Repeat advertisers on 'Kon Honaar Crorepati' speaks volumes about its success: Ajay Bhalwankar of Sony Marathi

Along with an increase in the number of sponsors this year, ‘Kon Honaar Crorepati’s’ repeat advertisers speaks volumes about the show's success for advertisers, said Ajay Bhalwankar - Business Head, Sony Marathi.

This year, the show has onboarded 13 sponsors in comparison to nine last year and 10 in 2021.

Ajay Bhalwankar

“The show has a unique ability to bring families together, resulting in a huge response from advertisers. RBI, one of our sponsors, is providing valuable financial knowledge to the audience. Over the years, we have seen advertisers from various sectors associating with us, including FMCG brands and retail brands, who show great interest in the show,” Bhalwankar added. 

Lenkspart is the show’s co-presenting sponsor. Other sponsors include co-powered sponsors – Cargill Foods, Garnier, Paytm and RBI, special partners - PN Gadgil, Lokmanya Co-operative Bank, V-john, Real Rainwear, associate sponsors - Global Colors, Shanghai Pharma, RC Plastic and Omkar Ayurveda. 

Sandeep Mehrotra

“Among the 13 sponsors we have secured for the show, seven of them belong to the retail industry. This highlights the immense importance and scale of the retail category within our project,” Sandeep Mehrotra, Head - Ad Sales Network Channels, Sony Pictures Networks India stated.

Mehrotra further said that KHC stands out as the only show that attracts a significant NCCS (New Consumer Classification System) A&B audience, accounting for 85% of the total show audience. A notable 59% of the audience resides in urban areas.

“Moreover, KHC holds the record for the highest non-fiction viewing time of 29 minutes across Maharashtra's General Entertainment Channels (GECs), for the last season,” Mehrotra said. 

“During the last two seasons, KHC garnered a viewership of 17 million across India, showcasing its wide appeal. Additionally, the response to the ‘Call for Entry’ this season has been remarkable, with over 1.2 million participants already and the count still ongoing,” he added.

The show’s interactive format and family appeal have made it an enticing platform for brands to connect with their target consumers.

Bhalwankar highlighted several changes and innovations introduced during the show. Talking about the ‘Call for Entry’ feature he said, “We invited the audience to participate in the show via this feature. The response to the ‘Call for Entry’ this year has been the highest so far. Interestingly, in this season, the true star of the show is not only the host, Sachin Khedekar, but also the audience itself.” 

The diversity of participants this time has been exceptional, encompassing a wide range of individuals from various backgrounds, such as district administrators, collectors, police officers, students, doctors, and IT professionals, Bhalwankar stated. 

He added, “Moreover, viewers watching the show can actively engage and participate through the ‘Play Along’ feature, which is accessible via the SonyLIV app.”

Bhalwankar also said that the sets for this season have been prepared with a view of taking them to a whole new level of grandeur. With these enhanced production values, the aim is to deliver a highly entertaining and inspiring season that will leave a lasting impression on the viewers.

“Given the increase in audience participation that we have witnessed, we are confident that this season will enjoy a broader reach and generate even greater viewer engagement throughout its run,” he added.

As the winning amount for KHC has been increased to Rs 2 crore, Bhalwankar stated, “There has been significant audience attention towards that. With the higher winning amount we have also made a corresponding change by increasing the number of questions from 15 to 16.”

Regarding the season pitch for this year, he stated, "The theme is 'Aata Maghe Nahin Rahaycha,' which can be translated as 'now, don't hold yourself back.' It has strongly resonated with the Marathi audience."

Bhalwankar further explained that the insight behind this theme was the tendency of people to avoid taking risks and play it safe, often expressing the sentiment of 'let it be' or 'let it go.' The objective was to challenge this mindset.

Furthermore, he went on to say that due to its nature as a game show, the show garners excellent viewer engagement because the audience actively participates and plays along. It's not just a one-way show. Rather, it creates a two-way interaction. This interactive show appeals to every member of the family, making it a compelling platform for advertisers to showcase their offerings to the entire family.

Info@BestMediaInfo.com