MAM
Kaun Banega Crorepati season 16 attracts top sponsors
Mumbai: Kaun Banega Crorepati (KBC) continues to captivate audiences across India with its unique blend of knowledge, entertainment, and life-changing opportunities. As season 16 unfolds, the show’s enduring popularity is evident in the impressive lineup of top-tier sponsors it has attracted.
With 12 sponsors onboarded there has been 100 per cent growth over the last year, Leading the way are ACKO and Aditya Birla Group as co-presenting sponsors, IDFC First Bank returns for the third consecutive year as the exclusive banking partner with Atomberg, Vimal and Sensodyne as co-powered sponsors, Veeba as the taste partner, Ultratech Cement and Kalyan Jewellers as partners. Raymond as the wardrobe partner, and Godrej Locks as the safety partner.
The show’s innovative features, such as the real-time interactive KBC Play Along on Sony LIV, continue to enhance viewer engagement. The KBC Play Along feature allows audiences from across the globe to participate in real-time continues to offer advertisers unique and valuable opportunities to reach a highly engaged audience.
KBC offers unique opportunities for deep and diverse in-show integrations. By embedding themselves within the show’s narrative, brands can forge meaningful connections with viewers and achieve measurable outcomes, making KBC a powerful platform for brand storytelling and engagement.
. ACKO: Partners with the KBC LIFELINES, leveraging contextual moments within the show to integrate the insurance category effectively.
. Aditya Birla Group: Sponsors the education of children equivalent to the number of questions asked, aligning with their corporate social responsibility.
. IDFC First Bank: Acts as the banking partner with a presence across winning moments throughout the show.
. Atomberg Fans: First-time sponsor that rewards winners with hampers, enhancing the viewer experience.
. Sensodyne: Takes ownership of the “Expert Question of the Day” moment, aligning its brand with expertise and trust.
. Raymond: Onboarded as the wardrobe partner, contributes to the show’s style and presentation.
. RBI: Integrates the message “Jankar Baniye Satark Rahiye” within the bonus questions, promoting awareness and caution.
. Godrej Locks: Rewards contestants at the crucial ₹25 lakh “padav” and integrates their brand message around safety at the right moments.
These points highlight how various brands are strategically integrating themselves within KBC, enhancing both their visibility and viewer engagement.
The current season of KBC has already set new benchmarks for viewership and engagement.
Kaun Banega Crorepati Season 16 is now streaming on Sony LIV, offering viewers and sponsors another season of extraordinary experiences.
Sony LIV head ad sales revenue Ranjana Mangla said, “Large-scale reality shows like Kaun Banega Crorepati spanning across 142 days of activity (100 episodes) have finally been acknowledged to deliver value at scale in the digital ecosystem creating a paradigm shift in the market. Kaun Banega Crorepati stands as one of India’s most iconic shows, providing an unparalleled platform for brands to connect with audiences. We are thrilled to welcome esteemed 12 sponsors, whose commitment to KBC on Sony LIV underscores the immense value of this collaboration. With growing advertiser interest, we are confident that KBC Season 16 will once again deliver exceptional benefits to both our viewers, sponsors and partners.”
ACKO EVP marketing Ashish Mishra said, “KBC occupies an iconic position in the Indian reality show landscape, making ACKO’s decision to continue with our partnership a natural fit. The show’s widespread popularity across ACKO’s core target audience enhances the value of this collaboration. Additionally, we recognized a unique synergy between KBC’s lifelines and our insurance offerings. Just as lifelines offer crucial support to contestants, ACKO provides protection solutions for life’s uncertainties, spanning life, health, car, travel insurances and more.”
Atomberg Technologies founding member & chief business officer Arindam Paul said, “As a home-grown Indian consumer durables brand started by two IIT-ians, being a co-sponsor of India’s leading entertainment show- Kaun Banega Crorepati, is a massive feat. Atomberg has always been a brand that’s stood at the intersection of innovation and customer delight; solving unseen, unstated consumer problems, such as introducing energy efficient BLDC fans to India and more. KBC is a show driven by curiosity – as is our brand, and so this seemed like an organic fit for us.”
Brands
Hemlata Sharma joins ONEOTT Broadband as chief business officer
Former Zee Media distribution head to steer growth, partnerships and strategy
MUMBAI: Hemlata Sharma has joined ONEOTT Broadband as chief business officer, bringing with her more than three decades of experience across television, telecom and media distribution.
Sharma most recently served as head distribution, research & CRM at Zee Media Corporation Limited, where she worked closely with editorial and senior management while overseeing distribution, consumer research and customer relationships for 14 news channels including Zee News, WION, Zee Hindustan and Zee Business, along with ten regional state channels.
In that role, she led nationwide distribution across platforms such as DTH, Hits, IPTV, cable networks and DD Free Dish. She also drove consumer research and strategic insights on a pan India scale, analysing content performance, anchor impact, programme slots and audience behaviour to guide editorial decisions and programming strategy.
Her portfolio also included managing one of the largest alliances with Zee Entertainment Enterprises Limited and overseeing the global distribution monitoring of Wion across North America, Mena, Europe, Africa, APAC and Australia.
Earlier, Sharma briefly served as head sales and distribution at Triplecom Media Pvt Ltd, an engagement driven OTT platform bringing together content, gaming, music and advertising for the entertainment distribution ecosystem.
Her earlier career includes a senior vice president stint at Ten Sports Network, where she played a key role in relaunching the sports broadcaster as an independent bouquet comprising Ten Sports, Ten Cricket, Ten Action and Ten Golf following the Zee takeover. During this period, she moved from vp west to head strategy for cable and dth and later national head retail distribution, helping build the network’s retail distribution vertical across India and launching dedicated golf and football channels.
Before that, Sharma spent over six years at Bharti Airtel as general manager operations for Madhya Pradesh and Chhattisgarh. She initially led marketing and corporate communications before moving into sales leadership, where voice sales grew by 86 per cent and revenues by 96 per cent. She later headed business operations, expanding annual business volumes to Rs 100 crore while significantly reducing operational costs.
Sharma began her long association with the media distribution ecosystem at Zee Entertainment Enterprises Limited as regional head sales and distribution for central India. During that period, she played a role in the early rollout of pay television channels including Zee Cinema, HBO, Nickelodeon and Cartoon Network, while also contributing to the launch of Siti Cable in key central Indian cities.
With her new role at ONEOTT Broadband, Sharma is expected to focus on strengthening business strategy, expanding partnerships and driving growth across the company’s broadband and digital distribution ecosystem.
