Colors Cineplex completes 1 year; lines up a legendary cricket jung

It was a year ago that Colors Cineplex came into being, with the rebranding of Rishtey Cineplex from the Viacom18 stable. In the past year, Colors Cineplex clocked maximum viewership of 184 million, making it one of India’s fastest-growing premium Hindi movie channels. Launched on March 1, 2019, the channel has been gaining viewership share steadily. The TV premiere of ‘Student of the Year - 2’ alone helped the channel garner the maximum weekly sampling of 94 million. The channel based its strategy on the combination of premieres and movie festivals to increase the viewership, including Hum Honge Kamyab in association with ‘Super 30’, Bang Bang Festival in association with the movie ‘Dabangg 3’ and Loveria Festival in association with the movie ‘Love Aaj Kal’. 

In the year gone by, Colors Cineplex also came up with movie festivals such as Action Jadugars, Weapons of Mass Destruction, Cineplex Superhits - 10 Days 10 Hits, along with 8 Weeks 8 Premieres featuring Hindi and South movies launched during the Indian Premier League (IPL) tournament. 

Teetar Mausi, the channel’s character-driven bird mascot, gained popularity as the Bollywood buff who entices the audience to watch the latest movies. In the near future, the channel will air big-ticket movies, including ‘Brahmastra’, ‘Dostana - 2’, and ‘Blind’, to name a few. 

Along with celebrating its 1^st anniversary, Colors Cineplex is now gearing up for the Unacademy Road Safety Word Series. The series will see cricketing legends including master blaster Sachin Tendulkar, Virender Sehwag, Brian Lara, Brett Lee, Tillakaratne Dilshan, and Jonty Rhodes reignite rivalries and join forces to promote the cause of Road Safety through cricket. 

The matches will be played in the T20 format between India, Australia, Sri Lanka, West Indies, and South Africa starting March 7 to 22, 2020 in Mumbai, Navi Mumbai and Pune, and will stream live on Colors Cineplex, VOOT and Jio. Road Safety World Series is an initiative by Road Safety Cell of Maharashtra in association with Professional Management Group (PMG). 

To bring alive the essence of the sport and energize fans in the country, Colors Cineplex has designed engaging content and network-wide promotions that have seen a playout of 25,000+ promos on air across 60 network and non-network channels, including Hindi GEC, Hindi Movies, News, Music, Kids and Regional across India in 5 weeks. ‘Bigg Boss 11’ grand finale episode saw a special integration featuring Mohammad Kaif and Harbhajan Singh, wherein they interacted with host Salman Khan and the contestants inside the house. A special integrated promo has been created with Nick India’s brand mascots – Motu Patlu – to be aired across the channel. 

A pan-India outdoor campaign will be released during the period of the league at 300+ sites across Mumbai, greater Mumbai, Pune, ROM, and Delhi along with large format ads across key arterial roads of the country to maximise visibility. The league’s core message will be taken to the cinema halls across 3,200+ single and multiplex screens through promos with the release of ‘Baaghi 3’. A partnership with Radio Mirchi has been forged to increase local engagement and conversations around the league across 75 cities in the country. It will include 50,000 promos along with content integration like RJ mentions, score updates and player interviews. During the matches, Colors Cineplex’s brand mascot Teetar Mausi will interact with fans on ground. 

On the digital front, the channel is utilising its Facebook, Instagram and Twitter pages by putting across promos, engaging posts on all Viacom18 assets. Curated content will be designed for TikTok talking about the biggest cricket faceoff that Road Safety World Series will offer. The next phase of this will see an upsurge in moment marketing – capturing player moments and leveraging it across social media, thereby propelling the fan engagement. The key moments will include engaging with the players at their practice matches, interesting interactions at the dug-out area and dressing room, etc. 

A fantasy league is being introduced on VOOT, Jio and Colors Cineplex website, wherein contestants can create their own league teams and bet on players to win prizes. ‘Play Along’ in Jio will allow fans to predict the consequence of each ball, over, number of sixes and boundaries and scores. All the spectators coming to watch the match will stand a chance to capture the moment and share the picture on their social media platforms. Furthermore, the Colors Cineplex website is set to get a massive makeover as the channel readies to host a cricket series for the first time with movies. With a view of engaging with the fans, the site will be populated with a lot of player information along with interesting contests, games and gratification. 

Speaking about the league, Nina Elavia Jaipuria, Head, Hindi Mass Entertainment and Kids TV network, Viacom18, said, “Cricket as a sport binds people of our nation together and we are proud to bring Road Safety World Series ‘live’ for the audience on Colors Cineplex, VOOT, and Jio. With this new annual property, we plan to add more depth to our HME portfolio and bring two of the country’s biggest obsessions; cricket and Bollywood together on one platform. The audience will get to not only watch their favourite cricket legends taking over the field once again, but also experience wholesome entertainment through our special programming.We are also elated to celebrate the one-year milestone of Colors Cineplex and delighted to take the message of road safety to millions of people through cricket.” 

Presenting a perfect blend of nostalgia and unlimited entertainment, the series will host a fulfilled pre and post-match show – ‘Super Over’, that will keep fans abreast of the behind-the-scenes updates, match analysis, in-depth players’ performances and more. While there will be lots of action on field, the show will also keep the entertainment quotient high. Cyrus Broacha will turn host for the show while TV presenter Karishma Kotak will anchor all the action on the field. Veteran cricketer and commentator, Sunil Gavaskar, who is also taking on the role as the league’s commissioner, will share his expertise and insights. The match predictions will get a comic twist with Suresh Menon impersonating different characters and performing gags. 

Rohan Lavsi, Head - Colors Cineplex, Viacom18, remarked, “The combination of cricket and Bollywood is undoubtedly a promising proposition. Along with getting a chance to watch the legends ‘Live’ on the field, we will take the game to the next level by adding the element of entertainment to it. The property opens new doors of opportunities for brand building and we are leaving no stone unturned to create an enhanced viewing experience for the fans. We have designed a marketing campaign with the core messaging – ‘Yeh Jung Hai Legendary’, that will resonate highly among committed cricket enthusiasts. Also, it will be a golden opportunity for youngsters, who have not seen these legends ‘Live’ on the field, to come and experience their magic.” 

Ravi Gaikwad, RTO Chief of Thane (Konkan Range), who is also a senior member of the Road Safety Cell of Maharashtra and Chairman of the Trust, Shant Bharat Surakshit Bharat, said, “Over 1.5 million accidents take place on Indian roads every year and about 1,214 every day. Road safety is a huge concern in our country and with Road Safety World Series we wish to bring about a social change and change people’s outlook towards road safety. Cricket has a wide reach and immense following in our country and will serve as an ideal platform to influence people and spread the message of road safety. We are happy for all the support extended by Colors Cineplex, VOOT and Jio to take the league to the masses for the noble cause of Road Safety.”