MUMBAI: The grand finale of Zee TV's driver property Sa Re Ga Ma Pa Challenge 2005 is scheduled for 24 February, and the channel is making its final preparations to gain the maximum out of the show. The three-and-a-half hour finale will be telecast live from 9 pm onwards.

Zee has understandably hiked its rates for the finale. According to market sources, the rates are in the region of Rs 65,000 for 10 seconds.

"Ever since Sa Re Ga Ma Pa Challenge 2005 made it into the big league, we have been charging premium rates. Now, for the final episode, we have hiked the rates further," states Zee Network executive VP Network Sales Joy Chakraborthy.

According to Chakraborthy, the success of Sa Re Ga Ma Pa Challenge 2005 has inspired the network sales force tremendously. "Sa Re Ga Ma Pa Challenge 2005 is a big time driver show for us and it is part of all the deals we do. What is most important is that the show has got high recall value. The value for money is guaranteed. Here everybody is pretty excited about the property," he says.

Zee TV will start updating viewers about the voting score from 16 February onwards. "Throughout the week, Zee will keep the viewers updated about how the final contestants are doing on the SMS voting front. We hope this will add to the buzz and bring in more excitement," states Zee TV marketing head Tarun Mehra.

Speaking about the marketing activities planned for the grand finale, Mehra said the focus was on outdoor hoardings and network promotions. "We have already started our outdoor campaign through hoardings. The property is being promoted across the network also. In the coming days, we will be utilising other media resources as well," states Mehra.

As already reported by indiantelevision.com, the Challenge finale will follow with a new version of Sa Re Ga Ma Pa as Zee TV doesn't want the winner property to hit the archives. So what made the revamped version of Sa Re Ga Ma Pa a huge success? Is it the high doze of reality? Mehra feels that the reality element helped to bring the audiences closer to the contestants and thus to the show.

"The feedback we received is that, the format gives the audiences a sense of participation. The show has been featuring various quality singers and the format has helped the viewers to get closer to these singers. It is this lively interactivity feature that made this show a huge success," says Mehra.

Also read:
Zee TV's 'Sa Re Ga Ma Pa' to continue in a new format