Star India, a unit of 21st Century Fox (NASDAQ: FOXA, FOX) and one of India’s largest media conglomerates, announces today the greenlight of ‘TED Talks India: Nayi Soch,” a global first Hindi TV talk show created in partnership with TED, the non-profit devoted to ‘ideas worth spreading,’ and hosted by Bollywood superstar Shah Rukh Khan. The show on Star Plus titled ‘TED Talks India: Nayi Soch,’ which translates to “new thinking,” will feature speakers sharing big ideas in TED’s signature format of short, powerful talks. This is the first time TED is collaborating with a major network and mega-star to produce a TV series featuring original TED Talks in a language other than English. Since its founding in 1991, Star India has played a critical role in driving social change by cultivating forward-thinking programming that harnesses the power and reach of television to touch lives and create meaningful change.
Uday Shankar, Chairman & CEO, Star India, said, “At Star, we have always believed in pushing the boundaries with new ideas, creativity and fresh thinking. Nobody reflects this belief more than TED and we are thrilled to collaborate with them in bringing the power of ideas to our audiences with ‘TED Talks India Nayi Soch.’ In an age of high volatility the role of ideas to fuel positive change cannot be overstated. We are delighted to have Shah Rukh Khan share our vision and lend his charisma to this exciting endeavour.”
Shah Rukh Khan added, “Star India’s legacy of using television as an instrument of social change, and TED’s unequivocal drive to showcase simple but unique ideas in an effort to spark debate and conversation are a very powerful combination. I believe ‘TED Talks India-Nayi Soch’ will inspire many minds across India. It is a concept I connected with instantly, as I believe that the media is perhaps the single most powerful vehicle to inspire change. I am looking forward to working with TED and Star India, and truly hope that together, we are able to inspire young minds across India and the world.”
“It’s incredibly exciting to be bringing TED to India in this form,” said TED curator Chris Anderson. "The country is teeming with imagination and innovation, and we believe this series will tap into that spirit and bring insight and inspiration to many new minds. We’ve been so impressed by the passion of our partners at Star TV and our host Shah Rukh Khan. We cannot wait for the launch.”
Juliet Blake, head of TV at TED and executive producer of the series, added, “The sheer size of Star TV’s audience, with more than 650 million viewers, makes this a significant milestone in TED’s ongoing effort to bring big ideas to curious minds. Global television is opening up a new frontier for TED.”
Star India has always believed in disruptively powering social change through the power of its content to influence and impact people’s lives and thinking. Continuing with this journey ‘TED Talks India: Nayi Soch’ will take forward Star’s commitment of creating social impact with Nayi Soch in India. Inspiring a billion imaginations is much more than a tag line, it's a promise Star India delivers every day in ways that break away from the conventional, spark national debate and help shape the new India.
More information and details on the vision behind this unique initiative will be announced at the annual TED Conference to be held in Vancouver in the coming months.
