Viacom18 Takes India Format Rights to ‘Rising Star’ From Keshet
India’s Viacom18 has signed a licensing deal with Keshet International for the format rights to reality show “Rising Star.”
The show is a singing competition that allows viewers vote for participants using mobile apps. The format has been aired across some 16 countries including the U.S., Israel, Brazil, Portugal, Argentina, China, Cambodia and Indonesia.
The Indian version will air in early 2017 on Viacom18’s Hindi-language general entertainment channel Colors and will be produced by Optimystix Entertainment.
Colors CEO Raj Nayak said: “The show’s USP is that it’s not only high on entertainment quotient but also has the ability to connect and communicate with the viewers directly.”
“India is embracing technology more ferociously than ever before,” said Gary Pudney, Keshet International’s head of Asia .
Viacom18 is a joint venture between U.S. media conglomerate Viacom and India’s Network 18 Group. Billionaire Mukesh Ambani’s Reliance Industries holds a controlling stake in the Network 18 Group.
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