Tag: Raj Nayak

Colors to launch ‘Bigg Boss Halla Bol’ series

MUMBAI: After engaging viewers for 15 weeks, Bigg Boss season eight is ready to take the quotient of entertainment a notch higher. Come 4 January, it is set to launch Bigg Boss Halla Bol which will not only include the five champions, but also open doors to five challengers namely Rahul Mahajan, Sambhavna Seth, Ajaz Khan, Mahek Chahal and one more from the previous Bigg Boss seasons.

As the new leg of the game kicks-off, the series will welcome Bigg Boss enthusiast Farah Khan as the host of the show. Following a successful association, the channel has roped in Snapdeal.com as the presenting sponsor for Bigg Boss Halla Bol. It will air everyday at 9pm on the channel.

According to Colors CEO Raj Nayak, be it in terms of ratings or in terms of entertainment, season eight has lived up to its promise of having a mast safar with zabardast twists.
“This New Year we bring the Bigg Boss buffs another engrossing series packed with newer twists and interesting characters. This show is our New Year gift to all our Bigg Boss fans. Further, we are happy to announce that we have roped in Snapdeal.com as the presenting sponsor for Bigg Boss Halla Bol following the stupendous response that both – the show and the brand – have received for the eighth season of the show.”

Confirming her participation, Farah Khan said: “I have loved watching Bigg Boss and enjoy everything about it. The series is unlike anything that regular viewers of the show could have ever perceived. Salman Khan has been truly entertaining as a host with his affable style and quick wit. I am looking forward to building a unique experience for the viewers through this venture and hope they enjoy every bit of it.”

The special series will have a mix of 10 enigmatic contestants and will bring entertainment to the forefront as competitiveness reaches an all-time high which will make their stay in the Bigg Boss house tougher than ever before. The champions and challengers will engage in a battle of sorts as they strive to stay inside the house and move closer to the grand finale where a contestant from either party could claim the spot of the winner of the show. The effervescent Farah Khan will be the guiding light for the champions and challengers while questioning their actions and decisions as the show races to the end.

December 30, 2014
Colors kicks off season two of ’24’

MUMBAI: It’s been a year since ’24’ changed the face of Indian television as the show’s Indian adaptation took the country by storm while garnering incredible feedback from industry stalwarts and viewers. Now, as Colors prepares to kick-off the second season of this unprecedented entertainer, Anil Kapoor Film Company makes Season 1, directed by Abhinay Deo and co-produced by RDP Television, available to viewers while giving them the opportunity to go down memory lane and revisit the action-packed hybrid genre lead by Anil Kapoor as ATU Chief Jai Singh Rathod.

The DVD will be available for purchase to viewers to raise excitement levels for the next season which promises to surpass the standards set by the first season of the show. The 24: Season 1 DVD will be available at all leading stores online and retail from 24-Dec-14.

With the second season of 24 ready to go on-the-floor, Raj Nayak, CEO – COLORS said, “Season 1 of 24 wowed viewers and created a benchmark on Indian television. The hybrid genre of entertainment in a real-time narrative focusing on espionage struck a chord and made for an unparalleled viewing experience thereby generating curiosity for a new season even before the first season came to an end. As we kick-off the second season of the show, our challenge has been set: to go beyond the standards set by season one. The DVD for 24: Season 1 will enable viewers to relive the power-packed action and set the stage for a brand-new season which promises to entice viewers unlike ever before.”

Actor and Producer Anil Kapoor further added, “When 24 hit television screens in 2013, little did we know that the show would redefine the action genre and be titled a game-changer while paving way for many such finite series in the GEC space. The thrill and pace of television is much different from what films have to offer and I have been itching to get back to the drawing board and work on the second season of 24. I am eager to step back into the shoes of Jai Singh Rathod and experience another 24 hours of his action-packed, challenging day. To enable viewers to relive the thrill of 24, we are releasing the DVD of the first Season so that all my fans in India and around the world can relive the experience or can catch up with the series if they have missed it.”

The DVDs for the first season of the Indian adaptation of 24 will be distributed by Excel Home Entertainment. Mr. M.N. Kapasi, Managing Director, Excel Home Videos said, When 24 first launched on COLORS last year, it became an overnight sensation of sorts with everyone discussing the show and speaking about its inimitable format and strong characterization. We are very happy to be associated with Anil Kapoor Film Co. to make the DVDs available to the show’s fans and viewers across India and give them a chance to catch up on their favourite show.”

