The three pillars of Bigg Boss’ success

‘Bigg Boss’ is returning to Colors for its 12^th season, and this time – in keeping with the theme of ‘Iss bar aa rahi hai interesting jodi’ – the reality show will feature assorted couple jodis battling it out to survive 100 days under the constant glare of multiple cameras and Host Salman Khan’s lively supervision. ‘Bigg Boss 12’ will premiere on Sunday, September 16, 2018, at 9.00 pm, while subsequent episodes will air every Monday to Friday at 10.30 pm and Saturdays and Sundays at 9.00 pm. 

Appy Fizz is back as the Presenting sponsor, while Oppo F9 Pro returns as the Powered By sponsor for ‘Bigg Boss 12’. This year, Panasonic OLED and Capital Foods have come onboard as Associate Sponsors, while a few more are in the pipeline, informed Raj Nayak, Chief Operating Officer, Viacom18. He further said that there is no category that has not come on ‘Bigg Boss’ – be it FMCG, smartphones, television brands, consumer products, beverages, etc. 

Nayak affirmed, “We are hopeful of selling 50-60 per cent of the inventory before the show goes on air.” 

While the ad rates have not increased significantly this year, Nayak said that there was a mere 5 per cent hike in ad rates. He stressed, “We believe that our advertisers should get value and we have also been realistic.” 

Speaking on the success of ‘Bigg Boss’ over the years, Nayak said, “It is one of our flagship shows. ‘Bigg Boss’ is the biggest show of our channel, both in terms of financials and being one of the longest non-fiction shows. In terms of buzz creation, I don’t think there is any other event that catches the kind of mileage and popularity that ‘Bigg Boss’ does.” 

While admitting that there one or two seasons that weren’t so great, Nayak maintained, “I think there is no other show in the history of Indian television that gives you the amount of traction that ‘Bigg Boss’ does. This is one show that goes beyond broadcast; if you look at Voot, we have a huge audience base there for the show. With our relationship with Jio, the show is also streamed through the Jio App. The fact that regional ‘Bigg Boss’ has become so big, it demonstrates how big the show is.” 

Appy Fizz from Parle Agro has been associated with ‘Bigg Boss’ as its Presenting sponsor for some years now. When asked what makes the brand return to the show year after year, Nadia Chauhan, Joint Managing Director and Chief Marketing Officer, Parle Agro, said, “‘Bigg Boss’ is a great platform. It’s a very unique property and complements the brand value very well. We feel it creates a thrill value for our brand. We have been associating with the show for the last three years, which clearly shows that we believe in the benefits of this association. With Salman Khan, we have done associations this year and they have been phenomenon. With this, Apply Fizz has grown around 8 per cent over last year. We are looking forward to take this on to the next exciting level.” 

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Elaborating on what goes behind creating such a big property, Abhishek Rege, CEO, Endemol Shine India, said, “There are three pillars that contribute to the show’s success – the host, the team and the talent inside the house. These are the most important aspects of the show and make the show more successful.” 

He further said that the format, while at its core has remained the same, the layers around it have evolved. “From being simply about the 13-15 inmates of the house and the host, the show has evolved over the years. It’s the host’s personality that adds a feather on the cap. For Season 12, we have partners or jodis. We have just added the theme and the layers, but the core of the show has always remained the same. According to me, it not the theme which is working for the show, it is the consistency.” 

Agreeing with this, Nayak added, “The beauty about the show is the casting, and the truth is that unless people get into the house you don’t know how good the casting is. It is like interviewing someone – only after the person joins you do you realise if you have made a mistake or made the correct choice. Once people get into the house, you can’t get them out even if you don’t like them. There’s a rigorous process for casting. If we get the casting right, half the show is done.” 

Nayak dismissed the thought that show was reaching a saturation point with the viewers. He maintained that people liked to see new things and as long as the theme kept changing and the show kept reinventing, it will continue to draw in the viewers. “People like to see new dynamics, and as long as the dynamics keep changing, people will like it,” Nayak affirmed. 

At the same time, he ruled out presenting ‘Bigg Boss’ in any other light or making it a finite series. “We will continue in the current format because anything more than this is economically not viable and then fatigue might set in. People must wait for the show; anything in excess and they will lose interest,” Nayak added.