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Tag: Bigg Boss 14

  • Bigg Boss 14 finale to happen next week?

    Bigg Boss 14 finale to happen next week?

    MUMBAI: Twists and turns abound in Bigg Boss and the show is set to introduce yet another shocker in the upcoming episode.

    According to a promo released by the makers of the show, host Salman Khan will be seen informing the housemates that the finale of Bigg Boss 14 will be held in the coming week.

    Making the announcement, "Ab scene paltega", Khan will brief the housemates that the finale will be taking place way sooner than they had imagined, and that only four contestants will make it to the climax.

    Does this mean that the journey of the other housemates will come to a definite end, making the competition even tougher?

    The Weekend ka Vaar episode will also see several guests as a part of an expert panel which will test and advise the housemates. On this panel will be former Bigg Boss contestants Kamya Panjabi and Devoleena Bhattacharjee, Kavita Kaushik's husband Ronnit Biswas, and producer Sanddip Sikchand.

     

     

    At present, there are nine contestants in the Bigg Boss 14 house — Rubina Dilaik, Abhinav Shukla, , Pavitra Punia, Rahul Vaidya, Nikki Tamboli, Jasmin Bhasin, Aly Goni, Eijaz Khan, and Kavita Kaushik.

  • Why Bigg Boss remains the most bankable property for Colors

    Why Bigg Boss remains the most bankable property for Colors

    MUMBAI: Ever since its launch more than a decade ago, reality show Bigg Boss – fashioned after the Dutch series Celebrity Big Brother – has never failed to entertain and titillate audiences. The first edition of the show, with Arshad Warsi as the host, aired on Sony Entertainment Television with a TRP of 2.72. Then it passed into the hands of Colors, where it scored an impressive TRP  of 6.99. According to BARC data, Bigg Boss 13 garnered 13.8 million impressions in the finale week last year, breaking the record set by its previous seasons.

    Season 14 kicked off ahead of the festive season and has already racked up 3.9 billion viewing minutes in its launch week, the highest in the last three seasons.

    With the exciting matches in the IPL hogging up daily viewing time,  Bigg Boss has not made it into the top five programmes of Hindi general entertainment channels in week 40, but Colors  has consistently been in the top five channels in the HSM (U+R) market and urban market for the past five weeks. In fact, with the launch of the reality show, Colors secured the second position on  BARC's  pay platform and urban market charts for the first time in five weeks. Weekly impressions recorded on the pay platform chart were 676930 billion and 497722 billion in the urban market. chart

    So, what makes Bigg Boss so popular?

    There could be multiple reasons. Just like the IPL is to Star Sports, Bigg Boss is a tentpole show for Colors. It is a franchise that allows brands and channels to grow with it, a show that grows year-on-year. When it comes to this dramatic reality show, there is no middle ground, one either loves it or hates it. For people who watch it, it's a cult following.

    The show currently has a total of 15 sponsors. Apart from the presenting sponsors – Mobile Premier League (MPL), Dabur Dant Rakshak Ayurvedic Paste and TRESemmé and Lotus Herbals – the channel now has 14 associate sponsors that include Captain food’s Chings, Vicco, Greenlam Laminates, Garnier Men, Mamaearth, Somany Tiles and Lifebuoy. The associate sponsors only for Colors HD comprise Philips, MDH Masale, Fogg, Honda, Urban Company, Duroflex and LG Electronics.

    Havas Media Group India MD Mohit Joshi predicted the latest edition of the reality show will be more popular and profitable than its predecessors. With all signs pointing to a subdued festive season, viewers are bound to tune in and get their thrills from elsewhere. “Bigg Boss 13 was the most-watched reality show with 10+ million impressions, as per data released by BARC India. Owing to the fact that the audiences have been starved for fresh content on TV, there is going to be huge traction which is why it will be preferred by brands and advertisers,” said Joshi. 

    Viacom18 Hindi mass entertainment chief content officer Manisha Sharma shared that with Bigg Boss, the network tries to break its own benchmarks and introduces something new and innovative every season. “It is an important cog in the wheel of our business at a network level and also creates viable opportunities for brand associations. The mechanics of the show is such that it has something for everyone; be it celebrities, viewers, brands, advertisers.”

