With 20-25% hike in number of participants, KBC 10 to go on air from Sept 3
Sony Entertainment Television (SET) is all set to premiere the 10th season of ‘Kaun Banega Crorepati’ (KBC) on September 3, 2018. ‘KBC’ will strengthen SET’s weekday offering, airing from Monday to Friday at 9.00 pm. The show that taught India to value the power of knowledge and gave the common man the confidence to dream big, is in its 18th year of existence since it first appeared on TV screens way back in the year 2000.
Co-produced by Big Synergy and Studio Nxt, a division of SPNI, ‘KBC’ Season 10 is co-powered by Vivo V11 Pro and Mahindra Marazzo, while Aakash Institute, Axis Bank, Asian Paints, CEAT, Raymond and Syska Wires & Cables are the associate sponsors on the show.
Speaking on Studio Nxt, NP Singh, Managing Director and Chief Executive Officer, Sony Pictures Networks India, said, “With an increasing demand for content, we are venturing into becoming a content production company with Studio Nxt. This newly-formed venture begins its journey with co-producing the 10th season of ‘KBC’ in partnership with Big Synergy. In the future, Studio Nxt will be an independent arm that will produce new IPs whilst leveraging the existing ones, thereby becoming a global content creator that cuts across boundaries and cultures.”
He further said that ‘Kaun Banega Crorepati’, in its 10th season, will showcase some game-changing innovations that are certain to heighten the viewing experience of the show.
Kick-starting its 10th season with the campaign #KabTakRokoge, ‘KBC’ celebrates the spirit of resilience in people and evokes the emotions of every KBC aspirant. SET will telecast a special ‘Curtain Raiser’ episode on Sunday, September 2, at prime time.
This year, the show received the highest ever registrations of over 31 million within a span of 15 days. While pointing out that this year the overall number of participants has increased by 20-25 per cent, Ashish Golwalkar, SVP and Senior Creative Director – Programming, SET, remarked, “The record breaking registration numbers only reinstate the enormous anticipation for the show. What is remarkable is the way contestants have evolved over the years – from their consumption patterns to their adeptness with the digital shift. The attitude, however, remains constant – ‘Kab Tak Rokoge!’ They are unstoppable in every way and we salute their spirit of resilience.”
With the participants trying to crack the ‘Fastest-Fingers-First’ to get to the Hot Seat, this year the show promises to be a visual delight for the viewers with the well-integrated use of Augmented Reality (AR). While lifelines like 50:50, Audience Poll and Jodidaar have been retained, this year will see the return of ‘Ask the Expert’ lifeline, wherein one expert will be available to the contestant via video call link to help the contestant with an appropriate answer. Also, for the first time in the history of the show, audio-visual questions on varied subjects ranging from sports to politics have been included in the format. Furthermore, every Friday, the show will host ‘KBC Karamveer’ – individuals whose heroic actions and good deeds have brought about a positive change in the society, thereby becoming an inspiration for many.
In a move to increase interactivity and engagement the KBC Play Along feature makes its return this year on SonyLIV. KBC Play Along lets viewers to participate and match their power of knowledge with the contestants on the hot seat simultaneously, starting September 3. With daily prizes up for grabs, viewers can work towards maintaining their position on the leader-board so that they may have an opportunity to feature on the show in the finale week as a participant. Furthermore, one lucky winner will stand a chance to win a Mahindra Morazzo.
Danish Khan, EVP and Business Head, Sony Entertainment Television, recalled that last year close to 36 million people played the game on their second screen via KBC Play Along. “It was a world record – nobody before that and nobody after that have created a gaming or interactive experience as big as KBC Play Along last year. This year, our internal team led by Amogh Dusad will be driving it. We have shot a few episodes and Play Along is looking good.”
He further said, “‘KBC’ has been a trailblazer of its time on Indian television. The No. 1 show of 2017 with 114 million viewers through the season and 30 million users engaging via the second screen initiative – Play Along on mobile – has gone ahead and set a benchmark for itself globally. This year, with record breaking registrations, technological advancements in the format with an integrated use of Augmented Reality, a first on Indian television, and innovations in the second screen engagement, we look forward to enhancing the viewer engagement with our product.”
“‘KBC’, through the years, has evolved in so many ways. It has become a reflection of the people of this country and their changing attitudes. You will see representatives of a New India every day on the hot seat,” noted Siddhartha Basu, Consultant, Big Synergy.
Speaking about his journey with ‘KBC’ as its host, Amitabh Bachchan remarked that it has been enriching in many ways. “It’s the contestants who make this show. It is about their power, language, past, present and what they aim for – to see some of them change their lives in a span of a few minutes is a remarkable experience. But it is also heartbreaking to see someone who has spent 10-15 years in preparing themselves to be here, do well and then suddenly make a mistake and lose a lot of money. I am truly inspired by each contestant and I’m really privileged to be asked by Sony yet again to play the host for this wonderful show.”
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