Talent hunts now on digital media

After dominating prime time TV slots across general entertainment channels, reality talent shows are increasingly reaching out to fresh talent on the internet

MUMBAI: “I didn’t know cracking jokes could get me so much recognition,” said Simran Kapoor, 22, who has been developed by talentbased digital network, #fame, as a stand-up comedian through short videos on YouTube. She had participated in #fame’s digital talent show, Beauty & the Blogger, and was subsequently helped by the network to develop her comic talent.

“Now I get so many offers for shows that I am pressed for dates. I am also doing a historical TV show that will release in March,” Kapoor said.

After ho g ging prime slots across general entertainment channels on television in India, talent hunts are now gaining traction on the digital platform. #fame recently launched Fashion and style magazine and talent hunt, Lakme School of Style, front lined by Karan Johar. It will launch the Pritam-anchored

Websinger, Webchef 2 and Gang No. 1 – a comedy collective talent hunt – this year.

Saket Saurabh, CEO, #fame, said: “Digital is allowing a whole sea of talent to get discovered and to continue creating content, unlike TV.” Hungama Digital launched a singing talent show, Mobisur, with Shankar Mahadevan in 2012 and will launch its second season soon. “The digital platform opens up participation opportunities to a large number of people who do not need to go to physical venues. For Mobisur 2012, only the last few participants needed to be physically present,” said Siddhartha Roy, COO, consumer business and allied services, Hungama Digital.

FremantleMedia, after producing TV-based talent shows Indian Idol and India’s Got Talent, launched a digital mixed talent contest, India’s Digital Superstars, partnered by mobile video streaming service Zenga, on January 19. The contest will close in May. So far, its top viewed video entry, Ami Je Tomar by Navya Singh, has crossed 5.3 lakh views, it said.

Anupama Mandloi, MD, FremantleMedia India, said: “Thanks to digital, people who never had the opportunity can now be heard and seen.”

Digital is allowing people to create new kinds of content. Saurabh is convinced that the next set of superstars in India will be discovered from the digital platform. Roy added: “Talent found on the digital platform can eventually bootstrap the entire value chain, including getting brands to support their content. Besides, with newer avenues, talent can come out of any medium and transcend to any other.”

Hungama has a talent property, ArtistAloud.com, which develops and promotes non-film music artistes –there are 350 with it currently.