L’Oreal Paris is partnering with Rogers-owned OMNI Television to sponsor Bollywood Star, a talent search competition series that offers contestants the chance to win a role in a Bollywood movie, in an effort to reach Canada’s growing South Asian community. Debuting Sunday April 6 at 8 p.m., the four-part series airs in English on OMNI 2 in Ontario, OMNI Alberta and OMNI BC.

Hugo Thibault, communications and digital director, L’Oreal Canada, tells MiC that the sponsorship is the first time the beauty brand has teamed up with Rogers and OMNI to do something specifically targeting the South Asian community in Canada. Thibault says that L’Oreal has market research suggesting South Asian consumers are fans of its products, particularly L’Oreal’s skin care products, and that the social media engagement from the South Asian community with the brand is “incredible.”

Activating in the first two episodes of the series, the sponsor will target women 25 to 40 by bringing in L’Oreal beauty experts to help contestants with their make-up and hair for auditions in episode one and for a music video in episode two.

It’s part of a broader effort by L’Oreal to connect with South Asian consumers, says Thibault, which includes an OOH media buy featuring brand spokespersons Freida Pinto and Aishwarya Rai timed to coincide with the series, as well as Bollywood-centric integrations on Breakfast Television and Bollywood Boulevard on OMNI.

Other Canadian broadcast TV partnerships for the brand in the past including Project Runway Canada and red carpet events including the Grammys, Golden Globes and Oscars.

Rob Groen, director, marketing solutions, Rogers Media, tells MiC that while this type of sponsorship and activation is a first for OMNI, this is familiar territory for Rogers as these kinds of product integrations have been a regular feature on City shows like CityLine and Breakfast Television for years, he says.

According to Statistics Canada, the South Asian community in Canada grew by 23% from 2006 to 2011, with an estimated 1.6 million people of South Asian origin now living here. OMNI Television reaches about 91% of the South Asian population in Canada at this time.