While 24: Season 1 marked the television debut of Bollywood superstar Anil Kapoor, it was backed by a stellar cast comprising of Tisca Chopra, Mandira Bedi, Ajinkya Deo, Sapna Pabbi, Neil Bhoopalam and Anita Raaj to name a few, some interesting cameos by Bollywood’s talented actors like Anupam Kher, Shabana Azmi, Richa Chaddha and Rahul Khanna among others. Season1 also brought together the most talented technical team from the entertainment industry. Season 2 of the show, which will go on floors in 2015, promises to raise the levels of thrill and excitement to further create a unique viewing proposition which will enthral the viewers.

December 22, 2014
Carriage fee on a rise again?

MUMBAI: Delayed digitisation of phase III and phase IV areas have marred the hopes of broadcasters, multi-system operators (MSOs) and the local cable operators (LCOs) alike. With implementation of digitisation in phase I and II, while broadcasters were enjoying the reduced carriage fees, MSOs were hoping for better on-ground collections with increasing transparency. But all this has taken a U-turn with the Ministry of Information and Broadcasting announcing 2016 as the year when India will be fully digitised.

The MSOs who have invested heavily for digitising phase I and II markets are still waiting for reaping the benefits of it. And now even the broadcasters who saw some reduction in carriage fees (industry sources peg it between 10 per cent to 30 per cent) during the first two phases have gone back to basics.

If one has to go by the Media Partners Asia (MPA) report, the cable TV industry has seen a 14 per cent jump in carriage fees. The reason for the jump in carriage fee could be many. Here are a few reasons which we understand could be playing a role in the changed carriage fee pattern:

1)   Delayed digitisation: The MSOs have already invested heavily in phase I and II and have also borrowed money for phase III and IV markets. Now with the government announcing the final dates for digitisation as 2015 for phase III and 2016 for phase IV, MSOs fear that the LCOs will not increase their collections from the ground.

2)   Low ARPUs: Even in phase I and II areas, the ARPU hasn’t gone up as expected by the MSOs. And so they haven’t been able to recover the money they had invested.

3)   New channel launches: Broadcasters launching new channels need greater reach and visibility and so pay more in order to get carried by the platform and also to ensure that it is available to all the subscribers of the platform. This in turn sets a benchmark for the other players also.

4)   Lack of transparency: Even though one of the aims of digitisation was bringing in transparency and addressability, both haven’t happened as yet. The cable operators have not been able to get the consumer application forms filled and thus, are still unaware of the choice of consumer. Also, there is still under declaration of consumers.

“This is true especially for news channels, niche channels and the new channels that have been recently launched. While the existing channels have not seen any hike in carriage fees, broadcasters that launched new channels in the different genres, right from GECs to regional to music and movies have seen a jump in carriage fees, which ranges from 15-25 per cent,” says a distribution head on condition of anonymity.

Another source close to the development agrees and says, “Yes! The carriage fee for broadcasters launching new channels have gone up. This can be anywhere between 20-25 per cent, depending on the distribution strategy of the broadcaster and the visibility it is looking for.”

Many in the industry blame the new channel launches for the increase in the carriage fee. “While for the news channels the carriage fee had seen a drop by 10-15 per cent, the new channels that are being launched every now and then, sets a different benchmark. Since broadcasters want better reach for their new channels, they pay huge sums as carriage fee to MSOs and this affects the news channels as well,” says a news broadcaster.

Even at the recently concluded MIPCOM 2014, Colors CEO Raj Nayak during a panel discussion had stressed that there needs to be complete implementation of digitisation. “While in the phase I of digitisation, the carriage fees had come down by 20 per cent, it has now gone back to square one and this is a dangerous trend,” he had then said.

Viacom18 group CEO Sudhanshu Vats feels no different. In his recent interaction with Indiantelevision.com he had said, “Carriage, rather than continually coming down, has begun to rise again in recent months.”

According to India TV chairman and editor-in-chief Rajat Sharma, when digitisation kickstarted, news broadcasters expected consumers to get better quality channels and carriage fees to disappear. “For the MSOs, it is the carriage fee from the news channels that helps them sustain, since they pay the GECs huge sums for getting their programming on their platform,” opines Sharma.

