Zee TV takes the 'Missed call' route; DID Season 3 goes with free voting

We all have hopes. It's what equips us to deal with life's trials and tribulations. We live in the hope that the world will become a better place sans inflation. We hope that we will have a government who'll build a better future for our Nation. Each one of us has endless hopes....It's this "Umeed" that keeps us going and propels us to stay ahead. On Zee TV's dance reality show, Maruti Suzuki presents Dance India Dance, it's time for us to put a smile on the faces of the contestants and help them achieve their dreams.. Yes, it's that time of the season when DID is on the verge of announcing its BEHTAREEN TERAH (13) contestants. But who all should continue to remain in the show??? That key decision has been thrown open to the junta. Voting is our fundamental right. If we vote for free to choose our government, then why should we spend money to vote for our favourite reality show contestants? Taking this thought forward, Zee TV has taken an initiative which will directly impact the lives of its coveted viewers by making the entire voting process in reality shows free of cost. DID urges its viewers to pick up the phone and give a MISSED CALL to all their favourite contestants who deserve to stay in the show. Being the pioneer in Hindi General Entertainment space, Zee TV has had many firsts to its credit. And now through Dance India Dance Season 3, the channel has brought a ray of hope - "Umeed' - into the lives of many of its viewers by making voting for the contestants absolutely devoid of any cost.

The thought of giving audiences an opportunity to choose the winner of a reality show through a public voting system as a concept was initiated by Zee TV for the very first time in 2003 for the show, Zee Cine Stars Ki Khoj. After that, the concept of "one mobile- one vote' was introduced during the time of Sa Re Ga Ma Pa Singing Superstar in the year 2010, to avoid duplication while counting of votes made from the same number. Taking a step further, the channel has devised a method which nullifies the entire debate about voting being a money making mechanism between the channel and the telecom companies! This unique MISSED CALL voting system devised by Zee TV in Dance India Dance Season 3 will ensure that there's no fallacy in choosing a winner and will also erase all doubts about the existence of any benefits to the channel in the voting process. The channel will incorporate the same in its future reality shows as well.

Said Akash Chawla, Head Marketing, National Channels, ZEEL, "With DID Season 3 - Voting Free, we are aiming for never before achieved viewer's participation in the show. With this Missed Call voting system, every unique missed call will be counted as one unique vote thus making junta janardan the true adjudicator in deciding the fate of our show. Technology is helping us value the viewer's point of view even further. I'm sure that with India being a price sensitive country, the decision of free voting is a welcome change to those who have hitherto refrained from participating owing to extra charges for an SMS to special numbers! There can be nothing more transparent than this mechanism in the decision of choosing the final winner of any reality show on ZEE TV!"

Here's how the mechanism works - Every contestant in the Behterein Terah (Terrific 13) has been designated with an unique number. All a viewer has to do is dial that number and after one ring, the call gets disconnected automatically. The viewer gets an acknowledgement message that his vote for the particular contestant has been registered. In one week, a viewer can vote for a particular contestant only once. However he can vote for multiple contestants in the same week. The best part is you can call to vote your favorite contestant even if you have zero balance in your prepaid account. The mechanism has been already implemented effectively from 12th of February and has assisted in choosing the WILD CARD entrants of the show.

Dance India Dance has always believed in exploring unique initiatives on a large scale to build its brand equity. Be it the grand Carnival that was conducted on the streets of Mumbai during DID Season 2 or the unique "Dance Mobs' that were conducted in malls, multiplexes, railway stations and streets of Mumbai and Delhi during the launch of DID season 3 or the very recent Licensing & Merchandizing deal that the show has done with apparel giant Reebok to further build the brand with the new and exclusive DID clothing line available at Reebok stores across India ¦hence proving that there is no bigger brand for Dance in India than Dance India Dance!