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Bigg Boss 14: The brand countdown has begun
MUMBAI: A century. That’s what Viacom18 head of network sales Mahesh Shetty is hoping to hit with the fourteenth edition of celebrity reality show Bigg Boss. “It will be great if we manage to hit last year’s 100 advertiser landmark we did with the show,” says Shetty.
Recently, the sales team once again signed on Capital Foods Ching’s Secret as an associate sponsor for the show. It already has e-sports and mobile gaming league platform MPL as presenting sponsor, while Dabur Dant Rakshak Ayurvedic Paste and HUL’s Tresseme have come on as co-powered by sponsors.
Scene palatne ka waqt aa gaya hai! #BB14, jald hi sirf #Colors par.
Catch Bigg Boss before TV on @VootSelect.#BiggBoss2020 @BeingSalmanKhan pic.twitter.com/9cOS1mHO1t
— COLORS (@ColorsTV) August 11, 2020
It looks like Shetty has his work cut out for him with only around a fortnight to go before the show starts filming in Mumbai’s Film City on 3 October. However, he is confident that the sponsorship and advertising contracts will start rolling in faster now.
Says he: “It’s not that this is the first time the team that is selling Bigg Boss is facing environmental pressure. At some point of time there was demonetization followed by GST, which created huge pressure on the economy. The feedback that we got from brands who wanted to associate with us has been phenomenal. I’ll give the credit to the equity of Bigg Boss and to my team also.. I am very optimistic about this season as well. We are expecting the same traction this year itself.”
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He further explains why he is not worried. Says Shetty: “There are certain brands who come on board for the entire season while others come only for half-season. Some of our key brands have been associated with us since the last season. We have 106 episodes, so there are many brands who wish to come in the later part of the show. Apart from that a lot of revenue comes from the Free Commercial Times (FCT).”
He has no regrets that he has pegged the advertising and sponsorship rates at least year’s levels when Star Sports has managed to command higher pricing for its IPL inventory than last year. Explains Shetty: “It is not a short-term relationship as some brands also come back. We have kept similar rates as last year because Bigg Boss is a 106-day property. At the end of the day, it is a demand-supply game.“
He is hopeful that Bigg Boss this year will be able to command higher sticker prices than the Rs 300,000-350,000 per 10 second spot that it did last year. “Depending on how the property performs and demand-supply it creates, we will look at increasing the prices. When the show starts and if the demand is very good, we will definitely hike the prices,” he says.
2020 ke manoranjan ka scene palatne aa raha hai #BB14, jald hi sirf #Colors par.
Catch #BiggBoss2020 before TV on @VootSelect.@BeingSalmanKhan pic.twitter.com/mlba8yZkx4
— COLORS (@ColorsTV) August 16, 2020
Shetty’s opinion is that very platforms can offer the brand integration that Bigg Boss does.”I don’t think there is any property like Bigg Boss when it comes to brand integration and brand engagement. The show not only gives them a wide visibility and reach, but helps them connect with the end consumer,” says he. “We engage very deeply with brand owners, and not just with the agency. Every integration of ours is something that we kind of take them through, also at the same time our programming team, people who run the show are very well equipped and experienced.
Shetty points out to how last year presenting sponsor Vivo used the platform to showcase the video features of its brand new phone the V17 Pro. For Dabur, the programming team innovated by enrolling contestants of season 13 – Shehnaz Gill, Madhurima Tuli, Rashmi Desai, Mahira Sharma, and Shefali Bagga to promote Dabur Amla Hair Oil while walking the ramp after they were tasked by Salman Khan to do so. Shefali Zairwala and Aarti Singh became the hair stylists for the ramp walkers. Siddharth Shukla, the ultimate winner of the season, and Asim were the judges and chose Shehnaz Gill as the winner. “Again, it was very entertaining and brands’ core values got communicated. It is something you will see again this year,” says Shetty.
He is quite emphatic that advertisers will hitch themselves to the Bigg Boss bandwagon. “Today, if there is so much traction for IPL, it is because there isn’t anything like IPL. In the same way, I would say there is nothing really like Bigg Boss. It’s not just another property,” he says. “It starts on 3 October goes on all the way till January 2021. It covers all the key festivals from Dussehra to Diwali, Christmas, New Year, and Sankranti. In terms of consumer spending, this entire period is a big chunk as far as consumer spending goes. So brands would want to latch upon the properties like Bigg Boss.”
NEW DELHI: Hamdard Laboratories gathered a cross-section of India’s achievers in New Delhi on Friday, handing out the Hakeem Abdul Hameed Excellence Awards to figures who have left their mark across healthcare, education, sport, public service and the arts.
The ceremony, attended by minister of state for defence Sanjay Seth and senior officials from the ministry of Ayush, celebrated individuals whose work blends professional success with a sense of public purpose. It was as much a roll call of achievement as it was a reminder that influence is not measured only in profits or podiums, but in people reached and lives improved.
Among the headline awardees was Alakh Pandey, founder and chief executive of PhysicsWallah, recognised for turning affordable digital learning into a mass movement. On the sporting front, Arjuna Awardee and kabaddi player Sakshi Puniya was honoured for her contribution to the game and for pushing women’s participation onto bigger stages.
The cultural spotlight fell on veteran lyricist and poet Santosh Anand, whose songs have echoed across generations of Hindi cinema. At 97, Anand accepted the honour with characteristic humility, reflecting on a life shaped by perseverance and hope.
Healthcare honours spanned both modern and traditional systems. Manoj N. Nesari was recognised for strengthening Ayurveda’s place in national and global health frameworks. Padma shri Mohammed Abdul Waheed was honoured for his research-backed work in Unani medicine, while padma shri Mohsin Wali received recognition for his long-standing contribution to patient-centred care.
Education and social development also featured prominently. Padma shri Zahir Ishaq Kazi was honoured for decades of work in education, while former Meghalaya superintendent of Police T. C. Chacko was recognised for public service. Goonj founder Anshu Gupta received an award for his dignity-centred rural development initiatives, and the Hunar Shakti Foundation was honoured for empowering women and young girls through skill development.
The Lifetime Achievement Award went to former IAS officer Shailaja Chandra for her long career in public healthcare and governance, particularly in the traditional systems under Ayush.
Speaking at the event, Hamdard chairman Abdul Majeed said the awards were a tribute to those who combine excellence with empathy. “These awardees reflect Hakeem Sahib’s belief that healthcare, education and public service must ultimately serve humanity,” he said.
Minister Seth struck a forward-looking note, saying India’s young population gives the country a unique opportunity to become a global destination for learning, health and wellness by 2047.
The ceremony also featured the trailer launch of Unani Ki Kahaani, an upcoming documentary starring actor Jim Sarbh, set to premiere on Discovery on 11 February.
Instituted in memory of Unani scholar and educationist Hakeem Abdul Hameed, the awards have grown into a national platform that celebrates those building a more inclusive and resilient India. For one evening at least, the spotlight was not just on success, but on service with substance.