Unlike the expectations by many, carriage fees haven’t yet been abolished. “When phase I of digitisation was implemented, carriage fees did come down in terms of what was being paid in the four metros. The national level MSOs saw the benefits of digitisation and passed on some of that benefit to broadcasters. However, with phase II, it hasn’t happened. On the contrary they are going up and extortionist demands are being made again. Perhaps because in other parts of the country the MSOs are in partnership with local or regional players who do not want to let go of carriage fees even though that was meant to be a natural outcome of digitisation,” informs NDTV executive vice chairperson KVL Narayan Rao.

Rao further adds, “It is impossible for news broadcasters to withstand payment of high carriage fees. Other components of digitisation like buoyant and fair subscription revenues, have not kicked in either. Something needs to be done about these aspects immediately. Carriage fees in particular have to be rationalised.” Rao also pegs the carriage fee increase between 10-30 per cent.

As for Focus Network group CEO Neeraj Sanan, carriage fee revenues for MSOs are likely to reduce. “However the carriage paid by a broadcaster to an MSO, will increase post first year of DAS due to aggregation at MSO level and the ever increasing number of channels,” he adds.

Even the MSOs agree that the carriage fee has seen an upward trend. “This is true mostly for the new channel launches. Broadcasters want better reach for their new channels and are ready to pay more carriage fee for those channels. The new channels are seeing a hike in carriage fee by about 20-25 per cent,” concludes the MSO.

November 18, 2014
Queen of Reality TV – Kim Kardashian to enter ‘Bigg Boss’ on her maiden trip to India

MUMBAI: She is gorgeous, she’s exotic, she’s flamboyant and she is one of the most-watched women in the world! With her envious hourglass figure, extravagant lifestyle and unapologetic vanity, she has mastered the art of playing ‘herself’ on television! Living up to the title of Queen of Reality TV – Kim Kardashian is all set to conquer the hearts of millions of Indians through India’s biggest reality show, Bigg Boss. Visiting India for the first-time-ever, Kim Kardashian will be seen sashaying straight into the Bigg Boss house on 22nd November, 2014 as a guest to interact with the contestants.

Bigg Boss is the biggest reality show on Indian television which makes Kim Kardashian’s entry on the show the perfect integration opportunity to bring the best in entertainment to the television sets. The 34-year-old mother, model and fashion icon, one hears, is excited about her visit to Mumbai and her stint in the controversial house of Bigg Boss.

Commenting on her visit to India, Kim said, “Namaste India…main Kim Kardashian aa rahi hoon India…Bigg Boss ke ghar mein.”

On this incredible alliance, Andre Timmins, Director – Wizcraft International Entertainment said, “It gives us great pleasure to welcome and facilitate Kim Kardashian’s maiden visit to India. We are confident that our country and its people will play excellent hosts to this international superstar.”

Now in its eighth season, Bigg Boss, aired on COLORS, is one of the biggest reality shows in India which reaches out to a significantly large number of households. Its gross viewership has only grown over the years making it one of the most talked about shows in the Hindi General Entertainment space. Over 150 million viewers watched the last season of Bigg Boss, which was the highest for any reality show. With the current season thriving equally and the content keeping the viewers on tenterhooks, Bigg Boss Season 8 is sure to draw more viewership and surpass all expectations. Not only on-air but also on social media and other digital platforms, the show’s popularity has taken giant strides thus making it a part of dinner table conversations. The show also boasts of setting benchmarks in terms of partnering with leading brands and innovative integration ideas.

Hosted by superstar Salman Khan, the current edition of Bigg Boss continues to be home to 12 contestants including Karishma Tanna, Diandra Soares, Gautam Gulati, Puneet Issar, Upen Patel, Pritam Singh, Praneet Bhatt, Sonali Raut, Nigaar Khan, Dimpy Ganguly Mahajan, Renee Dhyani and Ali Quli Mirza.

November 17, 2014
Viacom18: The ‘Bigg Boss’ of brand integrations

MUMBAI: Evolution is the key to survival. And the Media and Entertainment industry has mastered the art.

With changing times, the broadcasters, advertisers along with media agencies are coming up with newer and better ways to put forth their message to their viewers beyond the 10 sec or 30 sec TVC. Innovative ways are being found and negotiated to go beyond the 12 minute ad cap authored by the government.

