MUMBAI: Airtel and Star India have entered into a two-year strategic agreement, as per which Star India will receive a committed advertising outlay from Airtel for the next 24 months while Airtel will have the privilege of paying a mutually-negotiated rate with inflation protection.

Under the agreement, Airtel and Star will jointly develop key properties to promote music across various audience segments. Both will also focus on developing customer interactivity programmes which will be driven through services such as smses over the mobile phone. The agreement also states that Airtel will receive preferential access to content developed across all the Star Group channels. Therefore, Airtel will be able to jointly develop and provide inputs to the creation of specific properties that will appeal to its customers and will involve Star in joint on-ground marketing exercises. Star will be the preferred destination for Airtel’s media needs.

Star India, CEO, Uday Shankar said, “This long term partnership with Airtel represents another innovative approach by Star in engaging the advertising and media planning community beyond simple media buying. We are delighted to build a partnership with Airtel and look to a mutually beneficial relationship that will help strengthen the power of the Airtel brand in the marketplace.”

Airtel, Director, Marketing and Communications, Gopal Vittal added, “In a cluttered and fragmented media environment, this alignment with a leading broadcaster like Star will add tremendous value to the Airtel brand. Our agreement with Star will give us the opportunity to build properties from the cradle, synergistic with Airtel’s brand vision.”