Will 'Bigg Boss' make money for Colors this year?

Mahesh Shetty, head, network sales, Viacom18, says he is approaching the show with "positivity"

'Bigg Boss', the Indian version of the British show 'Big Brother', is one of the most expensive propositions on television. For Viacom18's general entertainment channel (GEC) Colors, 'Bigg Boss' is a marquee property. A giant house where celebrities are kept together away from their families, the show appeals to a younger, male audience, unlike the daily soaps that are skewed towards female (audience).

Last year (2019), NDTV reported that the host, Bollywood star Salman Khan, was paid Rs 2 crore for a day he committed to the channel. 'Bigg Boss 2019', which Viacom18 calls the most successful edition the channel as ever produced, went on for 140 episodes, delivering both ratings and revenue.

This year (2020), there has been a cloud of uncertainly looming over the show. The country was under COVID-induced lockdowns for the most part of the first quarter of the financial year 2020-21. The advertising on TV channels dropped drastically. However, 'Bigg Boss' will be back on air from October 3.

Once the decision was made that Colors will place the big bet, it was time to sell the slots and recover the cost. Along with Salman Khan, the broadcasters also write cheques to all the contestants. It goes bigger the longer they stay in the house.

Despite it being an expensive proposition, over the years, 'Bigg Boss' has emerged as a profitable property for the network. This year, it is not only the channel, but the entire TV industry is expecting 'Bigg Boss' to lead the recovery efforts.

Are advertisers willing to spend a hefty amount advertising their brands on 'Bigg Boss'? So far, Colors has brought fantasy sports app MPL on board as the presenting sponsor, while Dabur and Hindustan Unilever's 'TRESemmé' have associated as 'powered by sponsors'.

Mahesh Shetty, head, network sales, Viacom18, says he is approaching the show with "positivity". He is optimistic that 60 per cent of the ad inventory will be sold before 'Bigg Boss' goes on air. Here is what he had to say about his interaction with the advertisers, and how he thinks the show will perform, in terms of revenue.

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