One such network, which through its numerous entities, can be said is at the forefront of it is Viacom18. Take a look at its latest film Mary Kom or Colors’ Bigg Boss. They are a perfect example of how brands can be integrated.

According to Viacom18 group CEO Sudhanshu Vats, as the network offers sponsorships, it will continue to strengthen the value additions like in the case of Snapdeal and Bigg Boss.

Madison Media, recently did brand integrations with the reality show for TVS Scooty Zest and Britannia. Says the media planner from the agency, who didn’t want to be named, “No other network has so many reality shows under its belt. And they all provide a perfect platform to showcase what the sponsor needs to communicate to the audience.”

The deal is made on the table when sponsor and title sponsors come on board. The value additions help the brands to get value for the big bucks they spend on them.

For instance, in Bigg Boss, the key carriers of the brand integration which is also an integral part of the show’s format are the various ‘tasks’ that are given to the housemates to prove themselves. “We ideate in a manner that a brand /product gets woven beautifully in a given task and their positioning and offerings gets highlighted in a seamless manner. For example, the Snapdeal portal used by the housemates to buy essential household items,” says Colors CEO Raj Nayak.

Brands that associate as sponsors, gets branding presence in the house most suitable for their category. The Garnier Men’s Products posters are put up in the bathroom, which gets featured in the show every day; similarly, making a call to a loved one, using the Oppo Smart Phone. Nayak adds, “Suitable to the format and content, brand consumption/ usage is also integrated within the day’s activities.”

The network’s youth entertainment channel, MTV, started embedded advertising in the beginning of the year and since then have had many clients willing to take the new form of advertising. The first few ones being Nokia, Tuborg, ITC and Gionee.

The phenomenon isn’t new, but a lot of broadcasters are taking the route to keep the advertisers happy as well as get in the mullah. The network, which follows the restricted advertisement air time, hikes its rates at regular intervals to keep the in-flow going. And through its numerous properties keeps the marketers happy.

With the onset of reality shows, advertisers have got more opportunities. Also, one can have repeat messaging in non-fiction shows, which is not too easy to introduce in fiction shows. However, if ample development time is given, then even in fiction shows brand stories can be fused, as Colors did with Tata Motors for its show 24.

IPG Mediabrands India GM (content and experiences) Dhruv Jha elaborates on the Tata Motors and 24 deal. “These integrations are more like an extension of the media deals, but they need to done in a smart manner. A forced-upon integration can put off a viewer and not benefit both the channel and the brand as well.”

To make the integration an integral “part” of the show, one needs to draw the fine line. The task isn’t easy.

Ideation starts with the brand brief; next comes synergising the key messaging of the brand with the most suitable content piece so as to hit the viewers/ consumers in the most fitting manner. It is also important to review the operational aspect during ideation – arranging for the products, branding scope in the scene, feasibility of integrating the brand ambassador etc. Social media is often used to create pre and post telecast buzz around the integrations.

“Innovation is something that has been ingrained in our channel’s DNA, and as the saying goes, if you’ve seen it before, it ain’t innovation. We challenge ourselves with every show – whether its Bigg Boss, Khatron ke Khiladi, Jhalak Dikhhla Jaa, India’s Got Talent or 24 to ensure that there’s a delight factor both for the viewers as well as the sponsors,” boasts Nayak.

The brands which show the most interest to come on board are e-commerce and smartphone companies. And now with the markets stabilising, the channels are also seeing renewed interests from auto sector, food and FMCG sectors.

The trend is now veering towards integration of brands “strategically” across all engagement points and not be uni-dimensional or have a shotgun approach.

November 15, 2014
MIPCOM 2014: Best time to invest in India, say Indian media barons

CANNES: Indian content market is going through an exciting phase, and putting the scenario upfront to the world, through one of the biggest stages at the ongoing MIPCOM 2014 was the India panel which comprised of Colors CEO Raj Nayak, Balaji Telefilms group CEO Sameer Nair, Rajshri Entertainment managing director and CEO Rajjat Barjatya and online video expert and ex-head of YouTube content south/south east Asia Amit Agrawal. The session on ‘New business strategies from India’ was moderated by PwC global leader, entertainment and media Fenez Marcel.

