Raj Kundra and Akshay Kumar to launch Tamil home shopping channel with superstar Vikram as equity partner
MUMBAI: Close on the heels of launching a celebrity-driven home shopping television channel named Best Deal TV, entrepreneur Raj Kundra and actor Akshay Kumar are readying a Tamil version to address local viewers in that market.
Tamil superstar Vikram will hold equity stake in the Tamil home shopping channel. It will be called Big Deal TV and will go on air from 18 June.
Big Deal TV will be a free-to-air channel. It will be available on major cable and direct-to-home (DTH) platforms across Tamil Nadu. It will also be available on online platforms.
Like its Hindi sibling, the Tamil channel will also have the biggest names down south endorsing products and launching their own product ranges. The key focus categories of Big Deal TV will be lifestyle, home, fashion, health and beauty related products.
Said Best Deal TV CEO Raj Kundra, “We are happy to partner with Vikram and announce Big Deal TV. It will cater to our target audience in South India. We still believe in making money and passing on value to a customer in the old brick and mortar way.
Home shopping does just that but with wider penetration. The channel will deliver as promised – big deals and the best rates.”
Co-owner and brand ambassador Chiyaan Vikram added, “I am very excited to be launching Tamil Nadu’s first celebrity-driven home shopping channel. It’s a unique concept and the online and TV commerce space is growing day by day. I will also be launching my range of products on Big Deal TV, which are under development and will be announced shortly.
We will stay true to our name and promise to offer our customers some really Big deals. As our tag line goes, Big Deal TV Bestest Mattumae.”
“It gives me great pleasure to launch a South celebrity based home shopping channel. Stars are eulogized in the south and we will make sure they live up to their name by providing quality, value and ‘Big Deals’ for all their fans. We will be focusing on Fashion, Home & Lifestyle,” said Big Deal TV CEO Gaurav Garg.
Best Deal TV launched on 27 March with Akshay Kumar’s Twist headphones and hybrid speakers along with Slim Shape Jeans by Shilpa Shetty Kundra as the launch products.
Kundra and Kumar are investing Rs 100 crore (Rs 1 billion) in the channel. They are also planning to raise Rs 100 crore (Rs 1 billion) in the second round. In the first round of funding, they had raised Rs 30 crore (Rs 300 million) by divesting 15 per cent stake to Mumbai-based UY Industries.
Raj Kundra and Akshay Kumar to launch Tamil home shopping channel with superstar Vikram as equity partner | TelevisionPost.com