etc introduces SMSing to bring stars, fans closer

Submitted by ITV Production on May 31, 2002

Predominantly music channel etc is adding interactive elements to its long-running Bollywood Birthmarks, which features filmstars whose birthdays fall in a particular week.
Bollywood Birthmarks gives details about the star‘s place of birth, their high or low points in life, their likes and dislikes and interesting facets of their life. Besides wishing their favourite star via e-mail, by writing in at feedback@entertainmenttv.com?, viewers are invited to SMS birthday greetings to their stars, directors and musicians by typing in ETCBMN, keying in the message and then SMSing it on 303. A lucky few also stand a chance of winning a prize for the best and innovative greeting.

The five-minute capsule will be aired on etc four times a day after the Once More programme. The capsules will air at 1:55 am, 8:55 am, 12:55 pm and 5:55 pm.

For the first week of June, etc has lined up Sunil Dutt (6 June), for the second week Dimple Kapadia and Shilpa Shetty (8 June) will be featured, while the third week sees Mithun Chakravarty (16 June) and Amrish Puri (22 June). Karisma Kapoor (25 June) will feature in the fourth week of June.

According to ETC Networks CEO Pradeep Dixit, giving viewers a chance to do something as personal as wishing stars a happy birthday, will ensure better and loyal relationship between etc and viewers.