Setting the stage for some heated discussion was Nayak when he highlighted one of the biggest issues the country faces: lack of broadband. “Lack of connectivity is an issue. If the experience of watching becomes smooth, it will be a game changer,” he said.

Comparing the online market in India with that of the world, Agrawal said that the Indian market has both traditional medium and online play “and both are very strong,” he informed adding that this meant huge opportunity to tap into.

Agrawal went on to say that while India consumes a lot of content online, almost 30-40 per cent of this content is not made in India. “That’s a huge chunk. I am seeing an emergence of micro-communities with technology. This will enable the content producer to tackle the right community. It will happen and very soon, may be in the next 12-18 months,” he stressed.

There is too much of fragmentation in the country, currently. Mentioning the Telecom Regulatory Authority of India’s regulation about ad-cap for pay TV, Nayak said, “Once this happens, the supply and demand ratio will change. This will also help in the yield going up, because the demand will go up. We have to come at a point where the FTA channels will carry advertising with no limitations, pay channels which will have 10+2 advertising and very premium channels will have no advertising.”

Barjatya who wears the hat of both traditional movie maker and digital feels that India is at a cusp of digital revolution. “For me the opportunity is to reach the global audience, especially through mobile. Traditional media rules cannot be applied on mobile,” he said.

The YouTube journey in India started with traditional media content that was distributed to audience which was moving away from traditional media. “But now, over the last one and a half years, I see so many online channels coming up on comedy, food, music, news, tech bloggers have all come up,” informed Agrawal.

With a contradicting viewpoint, Nayak said that YouTube is the biggest competitor to the broadcaster. And that it is due to this, that the broadcaster, since the last month, has taken its hit show Comedy Nights with Kapil off YouTube. “I am a big believer of digital media and I feel it is the future, but I also feel that it will co-exist with television and they will grow parallel.”

Viacom itself is looking at a lot of short formats. “But the problem is that unless broadband issue is not addressed, monetisation will remain a huge problem. If you look at the money, YouTube does Rs 500-600 crore business from India, where television is a Rs 7000 crore business, so the numbers are small and that will not grow until and unless the bandwidth issues are addressed,” said Nayak.

Nayak believes that no one in India has so far mastered the art of monetising content on the digital media, social media the way it should be, given its increasing reach and targeting abilities..

“Monetisation will happen with broadband and hopefully this should be resolved with the rollout of 4G,” he added.

The panel also put forth its wish list for the new government formed under Prime Minister Narendra Modi. According to Nair regulation for content already exists, which is beneficial to the whole industry. Highlighting PM Narendra Modi’s ‘come make in India’ campaign, he said that the government is giving open invitation for people to come to India. “As for Raj’s point that producers in India are not partnering with broadcasters and thus not sharing risks, we are looking at that very seriously and are encouraging everyone else to do it. If there is a risk-reward mechanism, everyone can benefit,” explained Nair.

As for Nayak, keeping in mind the dynamic & tech-savvy PM the country currently has, who understands the power of the Digital media, connectivity and broadband will get addressed in a much faster footing. Given that electricity is still erratic in rural India, people will communicate and consume content through mobile phones. “I would ask him to release spectrum because that’s a big issue that’s coming in the way of growing business. Another thing that I would request is complete implementation of the digitisation, process which is expected to be over by 2016 . He further added that broadcasters are not getting their fair share of subscription revenue and this can only happen once the digitisation process is complete and all stakeholders start seeing the benefits,” he said.

Barjatya’s wish list consists of wiring up India and encouraging Indian entrepreneurs to have a global outlook rather than be restricted to Indian audiences alone. “We need to appeal to the audience outside of India,” he said.

For Agrawal, the government should remove hurdles. “Out of all the YouTube content that we produce, more than 70 per cent of the viewership for programme comes from global audiences. We haven’t done a great job in marketing ourselves and make people aware of the country,” he added.

Nayak is hoping for a dynamic change in the media industry, with the new PM.

The discussion also touched upon the consumer behaviour in the country. “We see a lot of consumption happening on handheld devices. When we began, 10 per cent of our views were from handheld devices, today it is almost 50-50 and that number is higher in India than in the rest of the world. India’s next billion people will access internet on mobile, and will not know about PCs,” opined Barjatya.

