Regionalising Bigg Boss pays off, Colors Marathi back with Season 2

Colors Marathi has announced the launch of Season 2 of 'Bigg Boss Marathi' with actor, director, and producer, Mahesh Manjrekar returning as the host. Produced by Endemol Shine India, the show will premiere on May 26 at 7.00 pm, with subsequent episodes to run Monday to Sunday at 9.30 pm on Colors Marathi. 'Bigg Boss Marathi Season 2' will have 15 contestants returning to the ‘House’ as inmates.

While borrowing the format of its hugely successful 'Bigg Boss' Hindi counterpart, 'Bigg Boss Marathi' has a distinct regional flavour catering to the family driven consumption that is still predominant in Marathi speaking markets. Last year, the property revitalised the languishing channel and brought it from below 100 GVMs to close to 150 GVMs.

According to Ravish Kumar, Head – Regional Entertainment, Viacom18, “Colors Marathi saw a healthy 49 per cent growth last fiscal and a marquee property like 'Bigg Boss' amongst others contributed a large part of it. With an aim to multiply this growth and further amplify our content offerings with shows like 'Bigg Boss', we hope to cater to a diverse audience and make Colors Marathi a progressive yet rooted Marathi entertainment channel.”

The show also did extraordinarily well on Viacom18’s OTT platform VOOT, where it was the No.1 trending show while it was airing, overthrowing other strong properties such as Roadies. The show on boarded 9 sponsors last season, including Rin, Dabur Red Paste, Dabur Anmol Jasmine Hair Oil, Nirvana Realty’s Wollywood and Haware Intelligentia.

A high budget property like 'Bigg Boss' usually takes 3 years to become profitable, but 'Bigg Boss Marathi' was able to break even in Season 1 despite consuming 30 per cent of the channel's annual budget. This year, Rin has returned as presenting sponsor along with Special Partners Puranik and Helo App.

“Regionalising a concept like Bigg Boss makes for a great content as well as revenue proposition. The concept allows tremendous opportunities for innovative integrations and alliances with a plethora of brands, making it one of advertisers’ favourite. Igniting debates and opinions, Bigg Boss Marathi proved to be one of the buzz-iest brand in the Marathi entertainment space last year attracting not only the television viewers but also a massive number of digital savvy viewers, garnering views and impressions that set new benchmarks in Marathi television entertainment,” said Ravish Kumar.

Read More: Regional is a fertile ground for imaginative ideas: Ravish Kumar on Bigg Boss Marathi

Commenting at the launch,Nikhil Sane, Business Head – Marathi Entertainment, Viacom18, said, “Bigg Boss Marathi saw phenomenal success in its very first season drawing up to 8.6 million people tuning into the finale episode. With some 5.3 million votes cast during the series, Bigg Boss Marathi was definitely one of the most successful shows on Marathi television.”

Speaking about the marketing for Season 2, he said, “Last year there was a big thrust on ATL (Above the Line). This year there will also be a great BTL (Below the Line) push. Considering the tariff new order, we will have to have to reach the audience invariably. Rikshaws, Buses and STs that have a presence in rural markets will all be advertised on. ST stands have a unique position in the hearts of rural Maharashtra as landmarks and we will try to cover all of them. This year we have a bus replica of the Bigg Boss house ias last year the response to the bus was amazing. We will take this bus across Maharashtra to market the show.”

He further continued, “We as content makers feel that there’s no other show in the unscripted reality genre that brings out the ‘real’ emotions of the contestants like the way Bigg Boss does, and that itself makes the show click in the real-world context. We are bringing in quite a few changes to spice up the entertainment quotient in this year’s series, including tougher rules, newer challenges, and of course some very interesting contestants amongst other things. One of the biggest attractions is going to be the House itself which will look like a typical Maharashtrian dwelling - Wada (mansion).”

As per the format, the contestants' identities are always a tightly-guarded secret, although fans across Maharashtra have already begun the speculation. Returning for the second time to take on the mantle of the host, actor Mahesh Manjrekar commented, “I think Bigg Boss Marathi is one of the most important shows on Marathi television because we get to see people for who and what they really are. The mask of decorum falls off in pressure situations and that is what makes the show genuine. My fans are already kicked about the show and have not stopped asking me about the second season. Looking forward to captivate viewers once again on Bigg Boss Marathi Season 2.”

The second season will have 15 very colorful personalities right from a politician, to a well admired lavani performer, to celebrity chef, to various popular artistes from urban as well as rural Maharashtra. The creators of the show have confirmed that there will be a mix of non-celebrity inmates who have a strong professional background this year as well. The massive House itself will encompass a space of 14000 sq. feet and has been designed like a Maharashtrian wada replete with a courtyard in the center, a big activity area, and even a jail! In addition to this, a glamourous set has been erected through which Host Mahesh Manjrekar will interact with the contestants.

On bringing forth another exciting season of Bigg Boss Marathi Season 2, said Abhishek Rege, CEO, Endemol Shine India, “Endemol Shine India is proud to bring forth another season of Bigg Boss Marathi, which has set a new benchmark in the Marathi television industry. The audience has overwhelmingly loved the gripping format of the show. This season too, we have left no stone unturned to delight our viewers. The interesting mix of contestants, our dynamic host and exciting tasks will no doubt lead to new twists that will keep viewers entertained and the buzz alive all season long."  

Being the most celebrated and awaited reality show, Bigg Boss Marathi will continue the legacy of delivering unmatched drama and action in its second season. The channel has drawn up an extensive marketing and digital outreach plan to draw the viewers closer to the show. As for the 15 contestants, whilst they embark on this once-in-a-lifetime journey into the unknown terrains for a period of 100 days and live under the constant glare of 75 cameras, we only hope that they have a delightful and a memorable journey!