Mumbai : Salman Khan is set to enter Indian households through Colors’ flagship reality show, Bigg Boss in its ninth season aka Bigg Boss 9, the show will see slight tweaks in the format and a new time slot @ 10.30 pm. Bigg Boss 9 is set to premier on 11th October and Snapdeal retained the title sponsorship of this season too and the channel is likely to bring in revenue of Rs 140-150 crore.
Bigg Boss is the Indian adaptation of format owner Endemol’s Big Brother, where celebrities are locked in an isolated house for close to three months. The inmates are ‘eliminated’ every week, based on the equation with fellow inmates and voting. The show has been a popular property on Viacom18’s flagship general entertainment channel since 2008 and attracts hefty sponsorships.
“Bigg Boss is the most sought show by advertisers. Every year, we have a big problem, as we end up upsetting clients whom we are unable to accommodate. As a policy, we offer the right of first refusal to existing sponsors and because of the value they get in return, most of them come back year after year. This year, too, we have Snapdeal, OPPO Mobile, Maruti Swift, Garnier Men Powerlight (L’Oreal) and CP Plus CCTV cameras. We are in discussions with other sponsors and because the ticket size is big, it takes time,” says Raj Nayak, CEO of Colors.
Snapdeal came on board as title sponsor last year, after telecom operator Vodafone’s five-year deal with the channel ended. Sources reveal sponsorships have seen a 10-12 per cent increase in rates since last year.
The title sponsorship last year was estimated at Rs 35 crore. While associate sponsors had paid Rs 8-10 crore, OPPO shelled out Rs 22 crore for the powered-by sponsorship. Apart from this, the spot buys are expected to fetch the channel Rs 3-4 lakh for 10 seconds, depending on the stage at which the show is.
“This is one show which gives you an opportunity for both active and passive branding. Based on client briefs and the theme of the season, the creative teams work on solutions that deliver the desired impact for the brand without compromising on the creativity of the show,” says Nayak.
Analysts believe while the content of the show draws viewers (and hence advertisers), it is one of the rare reality properties on television that is consistently on-air seven days a week for three months. This continuity helps on two fronts – the advertisers have a wider exposure to the target group and it increases the advertising inventory available for sale.
While the monies pouring in are big, the channel expects to break even with this kind of revenue. Colors has always maintained Bigg Boss is an important and expensive property for the channel and helps drive ratings and perception, not necessarily profits. Despite being among the costliest shows around (a typical season of Bigg Boss can cost Rs 120-150 crore depending on the sets, anchor, celebrities, etc), the channel has been able to break even in the past couple of years.
Bigg Boss Nau, as the new season is being marketed, will air in the 10.30 pm slot instead of 10 pm. Nayak says research has showed the best time slot for a show like Bigg Boss is 10 pm as a lot of people in places such as Mumbai come home late on weekdays. “Because we already have a successful show at that time, we have to schedule it at 10.30 pm, which in today’s scenario is also a very good slot. Our endeavour is to ensure the content that comes out of the house is engaging and sticky,” he says.
The show will air at a time when the channel is going great guns in the ratings arena. It has been the No 1 channel for three weeks now, trumping Star India’s Star Plus. Apart from Bigg Boss Nau, which has traditionally given Colors a shot in the arm in terms of ratings, Nayak and team are gearing up to launch a bevy of new shows over the next three months to maintain this momentum. While he insists it is never about being number one, putting out the cutting edge and innovative content has been the main objective.
“We always strive to create properties, which stay true to our core proposition and put in our best effort. But the outcome is never in our hands – it is dependent completely on audience reaction to the product we have presented to them. But yes, it feels great to be at the top,” says Nayak.
According to the latest reports, Host Salman Khan will be joined by Khiladi Akshay Kumar as a co-host for the Bigg Boss Season 9 and hence the new season was themed as Double Trouble.