Agreeing to this, Nayak said that the reason it will happen is because for mobile, one doesn’t need electricity. “We have 160 million homes and 900 million handheld devices right now, which is expected to go up to 1.5 billion handsets. So the explosion is happening. Power will take a lot of time to be addressed, but if you have internet, you can consume content,” he informed.

Nair classified the audiences and the programmes being made. He said, “The television industry currently is programming for newer audiences who are more into household dramas. Then there are also those who have already lived through all this and are now looking for more. The audience is evolving. There will be more niche channels.”

All the panelists felt that this is the best time to invest in India. “In India, people are ready to match dollar to dollar. And we are ready to put the money where our mouth is,” announced Nair.

Concluding the session with one advice to entrants in the market, Nair said, “It is important to be patient. We are still at the ground floor, but we can build.”

October 14, 2014
Integration with Bigg Boss season 8 gets 1 million new visitors on Snapdeal

NEW DELHI: Snapdeal.com witnessed over 1 million incremental visits as a result of its innovative programming integration on Bigg Boss Season 8. In September, 2014 Snapdeal.com, India’s largest online marketplace, announced its association with COLORS’ popular reality show Bigg Boss Season 8 as its title sponsor. Since the launch of the show, Snapdeal.com together with COLORS has introduced a series of seamless integrations which have engaged both the contestants and viewers.

As a part of the first phase of the programming integration, Snapdeal.com was seen as an integral part of the Bigg Boss house (episode13 aired on 03 October 2014), where the contestants were seen competing for points through specially designed tasks and using them to purchase products. A special shopping experience was created for the contestants through an interface showcasing products that were essential for sustenance in the house across the consumer durables and electronics categories. Through this integration, viewers got an opportunity to see the Bigg Boss contestants shop on India’s most trusted digital marketplace and also experience Snapdeal.com’s Diwali Bumper Sale.

Talking about the partnership, Snapdeal.com Senior Vice President Marketing Sandeep Komaravelly said, “This partnership was a strategic move to integrate closely with one of the most popular shows on television. Bigg Boss is a popular show and widely viewed across the country. We saw this as the perfect opportunity to reach out to as well as increase our consumer base by engaging with them directly in their homes. The response that we have received till now is encouraging, and we are looking forward to receiving the same in the future as well.”

Colors CEO Raj Nayak said, “Bigg Boss Season 8 is only getting bigger and better with every season. Joining hands with Snapdeal has given us the window to go beyond conventional integration ideas that will not only enhance the overall viewing experience for the audience but also help our sponsor to reach out to a wider audience base. In addition to the above, a special opportunity has been created for Bigg Boss fans to buy exclusive Bigg Boss merchandise from the Snapdeal website. The creation of such opportunities for our viewers as well as Snapdeal customers will enable us to draw synergies which will translate into a win-win situation for both parties. As the weeks progress, we aim to further build our partnership with multiple consumer engagement activities.”

Further, Snapdeal.com has for the first time in India, also introduced a first-of-its-kind Bigg Boss merchandise store on its website where Bigg Boss aficionados can now own memorabilia from their favorite show. A wide range of products have been specially designed which will be available to consumers on: http://www.snapdeal.com/offers/bigg-boss-merchandise.

Last week Snapdeal.com launched the “Order Order” contest for its customers. This contest allows consumers to be a part of the show directly wherein they have to select a quirky product for one of the contestants of the Bigg Boss House while citing a reason for doing so. Every week the customer who selects the most interesting combination of the product and reason, will get the opportunity of a lifetime to speak with host Salman Khan as well as one Bigg Boss contestant. For more details, log on to www.biggboss.snapdeal.com.

Snapdeal.com together with Colors has many interesting programming integrations lined up and as the show progresses, viewers will get to engage more closely with the show via Snapdeal.com.

October 8, 2014
Colors revisits history with ‘Chakravartin Ashoka Samrat’

MUMBAI: Colors today announced the advent of a new journey by taking viewers one step closer to Indian history with Chakravartin Ashoka Samrat.

Written by author Ashok Banker, who is making his comeback to television after nearly two decades, Chakravartin Ashoka Samrat is the first time that the king’s story will be narrated on television. The show is being produced by Contiloe Entertainment.

Commenting on the show, Colors CEO Raj Nayak said, “Nothing gives us more joy than recreating history by narrating the story of one of the greatest rulers of India. We are currently in the initial stages of production where the lion just can’t wait to roar.”

