MUMBAI: Cricket frenzy is all set to unlock as the entire nation waits with bated breath to cheer for their favorite teams at the upcoming cricket carnival in the UAE starting, 19 September. For the second consecutive year, Viacom18’s flagship Hindi general entertainment channel, COLORS, will be seen furthering its brand footprint through the biggest cricketing phenomena of the year by partnering with one of the best performing teams, Mumbai Indians. Having established itself as one of the leading channels in the urban Hindi general entertainment category, COLORS will strengthen its association as the ‘Principal Sponsor’ for the Mumbai Indians. Mumbai Indians will don the COLORS logo on the back of their jersey during the much awaited 2020 season.
Viacom18 Hindi mass entertainment and kids TV Network head Nina Elavia Jaipuria said, "Mumbai Indians as a team is much loved across the nation and we are delighted to be associated with them. In India, cricket has the power to bring families together, something that is also COLORS' core philosophy. Through our content, we always aim to bring alive interesting storylines while ensuring a cohesive viewing experience. The synergy between the two brands and the unbeatable combination of cricket and entertainment makes our association with Mumbai Indians a perfect proposition.”
Mumbai Indians spokesperson said, “We are pleased to continue our association with COLORS as the Principal Sponsor for Mumbai Indians. The continuation of our partnership reflects the similar ideologies of both brands. We look forward to yet another successful campaign with COLORS as we take the field to entertain the audience across geographies in this challenging hour."
Setting the tone for the upcoming season, COLORS will enhance the thrill manifolds through an engaging TVC featuring players Rohit Sharma, Suryakumar Yadav, and Jasprit Bumrah. This association will also witness promotions via engagement on digital platforms and will be further amplified through PR and on-ground branding.
MUMBAI: Taking ahead its virtual fireside series with eminent professionals of the media and advertising industry in India, Indiantelevision.com will be hosting Viacom18 network sales head Mahesh Shetty on Thursday, 17 September 2020 at 4:00 pm. The session will be helmed by our founder, CEO, and editor-in-chief Anil Wanvari.
Shetty has been handling the Viacom18’s network sales and is associated with the company for the past year and a half. He comes with over two decades of experience in marketing, sales and general management across media and FMCG sectors. His last stint was at Radio Mirchi where he spent 12 years and played a key role in the expansion of the radio network to 66 stations, and eventually expanding its footprint in the international market. Shetty started his career with PepsiCo to lead the beverage major’s marketing outreach in Maharashtra and Gujarat and over his decade long stint grew within the organisation to become the general manager, national sales – organised trade.
He will be sharing his experiences of sailing through the past few months of nationwide lockdown, managing advertising revenues, and other insights from the world of broadcast, marketing, ad sales and general life.
The virtual chat series had earlier hosted industry veterans such as Zee Entertainment Enterprise Ltd chief growth officer – advertisement revenue Ashish Sehgal; Sri Adhikari Brothers Group MD Markand Adhikari; Applause Entertainment CEO Sameer Nair; BCCL president – response Partha Sinha; DAN CEO APAC and chairman India Ashish Bhasin; and IPG Mediabrands CEO Shashi Sinha. During these interactions, these eminent industry leaders have shared their understanding of the television business, advertising industry, content pipeline and strategies that will be leading the new world order in the post-pandemic era.
MUMBAI: Zee Entertainment Enterprises Ltd. (ZEEL) in line with its national level CSR drive against Covid2019 officially handed over critical healthcare equipment to the state of Karnataka, further strengthening its fight against Covid2019. In the presence of the chief minister, B. S. Yediyurappa, the healthcare requirements were handed over to the Karnataka Government.
The Company will be utilizing the sanctioned CSR budget (for the fight against Covid2019) to provide the following essentials to the state:
• Ambulances – 20 ambulances to be donated to the state.
• PPE (Personal Protective Equipment) Kits – 4,000 kits donated to the state.
• Oxygen Humidifiers: 25 oxygen humidifiers donated to the state.
