Mumbai : Zee TV is bringing back its Kids singing reality property ‘Sa Re Ga Ma Pa Li’l Champs as reported by tvnews4u.com. In its fifth season the channel has hiked its ad rates by 50% when compared with the rates of 2011 due to reduction in duration of show time and related inventory crunches.
Starting December 27, the show will air every Saturday and Sunday at 9 pm. The show is returning on the channel after a gap of over three years. As compared to the previous season which aired for around 18-20 weeks, Sa Re Ga Ma Pa Li’l Champs will air for 13 weeks this season.
Ashish Sehgal, chief sales officer, Zee Entertainment Enterprises confirmed that the channel is asking for ad rate which is 50 per cent higher than the last season. “The last season was aired in 2011 and it aired for a longer duration, not only in terms of number of episodes but also minutes per episode. Last season aired for around 90 minutes, while this one will air for around 60 minutes. So, if the number of weeks it’s going to air for is slashing to 13 weeks, the inventories will decrease. We will hence have to take corrective measure to make sure that the ad revenue target of the show doesn’t suffer. We are bullish about the performance of the show.”
The channel is still in talks with the advertisers. Sehgal indicated that many advertisers are wanting to come back on the show, but the deals have not being signed yet. Zee TV is looking at getting eights sponsors on board for the show, including six presenting sponsors and two powered by sponsors.
“The channel is getting back the show after three years. It’s performance will depend on the format of the show and the quality of the judges. In recent years, singing reality show has been struggling to connect with audiences. So, it will be a challenge to ingrain the property again after this gap. Having said that, since it’s a kids special, emotional connect can trigger family viewing,” says Dhirendra Singh, head, Planning – AVP, BPN.
