Big TV shows Intends for Monetary Gain during the Festive Season

Huge impact TV shows such as Bigg Boss and Kaun Banega Crorepati (KBC) predict an increase in viewership and advertising revenue during the festival season because no major cricket tournaments are scheduled during this time.

This year's festive season lacks significant cricket competitions such as the ICC Cricket World Cup, which has freed up advertising funds for high-impact programs such as KBC and Bigg Boss, according to reports. Last year, the ICC Cricket World Cup, held in India, dominated both viewership and advertising spending during the holiday season, leaving less money for non-cricket entertainment properties.

According to market estimates, the reality shows over this year's festive season will generate up to Rs 1,000 crore in advertising revenue. "We are seeing a lot of interest for impact programming across networks," said GroupM South Asia COO Ashwin Padmanabhan.

"We're seeing a positive response from companies on Big Boss across languages. KBC has arguably had the most advertiser interest in recent years."

According to Padmanabhan, the lack of a significant cricket property and improved consumer attitude are driving demand for impact assets.

"Last year, a lot of Christmas spending went into cricket. "So all that money will be available," he continued. "Secondly, promotions for August 15 and end-of-season sale in June-July performed well after two years, and rural consumption is expected to improve due to a good monsoon."

Bigg Boss is one of the most popular products on TV and digital, with the show producing about 2.5 billion minutes of viewing time across both platforms in the previous season, according to Alok Jain, Viacom18 president of general entertainment.

"To put that in perspective, it's as if every Indian has spent at least two hours watching the show this season." Outside of the IPL, this is the largest property in Indian entertainment," he stated. Mahesh Shetty, Viacom18's head of network sales, said the company has successfully secured sponsorship deals and is in the process of negotiating more. He did not name any companies.

"Bigg Boss continues to draw top brands thanks to its ability to provide more than just ordinary ad spots. "The show adds value through creative brand integrations," he explained. Ranjana Mangla, Sony LIV's head of advertising sales, emphasized the importance of large-scale reality shows such as KBC, which last 142 days and cause a market paradigm change.

The festival season, from Raksha Bandhan to Diwali, is a key time for the advertising and media industries. Advertisers purposefully raise their marketing efforts during this time to profit on the increased customer demand.

Among the reality series, Viacom18's Fear Factor: Khatron Ke Khiladi was the first to air, with five sponsors, followed by Sony Pictures Networks India's KBC, which has over 30 TV and internet advertisers. The 18th season of Bigg Boss Hindi, hosted by Salman Khan, premieres on October 5. Bigg Boss Marathi, hosted by Riteish Deshmukh, debuted on July 28.