COLORS expands Intl. footprint; Kick-starts operations in Middle East

Viacom18, (an equal JV between Viacom Inc. and the Network18 Group) one of India's fastest growing entertainment conglomerate has announced the opening of an office in Dubai to manage Sales, Marketing & Distribution of its channels in the Middle East & Africa Markets with a view of solidifying presence and further expanding its viewer base in the region.

This is Viacom18's second office overseas after opening its first international office in USA in September 2010. The channel has also set up an in house Ad sales team to market itself in the MENA region. Till December 2011, COLORS Ad Sales in this region was being represented by its distribution partner Pehla.

The newly formed Ad sales team appointed by Sachin Gokhale, Director, Business Operations ' Middle East & Africa will have an Ad Sales team spearheaded by Brendan D'Souza - Account Director. COLORS is represented in the UK region by TMS.

Commenting on the development, Gaurav Gandhi ' Head International Business and COO Sun18 North said, "Entertainment industry in the Middle East holds a remarkably high potential for South Asian channels. With the ever-increasing demand for Indian content and COLORS rising popularity in the region, we have decided to set up our regional Middle East operations. We take this opportunity to thank our longstanding partners Pehla for their unwavering support through our journey"