MTV Chases the Monsoon again

The 'Ceat MTV Chase the Monsoon' show is a branded programme on the web where the biker contestants follow the monsoon sweeping the country.

After an award-studded first season, MTV is back with another edition of the web show titled 'Ceat Chase the Monsoon'. The show won five awards last year, including Gold for the best non-fiction branded content show at the Abby's. The new season will cover India Kutch in the west to Cherrapunji in the east. The channel is calling it a ride from the driest to the wettest part of India.

MTV will also have Rannvijay as the face of the show. The social reality show will feature a 21-day biking road trip where eight riders, in teams of two, will set out with a limited budget to explore the sights, scenes and life during Indian Monsoons. The Chase will cover 4,500 km of India's toughest roads.

Like last year, the teams have to share their daily experiences on social media to earn their social fuel that, in turn, increases their daily budget. Social fuel is generated by the amount of interactions received on content shared on social media. In addition, the teams can earn points after completing certain tasks and will get to explore local attractions too.

The date of the show has not been announced yet, but the eight shortlisted names will be announced today. Speaking about the show, Ekalavya Bhattacharya, head of digital, MTV India, says. "Roadies revolutionised reality shows in India and is still the king on TV. Chase is the reality show of the future. It is a show that caters to digital natives. Daily content, live interactions with a chance of joining the ride any day during the journey, tasks across Pinterest, Vine and Instagram and a whole lot more! This show is social at its core with biking as its soul."

The show's Facebook page 'MTV Chase the monsoon' has so far grossed 240,924 fans. The show is also being talked about on Twitter through the MTV India profile, which has 1.2 million followers.

According to Bhattacharya, cool, shareable content is the focus. "Our research highlighted that bikers love riding for various seasons, most of these experiences are linked to nature, food, culture & people and heritage. These are going to be the four themes which the teams will pursue this year," he reveals. If, for instance, a viewer loves food and wants to know more about cuisines of India, he will be able to follow the team #Blizzards. If wildlife, national parks and the beauty of nature are areas of interest, the viewer can back another team.

While CEAT is the main sponsor, Titan Sonata is the associate sponsor. "They share our vision of digital reality shows. Biking in the rain is a thrill, which every biker will tell you tales of. Our aim is to get brands into these tales. Advertising, as we know it, is changing. Branded content that is done well will be the future," comments Bhattacharya.