STAR, RBNL ink multi-year agreement to launch joint property

STAR India and Reliance Broadcast Network (RBNL) have walked into a multi-year alliance to launch their first joint property, the Big STAR Entertainment Awards, which will seek to create a unique platform to honour entertainers across movies, music, television and sports.

The companies claim that the new property will be India's first ever 'people's award' - right from nominations to the final winners - wherein it will reach out to Indians across the country through each of the media platforms of both STAR India and Reliance Broadcast Network, ensuring multiple touch points to audiences.

Tarun Katial, chief executive officer, Reliance Broadcast Network, says, "This partnership will see synergies come into play to offer properties with a high degree of consumer centricity, delivered through engaging ideas and multiple touch points to create the right impact. Today's evolved audiences seek entertainment that is unique, interactive and highly engaging and through this property, our endeavour and future initiatives will be to offer audiences superior entertainment, while also serving marketers who have a strategically integrated approach to their campaigns."

The Big STAR Entertainment Awards will be promoted through a number of high decibel marketing and BTL (below-the-line) initiatives, with a holistic approach ranging from on-ground, off ground, television, radio and digital activities. Audience opinion (through SMS and online voting) will select the nominees and winners across the categories.

Sanjay Gupta, chief operating officer, STAR India, says, "Today, almost 50 per cent of TV viewing happens in the entertainment space and December 31 night is a time when television viewing actually increases manifold because people are willing to sit together and watch TV. Therefore, we are sure that the property will pull in good eyeballs."