iWorld
Viu partners Morris Street to launch Hollywood Squares India adaptation
MUMBAI: Viu has collaborated with Morris Street Advisors to bring successful global format Hollywood Squares to India. Morris Street Advisors has acquired the format rights to Hollywood Squares from CBS Studios International for India. This collaboration will present the Indian version, titled Tollywood Squares, of the multiple Emmy-award-winning and internationally successful CBS show format for the Telugu audience. Viu has joined hands with Star Maa and GroupM’s Motion Content Group to deliver the content cross-platform as the show will be available on a digital platform and a television channel simultaneously.
The 26-episode weekend show, created in Telugu, is set to go live on 27 January 2018 on the Viu app website and Star Maa simultaneously. One episode will release every Saturday and Sunday at 9:30pm. Hosted by television personality Navdeep Pallapolu, the series will be based on Tic-Tac-Toe, a universally popular game and will showcase nine new celebrities and two new contestants in each episode. Hollywood Squares is the first major game show format from CBS to be produced in India.
Elaborating on the show and partnership, Viu India country head Vishal Maheshwari said, “We are thrilled to bring the most sought-after celebrity game show of Hollywood Squares regionalised for our Telugu audience. Our insights gave us the belief that a format like this, which is iconic in its own right globally, would be a timely new addition to our bouquet of differentiated content. We are happy to partner with StarMaa and Motion Content group to bring this internationally recognised show format for our audiences. The content can be viewed on the digital platform and main screen television.”
Morris Street Advisors CEO Rohit Tiwari said, “This is a milestone moment for Morris Street Advisors. As an entertainment content provider, we are now placing more focus on producing popular programming that captivates Indian viewers. We are super excited to team up with CBS Studios International and our Indian partners to produce the show in India.”
The launch of Tollywood Squares is aligned to Star Maa’s promise of delivering compelling content that appeals to the masses by breaking conventional boundaries of language. This show is in line with Viu’s continued focus on original regional content since launching in 2016.
Commenting on this occasion Star Maa business head Alok Jain said, “We are pleased to now bring Hollywood Squares in India for the Telugu people. I am confident that this show will take our viewers across all age groups back to the memory lanes and the concept of this show will transform the TV viewers’ experience. We are extremely pleased to partner with Viu and together this show will entertain our viewers.”
“Hollywood Squares has had success in many countries around the world, and we’re convinced it will appeal to viewers in India,” CBS Studios International VP (international sales and production) Roxanne Lettman Pompa said.
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iWorld
What SMS letters G, T, S and P mean and how they help spot scams
Small alphabet tags on messages reveal whether texts are government or ads.
MUMBAI: Sometimes the smallest letter in a message can be the biggest clue. In an age where smartphone users receive dozens of alerts every day, the tiny alphabet appearing at the end of many SMS messages can reveal whether a text is official, transactional, service related or simply promotional. Understanding these tags can help users quickly identify legitimate messages and stay alert to potential scams.
Under telecom regulations in India, SMS senders are required to categorise messages based on their purpose. As a result, many texts end with a single letter that indicates the type of communication being sent.
If an SMS ends with the letter G, it typically means the message has been sent by a government authority. These alerts may include information about public services, government schemes, safety advisories or emergency notifications such as natural disaster warnings.
A message ending with the letter T signals a transactional SMS. These are usually sent by banks, financial institutions or digital services to confirm activities such as payments, account updates or one time passwords (OTPs).
The letter S represents a service related message. These notifications commonly come from companies and online platforms providing updates about services or orders. For instance, e commerce platforms like Amazon or Flipkart often send delivery updates and order confirmations that end with the letter S.
Meanwhile, SMS messages ending with the letter P are promotional in nature. These texts are typically marketing communications sent by businesses advertising products, offers or services such as education programmes, fashion sales or loan schemes.
Understanding these simple tags can also help users stay cautious about fraudulent messages. Cybersecurity experts note that scam messages often do not follow these regulated formats and may arrive without any category letter at the end.
While the absence of a tag does not automatically mean a message is fraudulent, it can serve as an early warning sign encouraging users to verify the source before clicking links or sharing personal information.
For those who wish to reduce marketing texts altogether, telecom operators also provide Do Not Disturb (DND) options.
Users of Jio can activate DND through the MyJio app by navigating to the menu, selecting settings and enabling the DND option with preferred filters.
Similarly, subscribers of Airtel and Vi can enable the same feature through their respective mobile apps to block promotional messages.
In a digital world flooded with alerts and notifications, recognising what a single letter means could make the difference between a harmless update and a potential scam.
