Big Boss in Tamil: Star Vijay expects Kamal Hasan-led show to boost growth

Star Group is betting big on the Tamil version of the reality show

Vijay Television, the Tamil channel of Star Group, is expecting its non-fiction content to go up to almost 50 per cent of its total portfolio with the launch of the Tamil version of Big Boss, the reality show which has crossed 10 seasons in Hindi.

The Tamil channel of Star Group has seen a growth of more than 35 per cent in its gross rating points (GRP) in the past five months after it has reshaped its content, said a senior official from the company.

"We will be launching the show in mid June and right now we are gearing up with the production and marketing plans to make this one of the largest launches the market has seen," said Krishnan Kutty, business head, Vijay Television Pvt Ltd. The company has signed leading actor Kamal Hasan to host the show and the format is identical to the Hindi version.

"During the period in which Big Boss would be playing, our mix would be approximately 50 per cent reality shows and the rest would be fiction and drama. This is the largest non-fiction format we have attempted," he said, adding that the channel has attempted the Kaun Banega Crorepati (KBC) format for a few seasons in the language.

There is a larger appetite for non-fiction programmes, especially among local advertisers. Drama and fiction are usually attractive to national advertisers, but these are not exclusive domains. The company has tied up with Vivo as title sponsors for Big Boss.

The company has started reshaping its strategy and business approach and has launched a lot of new shows. This has resulted in a positive consumer response. The GRP, a standard measure used by advertisers and broadcasters, has grown almost 36 per cent from 295 in December 2016 to 402 in April 2017. According to company officials, the GRP has gone up from 239 in April 2016 to 402 in April 2017.

"We are extremely encouraged by the response. Big Boss is a very significant step we are taking in this growth," he added.

Vijay Television is the second largest general entertainment channel (GEC) in terms of market share. However, the difference between the first player and the second is significant. Sun TV has almost 60 per cent market share in the GEC segment, Vijay TV has 15 per cent and Zee Tamil has around 11 per cent market share.

Currently, it manages two channels – Vijay TV and Vijay Super – and it would look at opportunities to expand to new channels if the bandwidth is available at the cable operator's end with the digitisation efforts.