    Since Bigg Boss grabs eyeballs, it makes sense for advertisers as well. According to a person closely associated with the show in the past, it is attractive to broadcasters not just because it’s a monetisable property, but it keeps paying dividends even in the long run.
     
    “Hypothetically speaking, if you spend Rs 140 crore on the property in three months, you will make a profit on it. It is compelling content for advertisers and brands," he said.

    Format

    Bigg Boss is a show that thrives on drama and controversy. It deliberately brings together highly opinionated and egotistical  individuals and leaves them to stew in a pressure cooker environment for three solid months. The show appears on your television screens every day, and, before you know it, becomes a habit.

    There are drama queens, a few foreign names (for example: Pamela Anderson, Jade Goody and Sunny Leone), struggling actors and a political or religious figure. Contestants are eliminated and replacements are introduced to keep things interesting. Love affairs and big fights abound; there is no telling friend from foe – it is like watching a Bollywood melodrama unfold in real time.

    The format of Bigg Boss indulges its viewers’ voyeurism, and makes for great gossip with friends, colleagues and family. It frequently ranks as one of the top trends on social media.

    “It generates an ecosystem of viewers, fans, and admirers that further builds the show up and creates conversations about it and the contestants,” Sharma further added.

    Brand Integration Opportunities

    Brands want to get associated with a programme  which gives them higher recall value. Think IPL and you associate it with the IPL,  Maruti Suzuki well the quickest connect is with India’s Got Talent. Bigg Boss as a reality show provides greater brand integration opportunities than daily soaps. It has evolved not only in terms of costs but concepts, scripts, marketing and production every year.

    Apart from regular brand visibility, the channel provides businesses with tailor-made tasks and branding opportunities for them for a span of 100 plus  days, said Sharma. They get higher visibility than any other reality show in the space. “The interesting content and higher viewership is also one of the factors that make Bigg Boss an apt engagement foreground for the brands and hence some of them also renew their partnerships with us year on year,” she elaborated.

    Bigg Boss is also a show which sometimes is at the receiving end of a heavy viewer backlash, but Havas' Joshi shrugged off this concern, saying, “We live in a ‘socially connected’ world where anyone can express his/ her point of view. Hence public opinion is what we as individuals and brands have to live with.”

    Joshi also asserted that the show's nature and format are such that it is bound to attract a lot of positive as well as negative chatter. The reason why brands continue to associate with the property is for its reach. When their promotional vehicle faces flak, brands have to manage their online reputation smartly and sensitively, pointed out Joshi.

    Every brand that comes on board is very well aware of the nature of the show, and the publicity that it garners, added Sharma. “We also manage our clients very well who put in immense trust in us which is the reason they keep coming back to us.”

    Salman Khan As The Host

    One of the biggest draws of Bigg Boss is undoubtedly the celebrity of its host – Salman Khan. The actor has an army of diehard fans, many of whom tune in on weekends just to watch Khan delivering justice to contestants who caused chaos in the house that particular week. This time around though, viewers are missing the hand slapping, physical contact,  between Khan and his coterie of famous friends, courtesy the Covid2019 pandemic. However, clever creative and production is more than making up for this minor absence. 

    Big Boss 13 got high traction in both urban as well rural markets and Joshi said this was due to the fact that it is like a doorway allowing the audience to virtually enter into the lives of celebrities. And the presence of Salman Khan adds an extra dose of excitement.

    Monetisation

    Given the sheer scale and viewer base, Bigg Boss is one of the biggest reality shows on Indian television right now. It has all the ingredients that make it a winning property. It is the most talked about, most trended show, and has created a community that thrives on it for entertainment. “Bigg Boss takes things to another level for us in terms of content and viewership. It possesses the power to catapult the channel to the number one spot and contribute in a big way to the revenue,” said Sharma.

    Even with the kind of expense that is resting on the property, Bigg Boss is a great opportunity for brands and advertisers to get on board, she explained, since the viewers connect and engage with the show because they can see contestants going through a whirlwind of emotions in the midst of great angst and drama. “It is a perfect blend anyone can ask for and the kind of integration opportunities we end up doing on the show is humongous. It benefits the brands massively.”

    Winners Get Popularity

    Bigg Boss has proved to be a stepping stone to bigger and better things for many of its contestants. Just by participating in the show, they’re able to amass a loyal fan base, leading to brand endorsements, TV shows, and much more.