ZEE CEO and MD Punit Goenka said, “The Karnataka Government has taken some strong steps to ensure that the health and safety of its citizens is safeguarded. ZEE is committed to provide strong support to the state in its fight against Covid2019. We sincerely hope that the donated healthcare requirements will further enable the state to address the challenges faced due to the ongoing pandemic and strengthen its overall healthcare ecosystem."
Karnataka CM B. S. Yediyurappa said, “The Government of Karnataka is doing everything to keep the people of the state safe and follow all precautions against Covid19. We would like to thank Mr. Punit Goenka and ZEE for their support in this time of need towards Covid2019 response and relief.”
In its national level CSR drive towards enhancing the country’s healthcare infrastructure against Covid2019, ZEE had committed to donate 240+ ambulances, 46,000+ PPE kits and 90+ oxygen humidifiers. The donation to the state of Karnataka is in line with this national level CSR drive.
At a national level, ZEE has also financially supported over 5000 Daily Wage Earners working directly or indirectly with the Company. Further, 3400+ employees have contributed towards PM CARES Fund.
Zee Entertainment Enterprises Ltd. (ZEEL) is the No. 1 Marathi entertainment network with leading brands like ZEE Marathi, ZEE Talkies and ZEE Yuva that are not just entertainers but cultural icons. During the telecast of the prestigious Zee Gaurav Puraskar 2020 on Zee Marathi, ZEE announced the addition of one more family member – A new Marathi music channel – Zee Vajwa. The channel logo was unveiled amidst tremendous fanfare by renowned Marathi actor Swwapnil Joshi & the energy bomb of Marathi film industry, Siddharth Jadhav.
The logo unveil at the award ceremony created an extraordinary musical mahual which the channel promises to create for its viewers. In keeping with the tagline “Zee Vajwa, Kshann Gaajwa”, the channel aims to inspire its viewers to live each moment to the fullest because Kshann Zingaat Tar life Zingaat! The channel promise will also be brought alive through the content offering to give a music++ experience to the viewer.
On the occasion of the logo unveil of Zee Vajwa, Swwapnil Joshi and Siddharth Jadhav gave their best wishes to the channel. As a proud member of the Marathi film fraternity, Swwapnil Joshi couldn’t contain his happiness since Zee will be giving a platform to Marathi films and the Marathi film fraternity alike with the launch of Zee Vajwa. Siddharth Jadhav too congratulated Zee on the launch of its new Marathi music channel as it will give a stage to the Marathi music directors, composers and singers.
MUMBAI: Down south, leading Indian TV network, Zee Entertainment Enterprises Ltd (Zeel) is penning a new script in its run-up to the festive season. When the Indian government announced the lockdown, it slammed the doors tight on the inflow of revenues for the whole economy – with the exception of a few sectors. Television channels, which are reliant on ad revenues from companies mesmerising consumers to go out and buy products through TVCs, in particular, felt the pain immediately. Even as bound-at-home India watched more and more television, advertisers turned off the advertising tap. Result: for nearly four months, and more, anywhere between 50-80 per cent of broadcast revenues disappeared poof into thin air.
Broadcast executives have been working day and night – since the gradual lifting of the lockdown two months back – to get advertisers to spend more and pay more the advertising spots. Most of them are banking on the upcoming festival season to get them out of the hole they are in currently. Yes, they are expecting a spike but they are wise enough to know that it is going to lag behind the massive festive ad bumps they had in 2018 and 2019.
Zeel, which was a very close number two in the viewership sweepstakes nationally (with its share of 21 per cent just behind Star’s 22 per cent) in the four weeks between week 32 and 35, has a very robust southern language business cutting across general entertainment and movie channels in Kannada, Telugu and Tamil. Like other networks, Zeel’s southern cluster too saw its revenues getting bashed, and has recently redone the programming for some of its channels and is planning to keep doing it even more in the forthcoming months.
