Following the success of ‘Kaun Banega Crorepati’ Season 5, Vijay TV and Big Synergy have joined hands to bring the popular game show to Tamil audiences. The shooting for the show, titled ‘Neengalam Vellalam Oru Kodi’ (You can win a crore), will begin in January 2012 and the show is slated to go on air from the third week of February 2012. The channel had earlier aired two seasons of ‘KBC’ dubbed in Tamil.
Speaking to exchange4media on how the show would be tailored for Tamil-speaking audiences, K Sriram, General Manager, Vijay TV, stated, “We aired the first season of ‘KBC’ and the third season, which was hosted by Shah Rukh Khan, as dubbed versions on our channels when it aired on STAR Plus. Back then, it was a differentiator. Now, the time has come when Vijay TV took the lead, with this being the first international format that would hit Tamil television screens. We are proud that we have managed to rope in Suriya as the host. Easily, he is the biggest USP of this show. This programme will be the game-changer not only for Vijay TV but also for Tamil television.”
Earlier this year, Siddhartha Basu’s Big Synergy had replicated the ‘KBC’ magic in regional languages such as Bengali, with Sourav Ganguly as the host and Bhojpuri, hosted by Shatrughan Sinha.
When quizzed about how audiences would receive the Tamil version, Sriram elaborated, “The Tamil-speaking market is a much more evolved regional market as compared to any other in the country. Native content rules 90 per cent of the market. This market loves its cinestars and in our case, we believe that we have roped in the most successful hero of contemporary Tamil cinema Suriya.”
This will be the actor’s debut on television and the channel plans to leave no stone unturned to announce the launch of the show. On opting for Suriya as the show’s host, Shriram said, “There is a great brand resonance between Brand Suriya and Vijay TV. Both the brands believe in differentiation and in being innovative.”
The channel has brought on board ITC Sunfeast as title sponsor for the show and is in the process of tying up with other sponsors.
Marketing plan rolled out Meanwhile, the channel has already rolled out first phase of its marketing plan to induce participation. A teaser campaign on who would host the show is being aired on Vijay TV and also across radio stations since the beginning of December 2011. An official announcement will be made on December 21, 2011. “We have a comprehensive media plan covering print, radio, and online. For Phase 2, before the show’s launch, we will begin our campaign around the festival of Pongal with outdoor and other media, apart from the above-mentioned media channels, across Tamil Nadu,” Shriram informed. All creatives for the show are being churned out by an in-house team.
Around 8-10 per cent of the overall investment on the project cost has been allocated towards marketing/ advertising spends. “We have planned an extensive marketing plan which this market would have never seen before. To strengthen the content offering, we are planning to launch two high decibel fiction shows around this programme, at 9.30 pm and 10 pm. Both these shows will be unique and something that this market has not seen in terms of grandeur and story.”
The show’s format will adhere to the original version of ‘Who Wants to be a Millionaire?’ It will air on Vijay TV and the Vijay TV International beam, covering Singapore, The US, the UK, Sri Lanka, and the Middle East. The show will air from Monday to Thursday between 8 pm and 9.30 pm. While the logo for the show will be in Tamil, the other design elements will remain the same.
The mechanism to participate in the show will be announced on Vijay TV on December 25. The call-for-entry questions will be announced on Vijay TV, in print media and radio stations from December 25-30. Phone lines will be open for these five days for viewers to participate and win a spot on the show. People can participate by making a phone call or sending an SMS through their landlines or mobile phones. Shriram further said, “All arrangements have been made to avoid jamming of lines, given the popularity of the show and the huge response anticipated. There will be a two-step selection process to finalise the contestants.” The format will have 15 questions with three lifelines – Phone-a-friend, 50:50 and Audience Poll – and two safe spots at question numbers five and 10, assuring contestants a minimum prize money of Rs 10,000 and Rs 3.2 lakh, respectively.
Source: exchange4media.com