    But fame is a fickle friend. Season six winner Urvashi mentioned that her life did not particularly change post-Bigg Boss in any manner. However, winning the title did mean a lot to her because people got to see her as a person, she added. “It has given me a title, helped me in reaching the audience and the masses… A show like Bigg Boss plays in different ways for each contestant's careers. For me, the show added a trophy to my kitty while for others it may lead them to other things. To each their own, I say.”

    Though Colors has time and again proved its mettle, it would be interesting to see how long it can sustain the Bigg Boss phenomenon raging through India.

  • Bigg Boss ropes in 15 sponsors for this season

    Bigg Boss ropes in 15 sponsors for this season

    MUMBAI:  Bigg Boss is back after tasting a remarkable and groundbreaking success last season and is all set to give 2020 jawab with power-packed entertainment and unlimited drama. With less than a week left for the show to hit the television screens, Colors has attracted some of the leading brands who have come on board as sponsors for the new season. Apart from MPL as the presenting sponsor and Dabur Dant Rakshak Ayurvedic Paste and TRESemmé as powered by sponsors, the channel has signed Lotus Herbals as Beauty Partner, multiple associate sponsors including Chings, Garnier men acnofight facewash, Vicco Narayani, Greenlam laminates, Mamaearth Hair Oil, Somany Tiles, MDH Masale, Fogg deodorant, Philips hair straightener, Urban Company and Honda City.

    Viacom18 Colors sales senior vice president Pavithra KR said, “We are delighted to have 15 brands as sponsors representing varied categories before we go on air. Bigg Boss is not only a huge hit with viewers but also with advertisers thanks to its immense reach and the traction across consumer segments. It is one of the most sought-after marketing arenas for advertisers to launch their tentpole products or properties. This year as well you will see us unveil exciting and seamless engagements for most of our brands, so they get maximum benefits out of the associations.”

    Read more news on Bigg Boss

    With the show's immense popularity and reach, it provides a befitting opportunity for the brands to engage and collaborate through various touch points – active and passive inside the Bigg Boss house. During the show, the brands will gain prominence and visibility through ad spots, task integrations, caller of the week segment, special zones, and other peripheral branding opportunities. The Bigg Boss house this season will have various interesting elements like a spa, dining area, shopping mall, and theatre that will give further impetus to the brands to enhance their visibility and influence consumers. The show is set to turn the tide and be an antidote to this year by reinstating normalcy and introducing an eclectic mix of contestants to present a gamut of entertainment.

  • Endemol Shine gets ready for a different Bigg Boss 14 season

    Endemol Shine gets ready for a different Bigg Boss 14 season

    MUMBAI: The three most popular features of Bigg Boss are- its host Salman Khan, Bigg Boss’ voice and finally the house. These three actually form the backdrop of every image that a viewer has about Bigg Boss throughout a season’s journey. The other bit that a viewer remembers is the participants and the variety of emotions that run amok in the house. 

    On 3 October, the biggest reality show from Colors is all set to make a comeback with its fourteenth season. The 2020 edition will only see celebrities; no commoners like in the previous years. But before the contestants step in, let’s take a quick look at what’s been going on inside the Bigg Boss house, which without any doubt has been a constant participant in every season.

    Production major Endemol Shine India has been producing BiggBoss year-on-year for Colors. Its CEO Abhishek Rege shares that format wise there are no changes with the usual tasks being hurled at the competitors; however, production has been planned differently.Larger shoots and performances and tasks have been planned for the beginning of the season, before contestants enter the house.Other precautions have also been taken. A team of six crew  have been mandated to take or bring food, regular supplies and props into the house. The PPE clad assistants will have no interactions with the outside world,; they will be in complete isolation.

    RubinaDilaik, Abhinav Shukla, Jasmin Bhasin, Aly Goni, Jaan Kumar, Shubhangi Atre, Karan Patel, Nishant Malkani, Gia Manek Eijaz Khan, Rahul Vaidya, Nikki Tamboli, Shagun Pandey, Pavitra Punia, Neha Sharma and Naina Singh among others are strongly being speculated as the participants for this season. Rege refuses to confirm or deny the names but he admits that all the participants are currently under compulsory 14-day quarantine, which will end when shoots begin early next month. Also, they – along with the crew – will undergo regular Covid2019 tests and health and hygiene will be given prime importance. Medical and Covid professionals have visited the house to ensure that all SOPs for productions and more are being followed  – including the presence of an ambulance – and that the sets are Covid-safe.