“Consumer connect is at the heart of our business and every channel did their own understanding of consumers and picked up on viewership trends and emerging habits,” says ZEEL south business EVP & cluster head Siju Prabhakaran. “We used these learnings as insights during our return in each of the markets. Our channels therefore have made a strong comeback in each of our markets `backed with great content.”
While southern viewers gorge on their local heroes and stories in each of their languages, they have also been open to consuming series from other languages and regions as long as they are dubbed. Prabhakaran, therefore, cross dubbed content from the different language networks and put the shows on air. And it worked: cross –pollination of good content with the language being the main facilitator has helped the network to retain its viewers.
Zee Kannada and Keralam were amongst the first ones to start airing fresh episodes and fresh shows in June thanks to the fact that the governments of those states permitted TV productions to commence. With no new movies being released or produced, the new episodes came as a breath of fresh air for Zee Kannada, pole-vaulted it to leadership during prime time and in the non-fiction and fiction categories.
Prabhakaran is looking at further strengthening Zee Kannada’s line up. Says he: “During the upcoming festive season, we have great offerings for our viewers, with our marquee property Zee Kudumba Awards and this weekend we are also launching comedy Kiladigalu. In addition, we launched a new season of SaReGaMaPa on Zee Kannada recently with 9.8 TVR. Zee Kannada has around 36 – 37 per cent market share.”
Assessing the Andhra Pradesh and Telangana market, he points out that Zee Telugu, which was on a recovery path, has emerged stronger during this time. Zee Telugu is the number one channel in Andhra Pradesh market within the GEC space. The channel launched 14 fiction shows in one single day. To announce its comeback, it launched a brand campaign called “Vinodaniki Aahvanam” meaning “Welcoming back the entertainment” with brand ambassadors from its prime time shows.
Zee Telugu is itching to launch its marquee property Zee Kutumba awards and bring on the world television premiere of Saaho and two new fiction shows during the upcoming festive season.
Zee Tamil returned with fresh shows during the latter half of June. “In Tamil Nadu, the market was most affected in initial phases. However, post comeback we are a strong number two gaining slot leadership, two shows amongst the top five, and four shows amongst the top 10. It is also the number one channel in the prime-time slot and a leader in the fiction genre,” avers Prabhakaran.
Zee Tamil has an interesting line-up for the festival season with Zee Kutumba awards, world television premieres of interesting movies like Ennai Nooki Payum Thotta, Saaho. It is also launching two new fiction shows- Suryavamsam and Dr. Ambedkar – in the third week of September.
The less than two-year-old Zee Keralam is also gaining ground, says Prabhakaran, with its 13 per cent share of Kerala market and new non-fiction show are on the production floors, awaiting a flag off on the channel.
Its movie channels Zee Thirai in Tamil and Zee Picchar in Kannada were launched prior to lockdown and today occupy the number three (20 per cent share in Chennai; 17 per cent in urban markets) and number two slots. The Telugu movie channel Zee Cinemalu grew organically with the growth in movie watching during the lockdown leading to its market share increasing to 27 per cent from 22 per cent earlier.
Shares Prabhakaran: “Across southern markets, we have a great cluster story, as a network. Zee has 21 per cent share of the all India viewership and 1/3 of the viewership comes from the south cluster. The south region itself gained prominence. In times to come with the content line-up these would be a strong set of channels. Therefore, in terms of our festive plans- during October and November, all channels are doing three to five launches of their own in their own markets in fiction and non-fiction.”
Prabhakaran expects all this action to translate into a rise of ad revenues. Says he; “We see September with the festival buoyancy push ad revenues up to November. With businesses coming back and retail outlets opening up, it presents a conducive environment for people to go out and shop given the general opinion that we can co-exist with the pandemic in the current situation till a vaccine is found. Therefore, we see the comeback of advertising as a positive sign.”
He asserts that July onwards ad-rates have been coming back on track and will only improve further in the coming months and possibly reach pre-Covid2019 levels. Post-Diwali he is expecting a steady increase in revenue.
