By RICHA DUBEY
Indiantelevision.com Team

(9 May 2008 6:30 pm)

MUMBAI: Sony Entertainment Television (Set) is waiting for the Indian Premier League (IPL) to be over to start its innings with film star Salman Khan as host of a mega game show 10 Ka Dum.

While sister channel Max is raking in the moolah with the telecast of the IPL, Set is investing heavily to market the big ticket show which it hopes will correct its floundering status.

Sony has slipped in the ratings warfare, struggling to surface in the fourth or fifth position as the market for Hindi general entertainment channels has become intensely competitive with new players 9X and NDTV Imagine.

Sony has started promoting the mega show during the IPL matches on Max. And it is not there that the efforts end. The high voltage show is being promoted across different channels. Set has bought ad spots on various kids, regional and news channels like India TV and CNN IBN.

Produced by Synergy Adlabs, 10 Ka Dum is an Indian version of Power of 10 and will be doling out Rs 100 million as prize money.

Targeting the key cities in Hindi speaking markets (HSM), Sony has segmented the marketing activities into three phases.

Presently in the first phase of promotions, the channel will roll out the second phase of promotional activities between 20 – 25 May.

“The first phase is designed to create awareness among people about this concept of playing in percentages. Hence the central message is ‘Ab India sochega percentage mein’, says Set AVP marketing Danish Khan.

The promotional activity is being given a complete 360 degree approach. Billboards of Salman Khan in different looks asking questions in percentages are placed on buses, bus shelters and hoardings.

As per the format of the show, Salman Khan will ask questions which will seek answers in percentages from the contestants.

Print ads will start appearing from next week.

From 13 May, auditions for 10 Ka Dum will kick off in Delhi, Mumbai, Kolkata, Ahmedabad, Bhopal and Lucknow.

Graphics asking some questions appear on the channel throughout the day. Viewers can send right answers to the channel either through IVRS or the Internet. Among the viewers who send right answers, a few will be selected randomly who will be called for auditions.

“The final lot of selected viewers will have to undergo two or three rounds of tests during auditions. The test will be conducted by the production house Synergy Adlabs. After auditions a group will be finally filtered to play 10 Ka Dum with Salman Khan,” explains Khan.

In the second phase, on ground activations across key cities in HSM will also kick off simultaneously with auditions.

Vans containing console games based on the show will be deployed across multiplexes and malls.

“Our attempt is to give people a first hand experience of the show so that they know how a percentage game is played,” Khan points out.