Emirates Airline - Saavn partners for 'Destination: Bollywood'
By siliconindia   |   Friday, 26 March 2010, 17:39 IST
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New York: Emirates airline announced that it has launched a Bollywood variety show, which is to be fully produced and aired exclusively in North America. Emirates Airline has partnered with Saavn, a Bollywood entertainment and digital distribution company to produce the program and Zenithmedia on the program placement. "We were really excited when we were given the opportunity to produce a Bollywood TV show," said Franck Sarrabezolles, Regional Advertising Manager of The Americas. "We loved the idea of being able to target such an important segment of our market with this unique program. We're extremely proud of this project and have no doubt that it will strengthen our current connection with our customers." As per the schedule, the program will run for 10 weeks and feature singing, dancing, and Hindi music videos, including two reality TV segments, where viewers (web and TV) pick the best local dancer and singer. It airs Saturday mornings in the U.S. on Star India Plus, SET Asia, and Hulu and in Canada on Rogers video-on-demand. This is the first reality program that allows Hulu viewers to vote at the same time with TV viewers to determine a winner. Zenithmedia Associate Media Director, AJ Pandya, added, "We think Destination: Bollywood is a far more engaging and unique way for Emirates to reach its audience than the standard 30-second spot campaign. We look forward to seeing the results." The one-hour show consists of three segments: Dance Edition where soloists and dance troupes step to the beats of the best Hindi songs and compete for the title of Emirates Dance Champion and a cash prize of $2010. Secondly, the Singing Edition which brings 20 talented Bollywood singers from North America to one stage to perform Indian music and compete against one another for a cash prize of $2010 and the Emirates Singing Champion title. Lastly, the SmasHitsTV, that includes the best Bollywood music videos, including the latest hits and Bollywood classics. John DeMarchi, EVP of Sponsorships for Saavn said, "I was very happy that we were able to work with Emirates and Zenith on this project. They understood from the start that there are no fans in the world more passionate than Bollywood fans. This really is much more than a marketing campaign for Emirates - it connects them to their customers at a deep, emotional level."

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