Viacom18 sets foot in Singapore with Colors and MTV

The network plans to connect with Malaysia in the next six-to-eight months, while it intends to make Colors available across the cable television networks in the US.

In a bid to expand its footprints, Viacom18 Media, an equal joint venture (JV) between Viacom and Network18, has launched its general entertainment channel, Colors, and music channel, MTV India, in Singapore. While Colors will be available on both StarHub and SingTel's mio TV platform, MTV will be a part of mio TV platform only.

MTV will be available on mio TV along with Colors as part of the 'Bharata' pack. The attempt will be to tap the Southeast Asian diaspora.

The content line-up for the channels will remain exactly the same, and will be screened as per the Singapore timing. For example, if Balika Badhu is aired at 8 pm in India, the show will also appear as an 8 pm primetime property, but by the Singaporean clock.

Speaking to afaqs!, Gaurav Gandhi, chief operating officer, Sun18 Media and head, international business, states, "With this launch, Viacom18 Media aims to capture the 1,50,000-2,00,000 Indian television households, along with its one million Singapore dollar-worth Indian advertising industry."

While Viacom18 Media is still to get advertisers on board, players across various categories have shown large interest, the company claims. Says Gandhi, "These include banking, real estate, tourism and small-time retailers."

Adds Rajesh Kamat, group chief operating officer, Viacom18 and chief executive officer, Colors, in an official communiqué, "With the launch of Colors and MTV in Singapore, we continue to demonstrate our commitment to serve the entertainment needs of our viewers and strengthen our distribution network in the Asian market. After our successful launches in the US, the UK and West Asia, we are pleased to now partner with SingTel and StarHub.

The launch is part of Viacom18's aggressive growth plans to extend our flagship brand outside India."

Also, moving forward, the network plans to set foot in Malaysia in the next six-to-eight months, while in the US, it intends to make Colors available across the cable TV networks during the same period. Currently, Colors is available on IPTV and DTH platforms.