Last Updated : Sep 08, 2020 08:01 AM IST | Source: Moneycontrol.com

COVID-19 impact: Bigg Boss will clash with IPL, but Colors is not worried

The overlap between the cricketing league and the reality show will be there only for eight days, says Mahesh Shetty, Head, Network Sales, Viacom18. He says more new brands have shown readiness to advertise.

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In a first, the Indian Premier League (IPL) will clash with reality show Bigg Boss but broadcaster Colors is not worried.

After months of delay due to the Coronavirus-led lockdown, the IPL will be held between September 19 and November 3 in the UAE. The cricketing league is usually scheduled in the first half of the year.

Despite IPL being a big property, Colors is confident about getting traction from both viewers and advertisers. Here’s why.

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Only an 8-day overlap

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“Advertisers want viewers. Now the question is whether viewers will choose between IPL and Bigg Boss. That will not be the case because Bigg Boss is a 106-day property, starting on October 3 and going all the way up to January. IPL starts on September 19 and goes till November. The overlap will be 37 days,” Mahesh Shetty, Head, Network Sales, Viacom18, told Moneycontrol.

Viacom18 owns Colors channel, which airs Bigg Boss. The show is produced by Endemol Shine, a Dutch production and distribution company, which has also produced global shows like Big Brother, MasterChef, among others.

“Even in these 37 days, there will be no clash as Bigg Boss starts at 10:30 pm and IPL starts at 7:30 pm and ends at 10:30 pm. So, the viewer can watch both. The overlap will be there only for four weekends because during weekends our show (Bigg Boss) is at 9 pm. So, an eight-day overlap is small,” he said.

Advertisers are back for Big Boss

For the 14th season of Bigg Boss, Shetty believes that most brands will come back with advertisements.

“Last year, we had nine sponsors and we are confident that we will have nine or more this year. Also, like last season, we will have the same number of brands advertising this year,” he said. As many as 100 brands had advertised during Bigg Boss 13.

What is making Shetty confident is the timing of the show. “The show is during the festive period. So we expect strong viewership. Traction from brands is also good,” added Shetty.

While broadcasters are not offering discounts, Shetty said they would have hiked rates for the new season of Bigg Boss by 25-30 percent, but for COVID-19. The 13^th season of Bigg Boss was the most successful. The ad rates during the last season of Bigg Boss ranged between Rs 3 lakh and Rs 3.5 lakh for a 10-second slot.

Ad rates will go up if we see demand increasing, hinted Shetty. He expects to sell 60 percent ad inventory before the start of Bigg Boss.

New brands join the show

For the new season, the show has retained Dabur Dant Rakshak Ayurvedic Paste as one of the main sponsors, a brand which has been an active advertiser for both Hindi and the regional editions of Bigg Boss.

As for new brands, Mobile Premier League (MPL) has replaced Vivo as the presenting sponsor and Hindustan Unilever has also come on board.

Along with COVID-19, the advertising space has been hit adversely by the ban on Chinese apps and Chinese brands are lying low due to the anti-China sentiments in India. Though Bigg Boss is seeing some impact, Shetty said it is not much.

Vivo, which was the presenting sponsor for Big Boss last year, backed out this season, but Shetty said that MPL has replaced the phone company for a similar ad rate. Vivo was the main sponsor for IPL 2019 as well.

Last year, Vivo had signed a two-year deal worth Rs 60 crore with Colors for Bigg Boss.

Helo, which was one of the sponsors of Bigg Boss last year, was banned in India in July this year. However, Shetty said that new categories like online gaming and edu-tech are nullifying the negative impact.

Shetty is confident of Bigg Boss performing the same way as last year -- both in viewership and revenue. This will be good news for the advertising space, which saw one of the toughest periods this year.

Disclosure: Viacom 18 and Moneycontrol are part of Network 18 group

First Published on Sep 8, 2020 08:01 am