Viacom18 expands regional play with COLORS Gujarati Cinema
Details
Louise Duffy
| 29 May 2019

Indian entertainment company Viacom18 has announced the launch of COLORS Gujarati Cinema, in what it says is the region’s first 24-hour premium movies channel.

With the tagline of Filmo Matrubhasha Ma, which translates as 'Movies in your mother tongue', the channel will launch on 1 June as part of the network's primary COLORS wala Value+ Pack.

COLORS Gujarati Cinema will broadcast classics such as Viacom18 Studios’ Dhh, which won the National Award for best feature film in Gujarati, and recent hits like Chello Divas, Love ni Bhavai, Reva, Mijaj, Duniyadari, Oxygen, Backbencher and a library of 300+ films. It will also show world television premieres, behind-the-scenes footage, songs, comedy marathons and plays across all genres.

“Four years ago we consolidated and rebranded our play in regional TV broadcast under the COLORS umbrella. Since then we have added seven more channels and entered new markets through our broadcast, digital and films businesses," commented Sudhanshu Vats, group CEO & managing director of Viacom18.

"Over the last two years our regional cluster has grown at a CAGR of 36.5% in viewership and 22% in revenue. Gujarat presents a unique opportunity for us as we can leverage our regional GEC COLORS Gujarati’s strong 43% market share position and capture a current whitespace in the market and movie broadcast.”

Ravish Kumar, head of regional TV network, Viacom18, added: “With the absence of a premium television channel showcasing Gujarati movies, it was the perfect [opportunity] for us... Not only does COLORS Gujarati Cinema provide for a business case but it also allows us to give the people of Gujarat a destination to enjoy movies in their mother tongue. With COLORS Gujarati Cinema, we aim to respond to the regional market’s appetite for high-quality content while retaining its socio-cultural identity through a rich library of 300+ films and plays.”