Sony begins hunt for 'Indian Idol Junior'

Premiering on June 1, the flagship singing reality show takes the 8.30 PM slot every Saturday and Sunday

BestMediaInfo Bureau | Mumbai | May 30, 2013

(L-R) N. P. Singh (COO, MSM India), Vishal Dadlani, Shreya Goshal, Shekhar Ravjiani, Anupama Mandloi, Gaurav Seth, (Senior VP and Marketing Head)

Sony Entertainment Television (SET) is all set to redefine weekends with the singing reality show, 'Indian Idol Junior', for the first time starting June 1, 2013. The show will be telecast on Saturdays and Sundays at 8.30 PM.

Bringing alive its theme 'Gaano ka Wahi Jaadu, ab Bachon ki Aawaaz Mein”, the Junior Idols will recreate the aura of music in their own distinct style, vying for the title of the first ever 'Indian Idol Junior'. It will feature participants in the 5-15 years age group who will lend their voice to just not one but many tunes.

Amidst great pomp and fanfare at the launch, hosts of the show, Karan Wahi and Mandira Bedi, presented the vivacious playback singer Shreya Ghoshal along with ace music director duo Vishal Dadlani and Shekhar Ravjiani who enthralled the audience with their performances. They also spoke about their journey in search of that one voice and how they travelled the length and breadth of the country to scout for the best young singing talents.

NP Singh, COO of Multi Screen Media, said, “At Sony, we are constantly working towards creating new content to engage with our audiences. With Indian Idol Junior, we intend to bring the entire family together to create a wholesome viewing experience. It is a celebration of young singing talent across the country and is bound to increase the entertainment quotient of this season substantially. It gives me immense pleasure to announce the launch of the first Indian Idol Junior and I can very proudly say that this season will create a new benchmark in singing reality shows and gift the music industry with some really outstanding talent.”

Sneha Rajani, Senior EVP and Business Head, SET, said, “Indian Idol Junior is the search to give India its first Junior singing star. To achieve this, we have gone far and wide across the country in our search for talent. The very first episode will take viewers on a musical journey with thousands of kids who will blow you away with their outstanding talent. I am also thrilled about this year's judges' panel and I believe they will provide great mentorship to the participants, and give India its best Junior singing star.”

Following last year's phenomenal success, MyIndianIdol.com is back as the official digital destination for Indian Idol Junior. MyIndianIdol.com offers the users a chance to connect with India's favourite music reality show, with its engaging features, exclusive content and applications.

This year, MSM also unveiled the Indian Idol Junior app, which is available for download on ITunes and Google Play Store. The application had enabled users to register for the show using the Web Auditions feature and will offer content, games as well as engaging apps to viewers on-the-go. MyIndianIdol.com along with the Indian Idol Junior app will enable online and social voting adding a new dimension to the show.

Last year, MyIndianIdol.com also enabled viewer engagement through an innovative and dynamic application called the 'Popularity Meter' where users could gauge the popularity of their favourite contestants on a daily basis.

Apart from the Popularity Meter, the website and the Indian Idol Junior app will continue to  amaze users with lots of new and engaging applications that would enable them to relive and enjoy a customised Indian Idol experience like 'Bachpan ki Awaaz' which allows users to sing or speak into the app and relive their voice as a kid. 'Catch the Falling Notes', an addictive game where users would need to catch the falling musical notes with a tap or mouse-click, and 'Picture Puzzle', the evergreen jigsaw with an 'Indian Idol' twist. Create your own Indian Idol Avatar, where users can create their own avatar using combinations of personal styles of the Indian Idol contestants.

Nitesh Kripalani, Senior VP – New Media, Business Development and Digital/Syndication at SET, said, “This year we have extended the online experience on to mobile and social media to bring Indian Idol fans together. The Indian Idol Junior app will empower users with the ability to enjoy the Indian Idol experience, tweet, share and vote for their Idols.”

Info@BestMediaInfo.com

Info@BestMediaInfo.com