Bigg Boss draws Rs 140-cr sponsorship revenue

With six sponsors contributing Rs 140 crore in sponsorship revenue, show continues to attract moolah even in its 10th season

Colors’ reality show Bigg Boss has attracted six commercial partners, with the presenting sponsor having signed on as early as six months ago, despite the show being in its tenth season. The total sponsorship revenue for the show is Rs 140-145 crore.

This season of Bigg Boss will have Parle Agro's Appy Fizz as the presenting sponsor while Oppo Cameraphone has been roped in as “powered by” sponsor, Maruti Suzuki Swift the “driven by” sponsor and UC Browser as “trending” partner. Clean and Dry and Garnier Men Face Wash are associate sponsors.

Snapdeal, last year’s presenting sponsor, bowed out in keeping with the trend of e-commerce companies rationalising expenditure on marketing, this is the third consecutive year of association of Bigg Boss with Oppo and Maruti Suzuki and over seven years with Garnier Men Face Wash.

“Our strategy this year was different. We were opening the house for the common man and were asking them to upload videos for auditions. Since there was a huge marketing activity planned around it we roped in a presenting sponsor six months in advance,” said Raj Nayak, CEO, Colors.

Bigg Boss Season 10 goes on air on October 16 and will have Bollywood actor Salman Khan as the host for the fifth season in a row. The show will air at 10.30 pm on weekdays and at 9 pm on weekends.

Industry estimates peg the presenting sponsorship at Rs 40 crore, a premium over what Snapdeal was paying last year. The powered by, auto partner and trending partner associations have been sold between Rs 20 crore and Rs 25 crore while associate sponsorships have come at Rs 15 crore.

The cost of the show, for the duration of three months, is expected to be Rs 150 crore, making it one of the most expensive shows in the country.

The advertiser response to Bigg Boss has been growing consistently, despite multiple seasons, and sponsorship revenue has kept pace with the cost. The content of the show, once it goes on air, will decide the spot rates and inventory consumption though.

The show has in the past integrated brands into the format through tasks that the contestants are expected to perform, or through innovations like “Vodafone caller of the day”, a segment on the show over weekends when Vodafone was a sponsor. This year, too, it will continue with the trend.

“We have created an Appy Fizz Zone inside the Bigg Boss house aligned with the new look of the brand. We are introducing the Appy Fizz Caller of the Week segment, wherein every weekend the contestants will have to face questions directed at them by consumers. We are planning a series of selfie-led integrations for Oppo throughout the season. Similarly, we have key integrations planned for Maruti Suzuki Swift, UC Browser, Clean and Dry and Garnier Men Face Wash,” Nayak said.

Bigg Boss is one of the few Indian shows to have so many editions and has avoided viewer fatigue. “It is an unscripted reality show. Once we put the contestants in the house, we have no control and reality takes over,” Nayak said.

Colors’ has devised a 360-degree integrated marketing campaign to promote Bigg Boss 10 across various platforms, including out-of-home media and radio. The show has a special tie-up with Radio Mirchi in Gujarat for Navratri, has associated with Durga Puja pandals and with vada pav and tea stalls in Mumbai, launched the Bigg Boss Whopper at Burger King outlets, and has over 5,000 Bigg Boss branded cabs in New Delhi and Mumbai.

On the digital front, the channel has collaborated with stand-up comedian Varun Thakur to create videos that build intrigue and drive conversations around Bigg Boss. Through his specially curated avatar Vicky, he will be seen giving tips to the general public on how to make it big inside the Bigg Boss house. This is in addition to promoting the show on some of the channel’s own fiction properties like Udann, Shakti and Naagin.