“When Onam came we did not know how it would turn out, but surprisingly in the last week of Onam things did pretty well. I wouldn’t compare it with the previous years, but it did reasonably well. For the past couple of years, Kerala has gone through a lot, but this year at least people could go out and shop,” he shares.
Onam is the starting point of the festive season followed by Ganesh Chaturthi, Diwali, Dussehra, Christmas, and New Year. “Our content pipeline is testimony to the fact that we are looking at a very strong festive season,” he points out. “Also, there are a lot of categories, which did not advertise in Q1 and Q2. These have now postponed their media investments to Q3 and Q4. I think the festival is going to be the bigger recovery because if something gets to a point of inertia it needs a bigger push to bounce back.”
Brands, which would have opted for print advertising or OOH, are now looking at television as a medium, he believes, because it's the fastest and best way to target the masses who are still bogged down at home. Automobile, telecom, e-commerce, real estate, edutech, and retail are the sectors, which are likely to go ballistic in the coming few months, giving a lift to economic activity. And in the process, hopefully, Zeel’s southern cluster.
MUMBAI: Which is the ruling television network in India? Which of them has raced ahead in the viewership stake post the opening up of the lockdowns? Which network’s content is resonating better with viewer cooped up in homes?
Well, the Broadcast Audience Research Council (BARC) has released data for four weeks from week 32 to week 35 for All India 2+ audiences to give us its take. And the winner, according to that is the Star network with a share of 22 per cent. Clearly, Uday Shankar, K. Madhavan, and team are doing something right.
And very close behind it is the Zee network with its 21 per cent slice. Clearly, CEO Punit Goenka is living up to his commitment that he is going to put his best foot forward and help the network regain its leadership position.
Network18, it looks, like has a lot of catching up to do with a 11 per cent piece.
The Sun network, which was once ruling is at fourth position with its share of 11 per cent while Sony brings up the rear with a nine per cent piece.
BARC has clarified that the Star network includes Star, Disney, Asianet, and NGC. Zee, Zee Media ancd Zee Akash have been considered as part of the Zee network . Network18 includes Viacom18, AETN18, TV18, IBMN Lokmat.
MUMBAI: Get ready to witness Excuse Me Maadam from 14 September, 2020 only on Star Bharat. This year has been challenging enough for the audiences while some are bogged down by the lockdown, others catching up with the new normal. Turning the tide and by turning a new page of entertainment Star Bharat, the popular Hindi General Entertainment Channel is here to rescue. With the recent launch of their show, ‘Akbar Ka Bal… Birbal’ and a one of a kind comedy show ‘Gangs of Filmistaan’ the channel has gained praises and appreciation from its viewers. The channel has been sending a lot of positivity and happiness to their viewers with its new shows and talented actors who are indeed the true entertainment warriors. With these two new offerings, the channel is now gearing up for the premiere of their much-awaited show ‘Excuse Me, Madam’.
Produced by Edit II Productions their soon to release show Excuse Me Maadam is all set to enthrall its viewers. The show is based on the lives of around three unique characters, Sanam played by the powerhouse of talent Rajesh Kumar, Kranti played by the beautiful Sucheta Khanna and Madam played by the gorgeous Nyra Banerjee. It’s a fun story revolving around Sanam who falls head over heels over his Madam. The show is said to take its audience on a ride of laughter, strange happenings, accidents, coincidences, hits and misses, desires, failures and above all, the wild fantasies of Sanam, which never get fulfilled. The show also stars seasoned comedian Anup Upadhyay, versatile actor Vishwanath Chatterjee and beautiful Sapna Sikarwar.
Bollywood actor Rajesh Kumar said, “The storyline of the show and the character of Sanam attracted me the very first time I read the script and that’s what got me to take the role immediately. Sanam’s character is unique and it lets me explore two vivid personalities. As I said, a faithful husband and his mischievous side which is channeled by the sight of his boss. It gives me freedom as a performer and the opportunity to provide justice to both the sides of my character. It is a very interesting combo that the viewers may relate to and will be fun for them to watch.”