    Read more news on Bigg Boss

     

     

    The production house has also hired an external Covid2019 compliance company PWC which has been charged with looking after distribution of masks to celebs and crew to sanitisation to fumigation to taking and maintaining regular  temperature checks.

    Endemol Shine India  creatives normally keep track of local trends and developments before building the narrative and ideas for Bigg Boss every season. This year the theme of the house is largely based on things that audiences have missed out during Covid2019. The celebs will get to use a salon and a spa, a movie theatre, and a shopping mall. But these luxuries will have to be earned by them after succeeding in some thrilling and fun-filled tasks. 

    Rege reveals that Salman Khan will be shooting for the promo on 1 October with the contestants on the Bigg Boss set in Mumbai’s Film City.

    “We are keeping very stringent measures and SOPs.. Salman will also take the swab test prior to entering the set. And, to further ensure safety on the set, we have hired more people than we normally hire every year,” says he. “However, at any given point we will have very few people on set, everybody else will be there on the backend in their respective rooms and other places in isolation. We are not crowding. Usually when any eviction happens, there are lots of guests and visitors that come in.This time it is a no-no.”

    Weekend KaWaar used to be Bigg Boss’main highlight and it featured  Salman Khan interacting with contestants in front of a  live audience. However, this time the studio is taking the digital route.

    “We have created a huge digital wall where what was earlier the studio audience is connected live from their homes,” says Rege. “We have therefore made an arrangement where Salman can see the wall and audiences can see what is happening at the shoot and interactions can happen. So we have still kept the whole live angle working.”

    Read more news on Colors

    Recently, Salman revealed that he returned to host Bigg Boss 14 only because he knew the scale of production of the show would generate employment. He also agreed to accept a pay cut for this season.

     

     

    Like previous seasons, this time too, previous years’ contestants and winners will come in to add to the thrill. Amongst the names being touted are: Sidharth Shukla, Gauahar Khan, and Hina Khan will also bring a series of surprises for the contestants making this season an epitome of entertainment.The banter, quarrels, and one-upmanship, mental games, the behind the scenes gossip and the formation of groups amongst the inmates of the house are what have helped Bigg Boss build a loyal audience over the years. Another high impact Indian property – the IPL 2020 – has till the time of writing turned out to be a runaway winner, attracting viewers in un-believable numbers. Analysts believe Bigg Boss 14 is on course to beat its previous years’ performance as well just like the cricket league is doing. It’s over to the loyalists, the fans, to make that prediction come true for one of Colors biggest annual bets. 

  • Salman Khan returns as super host of Bigg Boss 14

    Salman Khan returns as super host of Bigg Boss 14

    MUMBAI: Tables will turn as the most challenging year will now be challenged. Bogged down by the lockdown, shackled in chains of monotony and boredom, 2020 has been a year that laid complete waste to our best-made plans! But now it's time to turn the tide and unleash a superstorm of entertainment and celebration in the most spectacular manner! Ab paltega scene kyunki 2020 ko milega jawab with MPL presents Bigg Boss, powered by Dabur Dant Rakshak Ayurvedic Paste & TRESemme. The country’s most beloved superstar Salman Khan will return to your television screens, hosting the most anticipated show of the year and ensuring that the viewers will no longer be starved for entertainment! Living the normalcy will be an all-celeb line-up of housemates who will go through a plethora of emotions and drama in their race to the finish. And right when everyone will feel settled in the first 14 days, there will be a twist that will change the entire game. Produced by Endemol Shine India, the show will premiere on 3 October at 9 pm only on Colors and stream on Voot Select.
     
    Viacom18 Hindi mass entertainment and kids TV network Nina Elavia Jaipuria head said, “Our endeavor at Colors has always been to provide our viewers with uninterrupted entertainment – refreshing and exciting content and Bigg Boss has been a testament to this objective year after year. The last 6 months have been unprecedented and it brought along with it unexpected challenges and changes. With ‘Ab Paltega Scene, Kyunki Bigg Boss Dega 2020 Ko Jawab’ as the theme for this season, our aim is to amp up the excitement and ensure viewers forget their worries and are reminded of their normal lives. Adding to the experience, the Bigg Boss fans will get to watch the episodes before television on our premium video-on-demand service Voot Select along with 24 hours exclusive access into the house. I would also like to thank our partners- presenting sponsor Mobile Premier League, powered by sponsors- Dabur Dant Rakshak Ayurvedic Paste & TRESemmé and associate sponsor- Ching’s for their support and trust in brand Bigg Boss.”
     
