Viacom18 to launch its biggest entertainment property ‘Bigg Boss’ on OTT first

In a first of its kind move, Viacom18, the joint venture between Reliance Industries-owned TV18 and Viacom Inc., is putting its marquee entertainment property – ‘Bigg Boss’ – on video streaming platform Voot.

The six-week edition, ‘Bigg Boss OTT’ will not be available on TV and will later transition into the regular TV version of the popular reality show.

“It’s quite a phenomenal step,” said Gourav Rakshit, COO, Viacom18 Digital Ventures. “Everyone is talking about the growth of digital, but to show this kind of courage and putting the biggest property on TV on digital exclusively is something no one has done so far. We are putting our money where our mouth is.”

‘Bigg Boss OTT’ will premiere on August 8th with access, engagement, and interactivity empowering viewers to immerse themselves in the journey of contestants in the Bigg Boss house.

In addition to the one-hour episode on Voot, viewers will get a chance to watch exclusive cuts, round the clock content drops and a fully interactive 24×7 live feed from the house.

After the completion of the digital exclusive, the show will move seamlessly into Colors with the launch of season15 of ‘Bigg Boss’.

Rakshit said that while the live stream will be for paid subscribers only, there will be enough free content too. “Voot is a freemium platform in true sense and all our users, free or paid, will have some access. We are expecting a 2X jump in ad revenues over last year on OTT,” he said.

‘Bigg Boss’ is the second biggest property on Indian television after the Indian Premier League (IPL). Produced by Endemol, the format reality show has also seen various regional avatars in India.

The digital exclusive format will also allow fans to engage with the participants or house mates in a new way. They can also be a part of the show’s progress, by voting for a particular set of tasks.