Ninth Season of the MetLife South Asian Spelling Bee Announced

Accra, Ghana added as International center

At a glittering event held in New York to mark the 9^th anniversary of the South Asian Spelling Bee, Touchdown Media Inc., the leading multicultural advertising firm, today announced the launch of the ninth season of the MetLife South Asian Spelling Bee. MetLife, a leading global provider of life insurance, annuities, employee benefits and asset management, returns as the title sponsor of the contest. 

The event is open to children of South Asian descent up to 14 years of age. It will give South Asian children a chance to test their spelling skills in their core peer group. Interested spellers need their parent or guardian to register them online at www.southasianspellingbee.com.

Organized by Touchdown Media Inc., the 2016 MetLife South Asian Spelling Bee will be conducted in 12 locations across the United States starting on June 11. Regional level events will be held in Los Angeles, the Bay Area, Dallas, Houston, Chicago, Seattle, Atlanta, Charlotte, Washington, D.C. Metro, New Jersey, New York and Boston. All events will be free to attend and open to the public. Accra, Ghana was announced as the 13^th center from where spellers of South Asian descent will qualify for the finals.

“For the past eight years, the Bee has consistently provided a firm platform for the community to come together and hone their craft. It’s become a family activity that contributes towards the overall development of the child. We are proud to enter our eighth consecutive year and look forward to engaging some of these wonderful spellers,” said Rahul Walia, founder of the South Asian Spelling Bee and CEO of Touchdown Media Inc.

Each competition will begin with a written test of 25 words. The participants must spell 15 or more words correctly to advance to the afternoon oral round, which will be conducted by experienced pronouncers and judges. The top three in the oral round will receive prize money.

The top two spellers of each regional competition will advance to the finals to be held in New Jersey in August. Similar to previous years MetLife has once again funded the $10,000 champion’s grand prize that will be awarded to the winner at the finals.

This year, the Bee is proudly presented by Britannia - Britannia Industries Limited is India's leading food company and marketer of cookies, dairy products and bread, while Kawan- the world’s most popular Roti paratha brand returns as the powered by sponsor and as always, SONY Entertainment Television Asia is the exclusive broadcast partner for the MetLife South Asian Spelling Bee and will be airing the series across 120 countries.

Britannia is extremely happy and excited to continue its association with this platform as a presenting sponsor. With its 120+ years of golden heritage of making healthy, fresh & delicious food, Britannia is a household name among South Asian consumers. This unique platform will help Britannia to reach out to Gen Z & showcase some of its popular brands like “Milk Bikis” and the new introduction, “Milk Bikis Creams” which are perfectly suited for the budding spellers.   

“Kawan is proud to return as a sponsor and we have tremendous faith in contributing towards crucial family time for the community. We look forward to getting to know the spellers and their families through this wonderful journey," said Tim Tan, Managing Director Kawan Food.

“Year over year, the MetLife South Asian Spelling Bee has made for great programing that gels with our ethos of compete family entertainment. We are all about family values and encourage platforms such as these that highlight the talent of our community,” said Jaideep Janakiram, Head of North America, Sony Entertainment Television-Asia.

For a complete schedule, registration and any other information, please visit: www.SouthAsianSpellingBee.com.

Find us on Facebook at South Asian Spelling Bee and you can follow us on our Twitter handle at Spell South Asian.

About MetLife

MetLife, Inc. (NYSE: MET), through its subsidiaries and affiliates (“MetLife”), is one of the largest life insurance companies in the world. Founded in 1868, MetLife is a global provider of life insurance, annuities, employee benefits and asset management. Serving approximately 100 million customers, MetLife has operations in nearly 50 countries and holds leading market positions in the United States, Japan, Latin America, Asia, Europe and the Middle East. For more information, visit www.metlife.com .

About Britannia Industries Ltd

Britannia Industries Limited is India's leading food company and marketer of cookies, dairy products and bread. As per independent retail audit conducted by Nielsen in May’15, Britannia is the market leader in the US$3.78 billion biscuit market. In the US several power brands from the Britannia portfolio like “Good Day”, “Bourbon”, “Milk Rusk”, “Milk Bikis”, “Nice Time” are available across the country in stores carrying South Asian groceries. Over the past year Britannia has added  new and exciting brands like “Milk Bikis Cream”, “Chunkies” (luxurious chocolate chip cookies), “NutriChoice Heavens” (Healthy and delicious Oat Cookies), “Pure Magic Chocolush” (Premium center filled cookie), “Jim Jam”, “Muffils” (center filled cup-cakes)”, “Premium Bake Eggless Cake”, “Premium Bake Cake Rusk” and “Time Pass” (salted cracker) to its well-loved portfolio. In Addition to India & the United States, Britannia is also available in Canada, the Middle East, Australia, New Zealand, UK, and Singapore.  

About Sony Entertainment Television Asia:

Since its launch on the Indian subcontinent in 1995, Sony Entertainment Television (SET) has enjoyed rapid success, leading to the establishment of European, North American and African feeds known as SET Asia.  SET and SET Asia are now available in over 150 countries.  The channels offer their viewers a distinctive blend of entertainment programs twenty-four hours a day, including, soap operas, dramas, sitcoms, concerts, movies, and game shows. For more information, visit www.setasia.tv.

About Touchdown Media Inc.:

Touchdown Media Inc. is a specialized South Asian advertising and promotions firm based in New Jersey. Now in its 11th successful year, Touchdown has helped clients- both mainstream and otherwise, reach out to the lucrative South Asian market, Touchdown Media represents more than 35 years of collective experience in this niche market. As a full service ad firm, Touchdown has helped many clients achieve their media and marketing goals within the South Asian Diaspora in the US.

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