Zee TV USA’s Sa Re Ga Ma Pa Lil Champs 2009 Show Comes Down to Three Finalists in Historic 1000th Episode

Winner to be Chosen in Season Finale

(DALLAS, Texas) – October 21, 2009 – Zee TV USA, the leading South Asian television station in America, today announces the final show schedule for Sa Re Ga Ma Pa Lil Champs (SRGMP) – a children’s reality contest based on successful musical competition. The television audience can now decide the ultimate fate of the competitors by casting a vote for their favorite singer by texting the participant’s first name to 32075.

This year’s finalists are Yatharth Ratnam, Shreyasi Bhattacharya, and Hemant Brijwasi. The show will air live from Mumbai, India on Saturday, October 24th from 10:30am ET to 2:00pm ET.

Now in its third season, the Sa Re Ga Ma Pa Lil Champs is a unique platform where kids in the age group of 8-13 years are able to showcase their talent to the world. The popularity of the show has been witnessed with a strong increase in ratings year over year.

“This year’s finalists are exceptionally talented, and perhaps the strongest group we’ve had since the beginning,” said Subroto Bhattacharya, CEO, Zee TV USA (Americas). “We applaud all the contestants who’ve made the show one of the most popular on our network, and along with the rest of Zee’s audience, we anxiously await to see who will be crowned this year’s champ.”

This season finale will also celebrate the 1000th episode of SRGMP, representing one of the biggest achievements in the history of talent singing show. Along with the finalists, the final episode of Lil Champs will feature several major celebrities from Zee TV’s network including Ankita Lokehande from “Pavitra Rishta,” Ratan Rajput “Laali from Agle Janam” and performances by cast members of London Dreams, the upcoming Bollywood musical directed by Vipul Shah.

“Lil Champs” brings together the wonder of childhood with the excitement of musical performance and allows the younger set to express themselves through friendly competition. With this show, Zee TV continues to celebrate a child’s intrinsic talent by giving them a chance to compete on a worldwide platform, and unprecedented exposure and experience.

The show is hosted by 10-year old, Dhairya Sonecha, and six-year old, Afsha Musani. Dhairya is a very popular child actor in India, most notably from films such as “Babul,” “Partner,” and “Tahaan.” A singer and former ‘Lil Champs contestant herself, Afsha was selected to host the show instead of acting as a participant when the judges noted her confidence and charm during auditions. Both Dhairya and Afsha are the youngest reality show hosts on television!

Sa Re Ga Ma Pa Lil Champs will be replaced by Sa Re Ga Ma Pa Mega Challenge, which airs from 7:00pm ET to 10:30pm ET on Friday, October 30th and 12:30pm ET to 2:00pm ET on Saturday, October 31st.

About Zee TV USA, Inc.

Zee – the name that has become synonymous with entertainment – has been a dominant player in broadcasting content for more than 17 years in the national and international space. As an Indian channel, Zee is committed to supporting the values and cultures that appeal to South Asians across the globe. With many firsts already associated with its name, Zee has also become a pioneer in the international space, refurbishing its flagship channel to reach out to the South Asian Diaspora worldwide.

International operations began in July 1998 for USA. And since then there has been no looking back. The team built Zee into a strong household name in the Americas, currently reaching out to more than 2 million viewers, and it has been an undisputed leader in the market for 10 years.

Not only did the channel grow and create a strong foothold in the market, it has also been responsible for evolving to the needs of the market for content across genres and languages. Consequently the team launched channels that cater to a noticeably wide audience spectrum. Channels like Zee Cinema (Bollywood movie channel), Alpha Punjabi (Punjabi general entertainment channel), and Zee Sports (sports channel) were launched in the US market.

After successfully launching these channels, Zee TV USA has ventured into producing content locally to reach deeper into the South Asian Diaspora, while making them feel closer to their roots. Sa Re Ga Ma Pa (SRGMP) came into being 12 years ago and Indian television history has no other program parallel to this. Last year (2008), for the first time ever SRGMP was produced in an international market (USA) and has quickly become one of the highest rated shows on Indian television. Zee’s legacy continues with other initiatives like Zee Carnival and many more in the pipeline, which have all contributed to Zee’s position as the undisputed leader in South Asian entertainment.

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