GECs
Sony to bring second season of Shark Tank India on 2 January
Mumbai: Sony Entertainment Television and Sony LIV are all set to bring in the second season of Shark Tank for the viewers. Produced by StudioNEXT, the show will begin airing on 2 January at 10 p.m. every Monday to Friday.
This season promises viewers fresh and new business terminologies, as well as opportunities for aspiring entrepreneurs to pursue their dreams.
The show showcases a plethora of unique and never-before-seen ideas as well as gives a glimpse into the booming start-up ecosystem of India. LetsVenture has come onboard as a talent sourcing advisor for the show.
For the second season, Sony LIV has partnered with ACKO, which serves as the co-presenting partner. The show is co-powered by Pokerbaazi and CarDekho. Dwelling into the special categories, they have onboarded Cashfree Payments as the payment partner, smallcase as the ideas partner, and Fi Money as the money partner, while other brands like EatFit, Seqrite, Lenskart, Chaudhry Nummero, and Apollo 24|7 have been roped in as well.
This year, representing the ground-breaking start-up ecosystem in the country, are: boAt co-founder and CMO Aman Gupta, CarDekho Group, InsuranceDekho.com CEO and co-founder Amit Jain, Shaadi.com – People Group founder and CEO Anupam Mittal, Emcure Pharmaceuticals executive director Namita Thapar, Lenskart.com founder & CEO Peyush Bansal and Sugar Cosmetics co-founder and CEO Vineeta Singh. Their dynamic personalities and camaraderie have made them, as well as the show, household names. While the sharks anchor the show with their offers and deals and, in many ways, pearls of wisdom as well, host and ace stand-up comedian Rahul Dua will act as a guide to the pitchers this season.
Smallcase CEO & founder Vasanth Kamath commented, “We are delighted to be the idea partner on Shark Tank India’s highly anticipated second season. Associating with a show that supports and celebrates innovation aligns with smallcase’s mission of empowering Indians with simple investment ideas. The show has a diverse and savvy audience, and we aim to reach a large base of investors and contribute to the growth of entrepreneurial spirit and equity culture across the country.”
Fi Money CEO Sujith Narayanan said, “Over the last season of Shark Tank, we have seen how it has influenced Indian youth to look at money much more smartly. Now everyone is talking about growth, valuations, portfolios, and so on. We are excited for the second season, and to be part of this emerging conversation around wealth creation. And there is no better time than now, given this newfound awareness of money that our audiences have.”
“We are excited to further our partnership with Shark Tank India for the second year in a row. The first season proved to be quite impactful, providing impetus to entrepreneurship and innovation. At Cashfree Payments, we value the entrepreneurial spirit and understand the importance of enabling the start-up ecosystem. India’s digital payments growth story is fuelled by a surge in the number of start-ups, not just in metros but across tier 2 & 3 cities. These innovative businesses rely on cashfree payments’ safe and trusted payment stack to scale their businesses. We believe this association goes a long way towards our philosophy of fostering innovation in the Indian start-up ecosystem, which deserves to be encouraged and celebrated,” added Cashfree Payments CEO and co-founder Akash Sinha.
CarDekho Group EVP marketing & content Charu Kishnani said, “We are elated to be associated with Shark Tank India 2.0. As a house of brands, CarDekho Group has been a proponent of entrepreneurship in India and strongly resonates with the focus Shark Tank brings on promoting ingenious business ideas. Shark Tank India season one took the country by storm. The show not only made entrepreneurship mainstream but also provided a platform for aspiring businessmen, especially from tier 2 and tier 3 cities, to realise their dreams. The second season of the show will be even more impactful as an increased number of entrepreneurs will get a chance to showcase their ideas. Through association with the show, CarDekho will offer support to these upcoming professionals, helping them fulfil their aspirations and build sustainable businesses.
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.