When spoken to the stunning diva, Nyra Banerjee, she said “This is my first time working in a comedy show and I feel now is the right time to explore this genre because I believe treating people with positive content is the need of the hour. Mithu’s character is different from the previous roles that I have portrayed. She is an independent woman who is driven by ambition and is extremely focused on her work but given her sexy looks, her employees can’t help themselves. Her character is powerful and this lets me explore a bold side to me as a performer. It’s been great fun shooting for this show so far and I am sure it will be great to see the response the audience will have for the show.”
When spoken to the talented actor Sucheta Khanna, she said, “Television has always been a comfortable platform for me and being a part of the industry for two decades this show is indeed a breath of fresh air. She is very reserved by nature and is like any other housewife. The show brings an interesting take in life with a touch of comedy that will bring in laughter on the faces of audiences’. As an actor, I have always looked for more versatile roles and “Excuse Me Maadam” has provided me with an opportunity to do so.”
“Excuse Me Maadam” is going to be a roller-coaster ride of happiness, coincidences, hidden desires and surely everything packed with a laughter riot.
Tune in to watch "Excuse Me Maadam" starting 14 September every Monday to Friday at 8.30pm only on Star Bharat
Sony SAB is presenting its viewers an opportunity to help spread cheer with a new heart-warming on air contest 'Unlock Khushiyaan', extending the brand’s endeavour to spread happiness. As fans enjoy their favourite shows on Sony SAB, they will have the opportunity to not only win rewards but also contribute towards the welfare and rehabilitation of underprivileged kids displaced during the current adversity.
As a part of the campaign, Sony SAB will flash a unique alphanumeric code during the telecast of all its primetime shows from 7th September 2020 to 18th September 2020 between 7 PM to 10.30 PM. All that the viewers have to do is send an SMS with this code, along with the show name to +91 9702444420. For SMS through unique mobile number, Sony SAB will donate INR. 1 to ‘Save the Children Foundation’, providing relief and rehabilitation to disadvantaged children. What’s more! Sony SAB is also giving five lucky winners a chance to win vouchers worth INR. 5000 every half hour.
Aligned to its brand promise of bringing light-hearted and values-driven content to its viewers, Sony SAB has recently launched Tera Yaar Hoon Main. Besides, fans of other chart-busting shows such as Taarak Mehta Ka Ooltah Chashma, Aladdin: Naam Toh Suna Hoga, Baalveer Returns, Maddam Sir and Carry on Alia have been on an engaging, edge-of-the-seat journey, as they continue to witness dramatic twists in the tales.
Link to contest promo https://www.facebook.com/213241952526/posts/10158445672487527/
Link to the contest T&Cs: https://www.sabtv.com/en_in/tnc/unlock_khushiyan_contest__t_amp_c/1513
MUMBAI: It was in 1999 when Zee TV and Sony TV led the charts with shows like Amanat, Hasratein and Ek Mahal Ho Sapno Ka, while Star India was struggling to keep up with its counterparts, especially in the prime time slot of 9 pm to 10 pm. Star India had highly appreciated shows but it didn’t get them the expected ratings.
With a sheer hope to turn around Star TV’s brand image and positioning, the then Star India CEO Peter Mukherjea and programming head Sameer Nair. Steve Askew and Nair’s boss in Hong Kong, came across a popular show Who Wants to Be a Millionaire in UK and Australia. Nair is currently the CEO of Applause Entertainment.
Later, in July 1999 Askew showed a snippet of the show to Nair. Initially, Nair was hesitant about the format of the show, he asked Askew to buy the rights for Who Wants to Be A Millionaire from ECM. He started looking for someone to create a similar show in India.
Nair zeroed in on Siddhartha Basu, a quiz master, who had earlier worked with Star Plus for current affairs show with journalist Vir Sanghvi called A Question of Answers.
