BBC Worldwide’s Stupid Man, Smart Phone Heads to India

BBC Worldwide has inked a deal for the format Stupid Man, Smart Phone with Viacom18 Media in India for its VOD service.

A local version of the format will be produced by BBC Worldwide India. It will premiere on September 20 on Viacom18’s VOD streaming service VOOT, which reaches more than 40 million users in India. Stupid Man, Smart Phone will air as a series of nine episodes of 15 to 20 minutes each. It will be hosted by comedian Sumeet Vyaas, and each week a celebrity guest will join him in taking on outdoor challenges with only a mobile phone to help. They use every app, website and social media platform available to seek advice from their fan bases.

“India has the world’s second-largest internet consumer base of over 462 million, and mobile devices account for 79 percent of web traffic in the country,” said Myleeta Aga, the senior VP and general manager of South and Southeast Asia at BBC Worldwide. “Stupid Man, Smart Phone is a timely, entertaining and poignant reminder of how dependent we have become on our phones. We are confident that the series will resonate and be enjoyed by VOOT’s users.”

Gaurav Gandhi, the COO of Viacom18 Digital Ventures, commented, “VOOT continues to take the leadership mantle on innovation with many pioneering initiatives across both content and technology. The latest VOOT Original, Vodafone Presents Stupid Man Smart Phone Powered by Motorola, a category first, is one such initiative that will offer a completely differentiated and engaging experience to our audience.”