In a strategic ‘digital first’ push, Viacom18 has announced it will launch Bigg Boss, a reality television game show, first on its over the top (OTT) platform Voot for six weeks. Named ‘Bigg Boss OTT’, Viacom18’s marquee entertainment property will premiere in August.
Besides the one-hour episode on Voot, viewers will get a chance to watch exclusive cuts, round the clock content drops and a fully interactive 24x7 live feed from the Bigg Boss house, the company said in a media statement.
The digital-first move is aimed at giving the audience an unprecedented access, engagement and interactivity to help immerse them “in the journey of contestants in the Bigg Boss house”.
After the digital exclusive concludes, the show will move onto the network’s television channel Colors with the launch of Bigg Boss season15.
The company claimed that the show has been dominating the digital space with a 92 percent share-of-voice and more than 8.5 billion views.
“Unleashing its fandom and immense consumption power on digital, Bigg Boss has garnered significant patronage of brands and advertisers who continue to engage with the iconic property, season after season, making it India’s leading entertainment property – both on television and digital,” Viacom18 said in a statement.
Speaking about the launch of Bigg Boss first on the OTT platform, Viacom18 Digital Ventures’ Chief Operating Officer, Gourav Rakshit, said: “Voot has grown to become home to entertainment in India through industry leading engagement and share-worthy content across originals, international, catch up and content-around-content segments.”
“The launch of Bigg Boss OTT exclusively on Voot before TV is poised to be yet another game changer in digital entertainment and a step forward in further cementing our position as the most loved consumer entertainment brand. This season is set to empower our audiences through unparalleled category defining innovation through interactivity which we are sure will provide significant to our users, advertisers and brands alike,” Rakshit added.
Explaining the content strategy behind the launch of the OTT-first show, Viacom18’s Chief Content Officer for Hindi Mass Entertainment, Manisha Sharma, said: “Bigg Boss, over the years, has grown to become a phenomenon that drives conversations across the country. With the launch of Bigg Boss OTT, our digital audiences are in for a treat. The new digital exclusive format will take the show’s fandom to its next level through active engagement with viewers being able to play a part in the show’s progress.”
“The beauty of this show lies in the versatility of format and the massive popularity it commands – both aspects helping us in customizing the show as two different content offerings for the two different platforms while maintaining its core ethos,” Sharma said.
Disclaimer
: Viacom18 Media Pvt. Ltd. is a joint venture between Network18 and ViacomCBS. Moneycontrol is a part of the Network18 group, which is controlled by Independent Media Trust, of which Reliance Industries is the sole beneficiary.
First Published: Jul 11, 2021 4:18 PM IST