    So, what exactly is ‘Ab Paltega Scene’ this year? Laced with uncertainty and ambiguity, 2020 has not been an easy ride, a year that changed the way we led our lives. While most of us have been confined to our homes for more than six months, shopping, movies, and salons have now seemed like a distant dream. So, this year, Bigg Boss 14 will see celebrities from different walks of life come together under one roof and get a chance to live their ‘once upon a time’ normal lives. In a first of its kind addition, Bigg Boss 14 introduces the luxuries of a salon and spa, a movie theatre, and a shopping mall for the contestants along with some thrilling and fun-filled tasks to compete against each other. But all this will not come easy to them, they will have to earn it. Adding to the thrill, some of the most loved ex-contestants- Sidharth Shukla, Gauahar Khan, and Hina Khan will also bring a series of surprises for the contestants making this season an epitome of entertainment. Will they enter the house? How will they impact the life of the housemates? Only time will tell.

    Viacom18 Hindi mass entertainment CCO Manisha Sharma said, “This is a unique season of Bigg Boss – the pandemic has disrupted our daily lives and with Bigg Boss we attempt to bring back some sense of normalcy into our consumers’ lives, to try and truly cater to “ab scene paltega”. With each season of Bigg Boss, we have introduced new and fresh elements and themes to make it more engaging and entertaining for our audiences and this year is no exception. The Bigg Boss house will reimagine a normal scenario that we all have been missing out on with the inclusion of a salon & spa, movie theatre, and shopping mall facilities for the contestants. We broke all viewership records the previous season. So there’s a lot to look forward to. This year too we plan to take our viewers along on a roller coaster ride and the show will have a big twist in the first 14 days and something super exciting will follow. The thrill will multiply as the lineup of contestants and the different characteristics they bring with them will surely become a great family and friend circle conversation. Salman Khan, who has been the most gracious host is back again and we can’t wait for the excitement to unfold.”

    Read more news on Bigg Boss

    Salman Khan said, “As we get used to the new way of life, I am glad to be back with Bigg Boss to again entertain each and every one of you. A big property like Bigg Boss not only promises non-stop entertainment but also provides job opportunities to hundreds of people- both much needed in the current scenario. While this year we fight together the unprecedented times, we hope to bring some excitement in a rather stressful life. So, don’t leave your homes, sit back and gear up to go on a dhamakedaar journey of action and drama with Bigg Boss.”

    Mobile Premier League (MPL) growth and marketing senior vice president Abhishek Madhavan said, “Over the years, Bigg Boss has established an outstanding connection with the audiences and has earned itself a massive base of dedicated fans. Our association with the property gives us a great opportunity to reach out to those viewers and engage with them through the show. Just like Bigg Boss, our app also caters to a vast audience base which makes it a perfect fit. As one of India’s biggest skill-based gaming applications in India, it’s an honor for MPL to be associated with one of the biggest reality properties, Bigg Boss and we look forward to a great association.”

    Endemol Shine India CEO Abhishek Rege said, “Endemol Shine India has over the years broken multiple records with Bigg Boss! The show has established itself as India’s biggest reality program, one we are extremely proud of. Given the challenges that we have faced this year, we have taken every precaution possible when it comes to the health, safety, and sanitization of the cast and the crew. This season’s contestants will be required to be under quarantine for a period and will be tested before going inside the house. The theme of the show will also reflect in the elements of the house to give the contestants a feeling of normalcy. We look forward to furthering our long partnership with Colors and to yet another exciting new season.”

