At a time when the Indian events and activation industry is growing, Colors, the flagship Hindi general entertainment channel (GEC) from the Viacom18 stable, has decided to go beyond its ‘on-screen’ business. The channel has joined hands with RFS Entertainment, an independent global entertainment enterprise, to extend and convert its ‘Got Talent’ franchise premiering in India into a global on-ground experience.
Called ?Got Talent World Stage Live?, this on-ground extension of Colors’ marquee property, India?s Got Talent, will be a ticketed event that will be hosted by Bollywood actor Shah Rukh Khan. The tickets of the on-ground event, to be held on December 6 at Andheri Sports Complex in Mumbai and to be aired on Colors on a later date, will be available on online ticketing portal Book My Show. While RFS Entertainment will present the event, it will be executed by Cineyug.
Got Talent World Stage Live will feature performances by 10 Indian and 10 international talents. The 10 international artists will include individuals/groups which have made a mark for themselves through various syndicates of the show across countries such as United Kingdom, Australia, Spain, China and Italy. These acts will be complimented by 10 of the best artists from India?s Got Talent.
Commenting on the association, Raj Nayak, CEO, Colors said, ?We have been associated with the Got Talent franchise for over six years now which has not only witnessed the successful India?s Got Talent series but also a corporate extension in the form of CEO?s Got Talent. As a broadcaster, the property holds immense potential for us because the discerning Indian audience harbours great appreciation for outstanding talent. We are looking forward to the on-ground extension of the property especially because it gives us the opportunity to raise the entertainment quotient through the exhibition of exceptional local and international talent.? For the record, Got Talent format was created and is owned by Simon Cowell?s Syco Entertainment and is co-produced by FremantleMedia India.
Adds Rav Singh, head, RFS Entertainment, ?Got Talent World Stage Live marks the first time where an internationally renowned television series format will be adapted for a live audience. The new talent across genres proving their mettle on every available platform makes India the perfect backdrop for a showcase of this magnitude.?
Interestingly, Colors intends to organise the event on a year-on-year regular with Khan in association. Now, if this happens, it could mean a big game-changer for the on-ground event industry in India. According to Ernst and Young?s white paper on the ?Business of Experiences?, the organised segment of the Indian events and activation industry has grown at over 20% since 2010. As marketers plan to increase their below-the-line (BTL) spends, the industry is expected to grow to R 4,375 crore by 2014. But having said that, the study also suggests that the events and activation industry in India has seen its lowest transaction activity among all segments of the media and entertainment sector. And, according to industry experts, it is primarily because of a very weak push from television?the most dominant slice of India?s R91,700-crore media and entertainment industry. They observe that large-scale BTL activation is still not a marked trend within the television sector.
Now, the reason for this is not too difficult to understand ? the role of on-ground in the case of television differs in two ways. First, the kind of reach that a broadcaster is able to deliver from its promos on its own channel is far greater than any on-ground activation and at a far more competitive price. Second, a lot of brands conduct on-ground activation as an opportunity to do immediate sales, something that the television industry does not exactly look for. ?In television, there is no immediate sale value. What you are really trying to do with on-ground activation is to establish a close personal encounter of the consumer with the brand or the show message. Here, the desire is that the message should stay with the consumer which in turn will help him/her tune into your channel and the show,? says a top executive from a rival Hindi GEC.
