SARAVANA RAMESH
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NDTV Good Times to unveil youthful avatar on 18 Nov
MUMBAI: After being operational for six years, English lifestyle channel NDTV Good Times is going in for a brand refresh complete with a new look, feel and tagline ‘Live Young’. The earlier tagline was ‘Live The Good Times’. So is the advertising deal with Kingfisher ending? “We have no problem on that front. We renewed the deal with Kingfisher last year,” NDTV Group CEO Vikram Chandra told TelevisionPost.com. NDTV Good Times had a five-year ad deal with Kingfisher right from its day of launch in late 2007.
The new look kicks off on 18 November to the accompaniment of a slew of new shows. One of the main new shows is about Bollywood actor John Abraham, which took two and a half years to make. ‘John Abraham: A Simple Life’ kicks off on 18 November at 10 pm and airs Monday to Thursday at 10 pm. The show promises fans of the actor a look into his life. NDTV Good Times channel head Arati Singh said that the aim of the rebranding is to cater better to a young audience.
“Our TG is 18-30 SEC A, B. We used to cater to older audiences also but now we will be focusing more on the youth. The show with John Abraham is an ideal fit. Our aim after being operational for six years is to offer more to the youth and get in more viewers. The aim of the new positioning is to encourage people to live their lives in a youthful manner.” The rebranding was a six-month exercise.
“We innovate on the content front to reach out to the Generation Y. Our renewed focus on content is for the young and young at heart,” Singh elaborated. The John Abraham show will give viewers the chance to know more about Abraham’s personal life behind the makeup and the flash lights. They will get to experience candid moments like the breaks between shooting a film, getting ready for meeting, how Abraham interacts with fans, promotional tours, workouts and his time at home.
Abraham insists that the show is not scripted at all. “It is a sweet part of my life. It was a germ of an idea that we had. It is interesting, different. With NDTV Good Times now being positioned as a youth channel, I am happy to be a part of this journey.” He also spoke about living a simple life and being open and accessible. “The good thing about the show is that I never felt that I had a camera in my face. Vishal (the show’s director) and I have been friends for 15 years.
We shot for two and a half years, banked footage and then concised it. The shoot start coincided with the release of ‘Force’. During the shoot I made films that were successful, but it wasn’t planned that way. At the end of the day, the show is about how an actor leads his life. You will also see struggle. We have shown real moments. In one scene I am alone celebrating Diwali. At that time I wasn’t sad but when I looked at the footage I felt sad. Being alone can be depressing. It is a clear show.” The show also has scenes of Abraham’s camaraderie with co-stars like Akshay and Genelia.
“My relationship with them comes through. I worked with Akshay on ‘Desi Boyz’. You will see my banter with him” Asked if the show clears any misconceptions that film fans have about actors, Abraham notes that a misconception about him is that you cannot touch or get close to an actor. “Fans will find that you can sit with me, have a meal. I am comfortable. I live my life as an audience member. From the show a young actor can learn to respect people around him, their time.
If somebody asks an actor for an autograph, he/she must not refuse. After all, fans are responsible for your fame and success.” However, Abraham also made it clear that he had no plans to host a TV show or do a serial. “This show is not about me being launched on television. I have no interest in hosting a show or being on a GEC. It is not in my mental space now.” Abraham, who has also worked with other infotainment channels like NGC, noted that broadcasters have been proactive.
“It has been a very positive experience for me. The folks at NDTV Good Times were open to ideas on the content front and marketing.” Another new show that will air with the refresh is ‘Chopped’ in the food genre. It is a reality-based cooking series in which four chefs compete. Their challenge is to take a mystery basket of ingredients and turn them into a dish that is judged on their creativity, presentation, and taste with minimal time to plan and execute. The show is divided into three rounds: Appetizer, Entrée and Dessert. In the travel genre, a new show called ‘Boundless’ will air.