“All the splendor and majesty of this great emperor will come alive on this extraordinary series as we promise to take our viewers through important chapters in Indian history. Further, the show’s concept and universal appeal is bound to entice our marketers and advertisers while creating multiple avenues to enable us to reach out to our collective target audiences,” he added.

The historical retelling of this tale on Colors will showcase the journey and lifetime of emperor Ashoka, from his rise to power to his state of penance after the gory blood-bath in the battle of Kalinga that made him give up war to embrace Buddhism.

Commenting on the show, Banker said, “It’s been a long and tedious process of carefully joining the dots and putting together a regal story for the viewers. While the epic story of Ashoka, the great Mauryan emperor, is waiting to be told, we hope to recreate history on Indian television with our significant efforts of retelling this great tale of Chakravartin Ashoka Samrat that changed the face of India’s cultural heritage.”

October 4, 2014
Ad Club Bangalore all set for the Big Bang Awards

BENGALURU: The Advertising Club Bangalore, which has received a record number of 956 entries this year from Bangalore, Mumbai, Delhi NCR, Chennai, Kochi, Trivandrum, Ahmadabad and Pune, has announced this year’s edition of Big Bang Awards.

Club Bangalore (The Ad Club) president Malavika Harita said, “We have received good number of entries almost across all categories. Digital advertising entries are on the rise, in keeping with the general trend in advertising”.

The Ad Club executive director Arvind Kumar said, “A unique thing that is being added to the awards night this year, is a panel discussion on the topic ‘Online killed the offline star –true or false ‘.” The panelists expected to be on the panel include Colors CEO Raj Nayak, Google India’s Puneetha Armugam, among others.

“Ad Club has roped in around 40 judges, who are judging the Big Bang entries this year, and each entry is being will be judged by a group of three judges, who are experts in their field of communication, to ensure there is fairness in the judging process” Arvind Kumar added.

The awards event, presented by Bangalore Mirror of The Times of India group for the fifth year in a row, will be held on 19 September at The Ritz Carlton Hotel, Bangalore. The other partners of the event include Colors – Viacom 18 Group, Image Library, Radio City, Exchange4Media, Ritz Carlton and Jagdish Advertising. The event is conceptualised and managed by DNA Networks.

September 19, 2014
‘Parivarik’ Bigg Boss 8 ready to take off

MUMBAI: It is that time of the year when everyone will rush back home to switch on their television sets to watch 12 known faces stuck in the house.

Yes, one of the biggest non-fiction properties of the Indian television industry – Bigg Boss – is back on Colors. Come 21 September, in its eighth season, the show will have in store a never-seen-before thrilling adventure which promises to be all about bumps, jolts and spilled drinks.

Pieced together by Endemol India, the bhai of Bollywood, Salman Khan, will host the show which is themed around aviation with the tagline ‘Bigg Boss aath, sabki lagegi vaat’.

12 first-class passengers and newsmakers from all walks of life, will block their seats in this one of a kind aircraft, forge their own connections and survive in this airspace. So are contestants selected as per the theme? “No,” comes a quick reply from Colors CEO Raj Nayak. “Contestants are not chosen according to the theme. We choose contestants from different walks of life and then map them. There are certain characteristics we are looking for as we don’t want boring people in the house.” Thorough research is conducted to analyse their way of thinking and behaviour.

He recalls the moment that two years ago after being the victim of too many controversies, the channel had decided to change the theme and go parivarik with the show. Like always, he believes the challenge is to not show content which can be uncomfortable for families. So, the channel takes the decision of editing the content.

“At the end of the day one must realise that contestants are recorded 24 hour and it is not that things don’t happen in the house. But we will not show such things on-air. Obviously there are dos and don’ts, but on television we are very careful. And ever since we made it parivarik, we have not got a single complain,” says Nayak.

Nayak further goes on to say that he has received a feedback saying it is an educational programme on human psychology. “For me, we have looked it as an education programme on human psychology and at the same time it is entertaining and see different sides of human beings. It teaches you a lot of things. So, here there is an opportunity for you to sit down and say that I am doing a crash course on human psychology in 100 days,” laughs Nayak.

