Helios Media wins FoodFood's ad sales duties

FoodFood marked the entry of Astro All Asia Networks PLC into the Indian media broadcasting industry.

FoodFood, a joint venture between Astro All Asia Networks PLC (Astro) and Turmeric Vision (TVPL), has roped in Helios Media to handle its ad sales duties.

For the record, FoodFood was launched in January, 2011 and marked the entry of Astro into the Indian media broadcasting industry. The brand, in high-definition, also features in the digital space - on mobile and the web.

Divya Radhakrishnan
, managing director, Helios Media, says,
"With a dedicated food channel and even the GECs going the food route with primetime reality shows, we know that the food space is just beginning to simmer."

Apart from ad sales, Helios Media will also handle content syndication for the channel. The other TV channels that Helios works with include MTunes, Music Express and the US beam of the Sun TV Network.

It's been a while since food moved from kitchens into living rooms. From brief cookery episodes on programmes like Surabhi (a cultural show on Doordarshan) back in the '80s, Zee took this category to new heights. In 1993, it launched Khana Khazana with Sanjeev Kapoor - India's earliest celebrity chef. It became one of the longest running shows (19 years and 900 shows) on Indian television.

The genre underwent an evolution in format, too. Food on TV was no longer restricted to just stand-and-stir shows. There was street food, restaurant-oriented, regional-oriented, religion-specific and festival-specific formats that cropped up one after the other. Channels were on their toes with fresh ideas as quickly as possible.

Colors, for instance, has launched the fourth edition of its food reality show, Kitchen Champion, with celebrity chef Gauti. Shopping channel STAR CJ Alive is not just selling products that include kitchen appliances but also explaining the usage of such products through cooking demonstrations. International formats such as Hell's Kitchen, Top Chef and Masterchef Australia have served to heighten interest in the segment.