Under Nair’s guidance, the channel brought, Kaun Banega Crorepati a reality show that has changed the destiny of three brands – Star TV, Amitabh Bachchan, and Samir Nair. On 3 July 2000 KBC went on air it was also the year Indian television changed.
Today, the shooting for the twelfth season of quiz show Kaun Banega Crorepati is in process. Host Amitabh Bachchan, who has been a part of the quiz show since 2000, shared glimpses of the first day of the shoot on social media and also celebrated 20 years of Kaun Banega Crorepati in his own style. "20 saal, 12 parv, KBC: Kaun Banega Crorepati, arambh! (20 years, 12 festival, KBC: Kaun Banega Crorepati, begin!)"he tweeted.
Let us have a look at the KBC campaigns over the last 20 years.
Nau Baj Gaye Kya?
In 2000, Star Plus launched KBC with its campaign ‘Nau Baj Gaye Kya?’ It was also the first time when megastar Bachchan appeared on a small screen. The campaign spoke about giving chance to viewers to win the prize money, worth Rs 1 crore. KBC not only changed the destiny of the reality shows on television, but also helped Bachchan and Star Plus regain their lost glory.
Umeed Se Dugna
After a hiatus of 5 years, KBC was launched in 2005 and this time the prize money was doubled to Rs 2 crore. To promote the new season and create a buzz in the market Star Plus came up with a rap campaign named Umeed Se Dugna. The season, however, ended abruptly with Bachchan falling ill.
Kuch Sawaal Zindagi Badal Sakte Hain
In 2006, when Bachchan fell ill, the channel had roped in Bollywood actor Shah Rukh Khan to host season 3 of KBC. The campaign highlighted that some questions can change the life. However, the change of host didn’t go well with the audiences and ratings started to go down. This time KBC decided to take three years gap.
Koi Bhi Sawaal Chota Nahi Hota
With the new season falling flat, and the show witnessed considerable dip in ratings. Star Network denied reviewing the rights. It was around this time, that KBC moved to Sony Entertainment.
The’ campaign titled ‘Koi Bhi Sawaal Chota Nahi Hota’ was directed and produced by Chrome Pictures. This was also the season where a whopping prize money of Rs 5 crore was introduced. This year was crucial for Sony Network as the rival network Viacom18’s Hindi General Entertainment Channel (GEC) Colors has acquired the rights to Bigg Boss which was earlier aired on Sony TV with Arshad Warsi as a host.
Koi Bhi Insaan Chota Nahi Hota
In 2011, KBC launched their brand new campaign ‘Koi Bhi Insaan Chota Nahi Hota’ which highlighted the importance of never underestimating anyone and their talent.
Dusra Mauka
In the sixth season KBC incorporated cause-advertising in its promotion. It focused on deep-rooted issues like girl child, dalits and more. The campaign was conceptualised by Leo Burnett. Amitabh Bachchan explained the power of knowledge, by reciting a verse ‘Gyaan Hi Aapko aapka Haq Dilate hain’.
Seekhna Bandh to Jeetna Bandh
In 2013, KBC with its campaign titled ‘Seekhna Bandh to Jeetna Bandh’ pointing out the importance of learning, because the moment you stop learning, your progress comes to a grinding halt. This year the price money was hiked up to Rs 7 crore.
Yahan Sirf Paise Nahi Dil Bhi Jeete Jaate
In 2014 KBC released a campaign titled ‘Yahan Sirf Paise Nahi Dil Bhi Jeete Jaate’, it became an instant hit among the audiences. It showcased the sensitive issues like Hindu-Muslim animosity and discrimination of north East people in India.
Jawaab Dene ka Waqt aa Gaya Hai
In its ninth season, Sony Network had discontinued its long-standing association with Leo Burnett. This time the campaign was conceptualised, directed, and written by Dangal movie director Nitesh Tiwari, Nikhil Mehrotra. The campaign dealt with a slice of life situations.
Kab Tak Rokoge
Continuing with their partnership with Nitesh Tiwari and Nikhil Mehrotra ahead, the campaign titled ‘Kab Tak Rokoge’ focused on the spirit of resilience.