    Focusing on the campaign of the season – 'Ab paltega scene, kyunki Bigg Boss dega 2020 ko jawab’, the channel plans to go heavy on the digital front. From introducing a microsite featuring a wall of Bigg Boss memes and a UGC music video-based never seen before house reveal, it is going to be a delightful experience for the Bigg Boss fans. Adding to the many firsts will also be Facebook shorts, a new feature by the platform, and Bigg Boss audio tweets which will feature famous Bigg Boss dialogues. Bigg Boss video album will also be launched to capture the journey of the last seasons and take the viewers on a trip down the memory lane. Additionally, voice recognition and contextual ads will be used across different platforms to drive tune-ins. On the marketing front, high-frequency promotion on news, music, and regional channels will also be carried along with a huge burst of high-frequency promos for Bigg Boss not only on the network but across other channels as well. For OOH promotions, branded sanitizer dispensing units will be placed at residential societies in areas across Mumbai & Delhi NCR. Also, the channel will reach out to the larger Colors online fan base and Colors’ Golden Petal Club members through virtual events.

    While abiding by all the safety norms and guidelines issued by the government, the channel and production house are taking extreme care and necessary precautions for the contestants and crew members to promote a healthy work environment.  The contestants will undergo a mandatory 15-day quarantine after which they will be tested before they enter the house. The house and the peripheral area will be duly sanitized and fumigated to maintain safety and sterility. There will be regular temperature checks for the contestants and crew members apart from round the clock medical assistance. The same number of crew members will be retained for the season but they will be working in shifts so there is only the designated number of people on the sets. Special zones are being created for every department to keep direct contact to the minimum. Hand sanitizers will be installed at different points for easy access.

  • Sapangeet Rajwant and the art of building Bigg Boss 14

    Sapangeet Rajwant and the art of building Bigg Boss 14

    Bigg Boss is all set to return to the television with its season 14 starting 3 October 2020. The show commands a massive loyal audience that loves to watch the participants locked in the house. Every year, when it launches on the Hindi general entertainment channel, Colors, there is a lot of chatter around the show, its host – Salman Khan, the participants, politics, fun, fights and a lot of other things. There is no doubt that Bigg Boss  has been earning loyal sponsors and huge earned media year-on-year for the network. As a result, the teams at Viacom18 are putting their entire might to make it even more entertaining and exciting for the audiences. 

    Viacom18 Hindi mass entertainment brand solutions, marketing & digital head Sapangeet Rajwant says, “Bigg Boss is one show that over the years has brought the viewers together and been the most sought after entertainment reality show. But the pandemic has bought a change in consumer sentiment wherein they’ve made a seamless transition to digital mediums. Digital is the most growing medium, I think marketing, therefore, will be redefined.  We would now look at investing in the right places to ensure the mediums we choose hereon are more effective and collaborative.”

    Rajwant should know. She has been at the forefront of building the Bigg Boss brand over the years through effective promotions across media, right from print to on-ground to digital to television. Given that, the show is a tentpole high impact property for the Colors, no efforts are being spared to continue pushing and promoting just like in previous years. A major blitz with budgets at the same level as last year is planned.

    Indiantelevision.com’s Shikha Singh got into a converation with the savvy marketer to get insights into what’s planned for this season. Excerpts from the conversation:

    Read more news on Bigg Boss

    What is the marketing strategy for Bigg Boss this year?

    Bigg Boss has a magnetic appeal for brands and marketers alike. Due to the huge fan following and the constant chatter that is there about the show, the brands look forward to associating with the show. The show because of its mass appeal is usually talked about on a daily basis. Hence from a marketing standpoint, the idea is to build the campaign and create conversations. This year though, we have tweaked our marketing strategy as owing to the pandemic there are a few mediums that have become redundant and therefore focus has been more on television and online. 

    We are relying specifically on television heavily as it is one medium that has stood the test of time throughout this lockdown and the viewership has only grown in the past few months. Fortunately for us, Viacom18’s network channels have great strength and it provides us conversions across genres. We will also be going outside the network and tapping different news, movie, and music channels to create awareness about the tune in time of the show. We aim to generate a lot of content in the online space on social media and have planned innovations that you will witness soon. We will also look at tier 1 and tier 2 cities for print advertising in editorial format.

    What was the thought behind the Bigg Boss campaign?

    Bigg Boss is a cult show that has a massive and loyal following. The show has grown year-on-year and the last season of Bigg Boss broke viewership records both on television and online. The year 2020 has been the most trying and difficult year for humanity in the recent past.  Hence, we had to come up with a theme that could give a befitting response to 2020 and announce the return of the show- ‘Ab scene paltega, kyunki Bigg Boss dega 2020 ko jawaab’. With everyone looking eagerly towards the first rays of a restart and television being a surreal medium that helps you find an escape, the viewers will get a chance to witness things that they deprived of this year- A theater, spa, mall etc in the Bigg Boss house. It will be a peek into what a ‘regular’ life looks like. A welcome change to the past year; it’s bound to change the scene in every household when it comes on their television sets.