Read more at: NDTV Good Times to unveil youthful avatar on 18 Nov | TelevisionPost.com | TelevisionPost.com
MUMBAI: After being operational for six years, English lifestyle channel NDTV Good Times is going in for a brand refresh complete with a new look, feel and tagline ‘Live Young’. The earlier tagline was ‘Live The Good Times’. So is the advertising deal with Kingfisher ending? “We have no problem on that front. We renewed the deal with Kingfisher last year,” NDTV Group CEO Vikram Chandra told TelevisionPost.com. NDTV Good Times had a five-year ad deal with Kingfisher right from its day of launch in late 2007.
The new look kicks off on 18 November to the accompaniment of a slew of new shows. One of the main new shows is about Bollywood actor John Abraham, which took two and a half years to make. ‘John Abraham: A Simple Life’ kicks off on 18 November at 10 pm and airs Monday to Thursday at 10 pm. The show promises fans of the actor a look into his life. NDTV Good Times channel head Arati Singh said that the aim of the rebranding is to cater better to a young audience.
“Our TG is 18-30 SEC A, B. We used to cater to older audiences also but now we will be focusing more on the youth. The show with John Abraham is an ideal fit. Our aim after being operational for six years is to offer more to the youth and get in more viewers. The aim of the new positioning is to encourage people to live their lives in a youthful manner.” The rebranding was a six-month exercise.
“We innovate on the content front to reach out to the Generation Y. Our renewed focus on content is for the young and young at heart,” Singh elaborated. The John Abraham show will give viewers the chance to know more about Abraham’s personal life behind the makeup and the flash lights. They will get to experience candid moments like the breaks between shooting a film, getting ready for meeting, how Abraham interacts with fans, promotional tours, workouts and his time at home.
Abraham insists that the show is not scripted at all. “It is a sweet part of my life. It was a germ of an idea that we had. It is interesting, different. With NDTV Good Times now being positioned as a youth channel, I am happy to be a part of this journey.” He also spoke about living a simple life and being open and accessible. “The good thing about the show is that I never felt that I had a camera in my face. Vishal (the show’s director) and I have been friends for 15 years.
We shot for two and a half years, banked footage and then concised it. The shoot start coincided with the release of ‘Force’. During the shoot I made films that were successful, but it wasn’t planned that way. At the end of the day, the show is about how an actor leads his life. You will also see struggle. We have shown real moments. In one scene I am alone celebrating Diwali. At that time I wasn’t sad but when I looked at the footage I felt sad. Being alone can be depressing. It is a clear show.” The show also has scenes of Abraham’s camaraderie with co-stars like Akshay and Genelia.
“My relationship with them comes through. I worked with Akshay on ‘Desi Boyz’. You will see my banter with him” Asked if the show clears any misconceptions that film fans have about actors, Abraham notes that a misconception about him is that you cannot touch or get close to an actor. “Fans will find that you can sit with me, have a meal. I am comfortable. I live my life as an audience member. From the show a young actor can learn to respect people around him, their time.
If somebody asks an actor for an autograph, he/she must not refuse. After all, fans are responsible for your fame and success.” However, Abraham also made it clear that he had no plans to host a TV show or do a serial. “This show is not about me being launched on television. I have no interest in hosting a show or being on a GEC. It is not in my mental space now.” Abraham, who has also worked with other infotainment channels like NGC, noted that broadcasters have been proactive.
“It has been a very positive experience for me. The folks at NDTV Good Times were open to ideas on the content front and marketing.” Another new show that will air with the refresh is ‘Chopped’ in the food genre. It is a reality-based cooking series in which four chefs compete. Their challenge is to take a mystery basket of ingredients and turn them into a dish that is judged on their creativity, presentation, and taste with minimal time to plan and execute. The show is divided into three rounds: Appetizer, Entrée and Dessert. In the travel genre, a new show called ‘Boundless’ will air.
Read more at: NDTV Good Times to unveil youthful avatar on 18 Nov | TelevisionPost.com | TelevisionPost.com
