Star Announces Ad-Supported Indian Talent Show for Kids

MUMBAI, July 28: The Indian consumer goods company Hindustan
Lever is working with the entertainment channel Star Plus and Endemol India for
a new reality show that scours the country for talented 5-to-14 year olds.

Rin Mera
Star Super Star will
give kids a chance to showcase their talents in singing, acting and dancing.
The winning contestant will get a scholarship of Rs. 500,000 ($10,700).

The show is
based on Hindustan Lever’s existing talent competition Rin Advanced White Star
Hunt, part of the promotional campaign for the company’s Rin Advanced laundry
brand. Since June, over 100,000 children across 22 cities have already
auditioned, and about 2,000 schools are also participating. The top 50 kids
will be chosen to compete for the grand prize. The series launches in
September, airing Friday nights at 7:30 p.m.

Rahul Welde,
the GM of media services at Hindustan Lever, noted, “This marks a new approach
to brand building—with a much higher level of engagement than the more
traditional forms of commercial advertising. The launch of this show is a true
win-win association for Rin and STAR—providing Rin a nationwide platform
from which to communicate with consumers and STAR an excellent format show to
entertain its audiences.”

Paritosh
Joshi, the president of advertising sales and distribution at STAR India,
added, “Rin Mera Star Super Star creates a new paradigm in media solutions for
brands. This is our first show of this scale which has focused on strategic
brand solutions. And for the first time an advertiser, with the brand, Rin, is
a strategic content partner. To bring alive brands in the minds of consumers
through content takes our partnership with advertisers to a new level.”