    Due to the pandemic the on-ground activities are halted, so how are you planning to engage with the viewers?

    The lockdown has put restrictions on on-ground events and activations but on the other hand, we have also seen a surge in television viewership and digital platform consumption. We will be focusing our energies and investing in television and digital mediums for a greater ROI and measurability. A lot of programmatic buying happens on digital and on TV too and we will continue to do it.

    Most importantly, is the marketing budget for Bigg Boss similar, increased or reduced as compared to the previous year?

    We have not made budget cuts for our marketing but we are focusing on optimizing it. For the new season, we will be restricting the use of mediums but we will channelise our energies into planning creative engagement ideas. Rather than reaching out to five different mediums, we will probably stick to only one or two mediums but you will see heavier buzz and bigger innovation. We don’t want to compromise on the reach and frequency and that remains our focus.

    How are you going to promote the show on TV?

    When we look at the last few months, television is the only medium that has remained steady and it has been the biggest driver for all the broadcasters. It is the only medium that not only gives you the desired reach but also conversion and effectiveness for the campaign. Hence, television is going to be the primary medium in all the campaigns. As I have mentioned earlier,  Viacom18 has a huge network strength and it provides us with a large range of channels across genres and delivers higher conversions due to affinity. Having said that, we will also go to non-network channels to see where we get incremental audiences. We will be doing huge bursts of our promos across channels.

    Coming to digital, what is your individual plan for each platform like Youtube, Facebook, Instagram? For example, are you looking at buying a mast-head on YouTube, or how you have partnered with AliveNow to launch an immersive Instagram AR filter for Bigg Boss? Will you be using the same technology this year?

    The primary aim is to be innovative and engage with the audience across platforms and hence we have customized strategies for each platform. For example, Facebook and Instagram are more viable and have a large user base. We are planning to leverage all its features like polls, reels, Q&A, stories, IGTV, etc. to dish out short bursts of snackable content in fun and creative ways that encourage two-way communication and engagement. On the other hand, we are also planning a pure video consumption-led YouTube feature for longer video pieces like mashups, contestant journeys, music videos etc. However, there are also times when we may use both together for a live stream simulcast as well. On Twitter, sparking debates, holding celebrity AMAs, asking people’s opinions and engaging with fan clubs using exclusive content works the best.  So it’s all about continuously trying different approaches and we will be using each of them.

    Read more news on Bigg Boss 

    Will you be collaborating with any influencers?

    A show like Bigg Boss has such mass appeal that in every household, there will be at least one individual rooting for the show. In this case, in every household, there is an influencer and they help us drive conversations about the show. Having said that the contestants of the Bigg Boss from the last season or the contestants from the current season act as brand endorsers. Moreover, the fan clubs and viewer base can be equated to an influencer and they automatically generate a lot of hashtag and short format videos that help us drive our campaign.

    Will you be using old Bigg Boss moments, winning spots or making of the show as a promotional strategy?

    Definitely. Bigg Boss is one of the most popular reality TV properties with massive amounts of conversations, debates, and points of view being put across by fans and celebrities regularly. So yes, leveraging past moments is always a strong pillar of our digital campaign strategy and one that has always worked terrifically for us. Simply put, the show is about real people – and people identify and relate with it – making them extremely passionate about the show. Probably this is why you will see the show trend on Twitter organically almost daily when on-air.

    IPL is doing heavy promotions across all platforms, whereas Bigg Boss has just started its marketing and promotional activity, how much do you think you will be able to make space for yourself in terms of creating buzz?

    Both IPL and Bigg Boss are huge and most anticipated properties. Last year we reached out to some 213 million audiences on the back of just the announcement of the show. This year, when people are deprived of entertainment, there will be more people flocking in to watch the show. We have started the conversation of Bigg Boss from August and both the properties have their own fan base. Having said that, there will be a very minimal clash between both the properties as  Bigg Boss on weekdays starts at 10:30 pm and IPL starts at 7:30 pm making the overlap of only 10 per cent.