Star's Aamir Khan debut TV show to ride on big money

Star's Aamir Khan debut TV show to ride on big money

Aamir Khan

MUMBAI: Star Network has roped in two main and six associate sponsors for the Aamir Khan-hosted and produced show Satyamev Jayate that launches on 6 May.

Airtel is the presenting sponsor for the show while it is powered by Aquaguard. The associate sponsors are Coca-Cola, Berger Paints, Skoda, Johnson & Johnson, Dixcy Scott and Axis Bank. The company is looking forward to add two more associate sponsors but the deal is in the final stages of negotiation.

Confirming the same, Star India president-ad sales Kevin Vaz said, “We have got eight sponsors already. We are giving our sponsors 100 per cent exclusivity i.e we will not sell spots to any competitor brand on the show. We will be finalising on the remaining two associate sponsors by Friday.”

Associate sponsors have paid Rs 60-70 million while the title sponsors have invested Rs 160-200 million, according to market estimates.

"We are announcing two more associate sponsors soon," Vaz said, while refusing to divulge any financials.

Satyamev Jayate will be a 13-episodic series with every episode spanning 90 minutes. Vaz said that after spots taken by the title and associate sponsors, every episode will be left with only 30 seconds of free commercial time which the channel plans to sell at a premium of Rs 1 million per 10 second.

“In today’s cluttered market, the kind of reach we are providing will make it a lucrative option for advertisers to be a part of the show,” Vaz said.

Eureka Forbes CEO direct sales and SVP- marketing Marzin R Shroff said, “This is Aamir Khan’s first TV production and it made sense for our Aquaguard brand to be associated with it. The show talks about how Indians can be proud of themselves in battling situations. It is a blind fit for us because even we promote happy, healthy, safe environment. Everything that we do is in line with the show.”

OMD India COO Harish Shriyan said, “The show is based on issues pertaining to almost all of us. I feel the show will provide us a good reach as it will be simulcast in at least seven languages. With this kind of show being backed by Aamir Khan it should be successful.”

The show is based on social issues and will be simulcast on Star Plus (Hindi), Star World (English), Star Jalsha (Bengali), Star Pravah (Marathi), Star Vijay (Tamil), Star Utsav (Hindi), Asianet (Malayalam) and Suvarna (Kannada). The channel will also provide the feed in Telugu but the network does not have a Telugu channel.