Vishwaas Hai toh Khade Raho…Adey Raho
Released in 2019, the campaign Vishwaas Hai toh Khade Raho…Adey Raho again conceptualised by Nitesh Tiwari, had humour in it. It narrated the story of a youth who breaks the shackles of societal norms and succeeds in life.
Jo Bhi Ho, Setback Ka Jawaab Comeback Se Do.
The twelfth season of Kaun Banega Crorepati (KBC) gears up for the most celebrated comeback with the thought – Jo Bhi Ho, Setback Ka Jawaab Comeback Se Do.
MUMBAI: The moment we hear the name Bigg Boss, what comes to our mind is the cacophony of emotions and behaviours ranging from love to jealousy to anger to sorrow to Machiavellianism to kindness. And of course the paternalistic – at times – and strict – at others – face of superstar Salman Khan, who has been the host of the show since we ever can remember.
Viewers are bombarded with a barrage of histrionics by contestants arguing, fighting, caring, romanticising, dancing, and doing a number of other acts – which is what the show has come to be known for. Interestingly, every year one or the other contestant turns into a household name such as Gautam Gulati, Shehnaz Gill, Rohit Shukla, Dolly Bindra, Gauhar Khan, and Hina Khan.
Scene palatne ka waqt aa gaya hai! #BB14, jald hi sirf #Colors par.
Despite Covid2019, the Colors team has put in gargantuan efforts to bring back the show. Bigg Boss 14 promos have been getting impressive air time to whip up interest for the show – slated to air from 3 October at 10:30 pm on weekdays and 9 pm on weekends – from advertisers and viewers.
SHETTY THINKS THAT THERE CANNOT BE A MORE
PERFECT TIME FOR BIG BOSS
“Bigg Boss is a much-needed respite for audiences, it enjoys a very strong and loyal fan base across age groups. There cannot be a more perfect time than now for a show like Bigg Boss as the audience will relate to it more than ever. The country has been through a lockdown and television has been a constant companion during this time. The audience has been eagerly waiting for it, a show that is packed with drama and entertainment and a great differentiator from the regular shows,” says Viacom18 network sales head Mahesh Shetty.
Advertisers & Brand Integrations
Industry estimates are that Bigg Boss earned Rs 180-200 crore in advertising revenues from nine sponsors and about 100 advertisers in 2019. Viacom18 has labelled Bigg Boss 13 as the most successful season that went on for 139 episodes setting new records in both viewership and revenue terms.
2020 ke manoranjan ka scene palatne aa raha hai #BB14, jald hi sirf #Colors par.
This year the channel has already signed fantasy sports brand Mobile Premier League (MPL) as the presenting sponsor while Dabur Dant Rakshak Ayurvedic Paste and Hindustan Unilever's TRESemmé' have been roped in as co-powered by sponsors.
Shetty highlights that due to ease in the restrictions, businesses are going back to normal and as a result, advertising spends are also increasing. According to him, television is doing good in terms of volumes which is a very positive sign. “As we enter the festive season with Bigg Boss, we are sensing a lot of optimism from advertising and viewers,” he adds.
According to industry experts, Viacom’s revenue from the show is likely to get a 15-20 per cent cut compared to last year. Its card rate is between Rs 300,000 and Rs 500,000 for a 10 second spot. And it is not budging on discounts.
Shetty shares, “In a normal scenario, we would have increased the rates by 25-30 per cent from last year but we are neither increasing nor decreasing the prices. As per the BARC data in June, our ad-volumes have also recovered. We initiated discounting in the month of April-May owing to the low demand but starting July, we have let go of discounting and as of this month, we are on zero discounting and the ad volumes are still holding strong.
" Mediacom India south Asia chief growth officer Soumak Banik said that Bigg Boss is a marquee property, hence it will get the required viewership as audiences have not had much fresh content to watch over the past five months. It is not just Bigg Boss Hindi but the Tamil and Telugu versions will do better in terms of viewership and revenue.
