MUMBAI: The latest offering from Viacom18, Sonic, will be launched on 20 December. Bollywood actor Akshay Kumar, who is known for his daredevil action sequences in the movies, is the brand ambassador for the channel.

The channel goes with the tag line ?Thrills.Guts.Glory? and offers action, adventure and animation for its target audience, the young adults between the age group of 13-18 years.

Apart from major cable operators, the channel will be also be available on Airtel Digital TV, initially and gradually will be distributed via other direct-to-home operators. Sonic aims to reach 40 million households across the country.

Sonic and Nick India EVP and GM Nina Elavia Jaipuria said, "In India, animation is still looked upon as cartoons and hence childish while the world over, it has been soaring different heights. With Sonic, we hope to break that clich?."

Talking about the choice of the brand ambassador, Jaipuria said, "Action is in Akshay?s blood and DNA. He brings alive action and thrill for the action loving generation."

Kumar added, "I love action and I feel that Sonic is a channel that will bring action and adventure to the audiences very effectively. I immediately said yes to the offer when I heard the concept."

As part of the launch campaign the channel has undertaken multimedia initiatives on a large scale. While the network?s channels are airing TVC?s introducing Sonic, efforts have also been taken in the print, outdoor, digital, mobile and on ground media.

A dedicated website has been launched to engage the audiences. Users can access games, mobile interactivity and get updates on Facebook and Twitter.

The programming line up has animated shows like Shaktimaan, Kung Fu Panda - The Legend of Awesomeness, Jackie Chan Fantasia, Mighty Morphin Power Rangers, Power Rangers S.P.D., Kung Fu Cat, Kong and Supastrikas. The Sonic Flix block will showcase action packed movies while Sonic Extreme will have shows like The Adrenaline Project and Are You Afraid of the Dark?

"The USP of the channel is the fact that it offers action across different genres from Kung Fu Panda to Are You Afraid of the Dark? Also, it is my belief that the superheroes are the trump cards for the channel," Jaipuria added.

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MUMBAI: They say the stars in the universe change our lives. But when two of the biggest stars come together, they change a lot more!

Star India will be hoping for just that. Bollywood superstar Aamir Khan is making his debut on the small screen as a talk show host for Star India?s network channels in eight languages, signalling the broadest launch ever on Indian television.

Khan will anchor a show based on social issues that will simulcast on Star Plus, Star World, Star Jalsha, Star Pravah, Star Vijay, Star Utsav, Asianet and Suvarna. Produced by Aamir Khan Productions, the show will go on air early next year.

The name of the show that will simulcast in English, Hindi, Marathi, Tamil, Bengali, Telugu, Kannada and Malayalam is yet to be decided.

"Over the last few years, I have been approached for various TV shows, but the offers never excited me. However, this show will be a journey of discovery of change, of emotion and human story which touch and inspire our daily life," Aamir said.

Star India CEO Uday Shankar said that the show marks a big step and is audacious. "No Bollywood star has shown the ability to move the markets with experimentation as much as Aamir has done. Star India is doing a show with him to reinforce the same agenda of creativity and to come with something which is impactfull and engaging. It is a new show with the most successful film star. When you are the leader, there are responsibilities you have towards people. This drives me and the company each time we do something. There is social responsibility that comes with leadership. What we do defines how the industry is perceived. We change the agenda for how the TV industry behaves."

Khan said that the project had been in the pipeline for three to four years. "This began as a dream. Uday came to me to do television. There have been offers for gameshows which did not excite me. I like watching gameshows but to be a part of one everyday did not excite me. Television is a strong medium. Star has massive reach. Its stature and personality are right for this show. I wanted Uday to be involved with the show. What we are setting out to do is very ambitious. The idea is audacious and challenging. The show is about connecting with people, change, hopes and dreams. I told Uday that I wanted to use all his channels. I wanted it to be a pan India show."

Shankar said that the show is about real life situations and real life people. "It is not a fiction show. The show has been woven around Aamir. It will have the dramatic intensity of fiction with real life characters."

Indian television has attracted movie stars like Amitabh Bachchan, Shah Rukh Khan, Akshay Kumar, Preity Zinta, Hrithik Roshan, Juhi Chawla, Sanjay Dutt and Salman Khan to act in different roles.