He states that the channel does not have any control on how the contestants behave on the show. According to Nayak it is a challenge because it is not scripted and there is no interference from the channel’s side even if things get ugly. The only communication between the channel and the contestants is through the Bigg Boss and the various tasks. “We create some tasks which may create friction, romance, etc. And if it gets little boring, we cover it by doing dance competition. We cannot control how they behave in what they do,” says Nayak.

Considered to be the most expensive property on TV, the spend goes into the set, contestants, technological equipment, the celebrity host and marketing. According to sources, the production cost per season is around Rs 180 crore.

Endemol managing director Deepak Dhar believes that the show has won over viewers across age groups. “The audiences revel in the erratic format of Bigg Boss and with every season we reinvent ourselves to make the show as unpredictable and entertaining as ever.” Also the creators have realised that the Khan as host transcends from a seven year old to a 75 year old.

After five-long years, the channel has got on-board Snapdeal as its new presenting sponsor instead of Vodafone India. In a deal which is speculated to be worth Rs 35 crore, this is a giant leap for the e-commerce site which had previously sponsored reality shows on MTV including MTV Roadies.

Talking about the partnership, Nayak says that several e-commerce firms wanted to get on board but they snapped the deal. He also added that the Bigg Boss 8 team approached the company for the sponsorship. The deal is currently for only one year and the CEO hopes to continue the association in the future.

Excited with this new collaboration Snapdeal CEO Kunal Bahl says, “The money is well spent. Hopefully this is the beginning to a long relationship. This is the right show for our young brand to reach the right audience. Sure that we will get a good return for our investment.”

With the huge competition in the e-commerce space and the stringent government policies, India-based online retailers like Snapdeal have been looking for various new ways for raising funds. This partnership is going to make perfect brand recognition for Snapdeal.

The channel has also roped in Oppo Mobiles as the powered by sponsor. Moreover, Colors has created a new category called ‘Driven by’ and has roped Maruti Suzuki. Other associate sponsors are Garnier Men, TVS Motors, Cardekho.com, Bisleri Urzza and JK Tyres.

The channel is not looking at getting more sponsors on-board. “There are lots of people who may not be able to afford the tickets as of Rs 10-12 crore. Plus we have a lot of advertisers who are our regular patrons, so we want to give them an opportunity to also be a part of Bigg Boss,” Nayak reveals that sponsors consume normally 65 per cent of the inventory. As for the ad rates this time, the channel has increased its overall pricing by almost 30 per cent as compared to the previous seasons.

According to sources, each associate sponsor pays Rs 12-15 crore. Spot rates range from Rs 4.5-5 lakh per 10 seconds in episodes that feature Salman Khan, while other episodes command Rs 3.4-4 lakh per 10 seconds. For the channel to breakeven, ad revenues are pegged around Rs 350 crore.

On the marketing front, hundred per cent consumer entertainment being the mantra of Airlines #BB8, the marketing strategies will revolve around increasing the market penetration and connecting with new consumers.

The route will be encompassing all the mediums across 200 cities and towns to encourage repeat flying for the viewers. For a higher resonance radio stations across 30 cities will be tapped. For build-up, promotional content will be plugged in across 30 channels and, for a glaring visibility and tune in, an attractive outdoor campaign will don the high walls at strategic locations in key cities.

On order for the consumers to get better passenger information an interesting digital plan has been floated. Viewers can source the entire daily dose via Facebook and Twitter. While FB will have a fun Bigg Boss themed app to test the survival strategies of the player, Twitter will leak live information 24*7. The website www.colors.in will have uncensored videos and a Khabri who will blog live updates. Moreover, a mobile app will beam the live feed to keep the viewers tuned in on the go.

This time Snapdeal is very keen keeping in mind the virtual space. “You will find a lot of engagement activities on the digital space where you will be able to get Snapdeal vouchers, gifts and much more exciting stuff,” adds Nayak.

Unlike last year, where Bigg Boss videos where also available on YouTube, this year the channel has banned it.

About the expectations from this season, Nayak believes that he is very superstitious with numbers. “Every time you launch a show you hope that it will be better than the previous season. Previous season had a very good opening, so we think this season should do it even better. The promos we have launched this time and the amount of buzz we have got is the highest we have ever seen either on social media or general feedback.”

On Twitter, Nayak confidently says that there is no other show in this country that trends as much as Bigg Boss does the moment the show is launched. “I don’t have to spend much money also on marketing because the buzz gets created on its own,” concludes Nayak.

September 13, 2014