He adds: “There is already traction from advertisers for sponsorship on Bigg Boss. Also, I don’t think so impact properties will have 15 to 20 per cent of revenue cut. In fact, I think both viewers and advertisers are open to welcome reality shows on TV. Bigg Boss has already signed two sponsors and the makers are in discussion with other brands. Similar to IPL, Bigg Boss will also have sponsors on board before it begins to telecast.”
In its fourteenth season, it is all set to cover everything from Dussehra, Diwali to Christmas and New Year during its telecast. Viacom18 is currently in talks with several brands for sponsoring other categories and is looking forward to brand integrations.
Shetty points out that it Bigg Boss is a format which suiting all kinds of brands from e-commerce, automobiles, beverages, snack foods, appliances to gaming apps, and payment gateways. It appeals cuts across categories and offers great brand integration solutions across episodes and in between the episodes on the various Colors digital properties.
“There are some sponsors who sign deals for both Bigg Boss and the channel while there are others who are only digital exclusive. Typically, we have separate sponsors for Colors and Voot. Last year, Voot had close to eight to nine sponsors and this year also we are expecting the same or more. On Voot, we also create some very similar shoulder content around Bigg Boss like Bigg Buzz that the brands find attractive.”
The format of Bigg Boss 14 is going to remain the same with a bunch of people stuck inside a house. Shetty reveals that innovations are planned for the new season which will weave in the existing realities of the pandemic into its narrative. All the luxuries that most have been deprived of will be made available to the contestants. There will be small shopping and dining areas, a spa and a health club, and even a movie theatre. Some or all of these will be accessible to the contestants, if they do well on activities and tasks that are set for them. Shetty says the format affords a lot of opportunities brands to become a part of the narrative of Bigg Boss 14.
Expectations are that the current edition will run for 106 episodes, with Shetty declining to talk budgets that are being kept aside for it.
Why Brands Love it
BARC India data reveals that Bigg Boss 13 garnered 213 million viewers and the finale alone witnessed 10.5 million impressions. Over the years, the show has been delivering very strong numbers and has helped brands generate a high top-of-the-mind recall and impact.
Shetty reveals that the response from brands and advertisers has been very encouraging. A lot of brands are now looking at investing in big-ticket properties and Bigg Boss serves as a befitting platform for brand associations and integrations.
Recently, the Indian government banned a set of Chinese apps, possibly one of the major reasons why Vivo backed out as a sponsor. According to Shetty, only due to certain operational issues and government norms certain brands may not be able to come on board.
“We expect most of the brands that have partnered with us and have been associated with us in the previous years to come back and renew their partnerships,” he highlights. “Some of the brands which are keeping a low key because of government rule may not be a part of the mix. Dabur is a case in point of a returning partner. It was a powered by sponsor last year and has come on board this year as well.”
Coinciding with IPL
This is for the first time the IPL is clashing with Bigg Boss and there is a lot of buzz that it is going to impact the viewership. However, Shetty believes that the clash is very minimal.
He mentioned that Bigg Boss starts on 3 October and runs for 106 days whereas IPL starts on 19 September and goes on until 8 November. So, the overlap is only for 37 days out of 106 days. Also, any head-on clashes between Bigg Boss 14 and the IPL this year will be rare, given the former’s telecast time of 10:30 pm and the latter’s at 7:30 pm. “The matches will most likely be over by the time Bigg Boss begins,” says an observer.
The overlap will take place only on the weekends for eight days because Bigg Boss airs at 9 pm on Saturday and Sunday. “So, from a viewer's point of view, there is not much of an overlap. Both the IPL and Bigg Boss are very strong properties and have a very strong following and I am certain people who follow and watch both will continue to do so. From the advertisers' standpoint, they have a scope to invest in two big properties. The IPL ticket size being very high may not be affordable to some of the advertisers but I think there is enough space for both to coexist,” shares Shetty.
