Viacom 18’s ‘Colors’ aims for top 3 slots in 12 months

The soon-to-be-launched general entertainment channel (GEC) ‘Colors’ from Viacom 18 (a 50:50 joint venture between Viacom – a $11.5 billion entertainment content company comprising MTV Networks, Paramount Pictures and Network 18 – a media conglomerate) aims to become a ‘formidable’ player and bag the top three GEC slots within a year of its launch.

The GEC, to hit the small screen on July 21, will be a free-to-air channel for a few months before becoming a paid one, Rajesh Kamat, CEO, Colors told FE, adding that the channel will be on both platforms – analogue as well as digital TV.

“While the details for analogue homes have already been worked out, talks are on with existing DTH players like Dish and Tata Sky and soon-to-be launched DTH players that include Reliance’s and Bharti’s proposed ventures. We are expected to close deal with them by the end of this week,” he said. Production house Colors is currently working with, among others, Sphere Origin, Wizcraft, Sagar Productions, Deepti Bhatnagar Production.

Kamat said that although the channel has adopted an eclectic approach by developing a healthy mix of programmes from all genres, Colors has dared by launching a reality adventure show based on Bollywood personalities’ in the prime time, pitching a ‘reality show’ against the ‘soap’ (prime-time programme of competition) and not the conventional soap against soap. The GEC is also in talks with international production houses to buy some worldwide famous reality show formats.
Source: Soma Das/ financialexpress