in India but also had tremendous following in International markets like the US, Middle East, UK. Season two is going to be bigger and better and is backed with some outstanding talent,” says Bulldog Media and Entertainment co-founder and executive producer Akash Sharma.
The 12 episodic (tentative) show has retained the same judges and host for this season. The difference: Dabboo Ratnani and Lisa Haydon will continue as judges through to the last episode, with the latter also donning the anchor’s/host’s hat. On the other hand, Anusha Dandekar and Neeraj Gaba will become mentors to the contestants as the show progresses, even as they judge the first few episodes.
“We will follow the format of America’s Next Top Model with extreme challenges and photoshoots. Broadly, the framework will follow the international format though the creative elements will change,” elaborates Sharma.
While Sharma was loathe to disclosing any figures relating to production costs, industry experts pegged the per episode bill to be between Rs 1.2 to 1.5 million.
Being a fashion and lifestyle show, INTM has managed to lassoo Livon Serum as the title sponsor, while Lakme and Airtel have hopped on board as co-presenters, and fashion portal abof.com has been signed on as powered by partner.
“According to what we have been hearing we believe that the title sponsorship went at about Rs 8 million, whereas the copresenting sponsors have been finalised at Rs 5 million each,” opines a media planner. “Our estimate is that a 10 second spot buy on an MTV show could be anywhere between Rs 8,000 to 10,000 for the first run. But considering that this is a premium high aspirational programme, the rates could be about 30 to 40 per cent higher.”
Another media planner adds that premium MTV properties such as Roadies have wrapped up title sponsorships at around Rs 22.5 million whereas powered by partners have paid up Rs 12.5 million each. So indiantelevision.com’s guesstimate is that the sponsorships could have been done at around Rs 15 million, and Rs 9 million each and Rs 6 million for the three different levels.
“I am excited to have India’s Next Top Model on MTV India. They are the longest running reality franchise channel with a diverse reach. We have raised the bar with this season. It will have an International appeal maintaining the local flavour,” adds Sharma.
Considering that its US parent, America’s Next Top Model has recently moved to VH1 in the US, after completing a successful 22 season or cycle run on The CW network there, its quite likely that Sharma is going to be excited about the Indian edition for many more years to come.
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.
