Is Big B the best ‘host’ of KBC?

“Some questions can change your life” is the new ad-bait which STAR Plus is throwing to promote its ‘hottest’ property KBC 3 starring Shah Rukh Khan.

Such appointment has naturally catalysed comparisons between earlier host, the Big B, and SRK-both iconic brands.

Question is: will SRK prove as or even more popular than Big Abby with TV audiences and hence advertisers?

Will KB3 match the viewership chartbusters of KBC 1 and II? Mudra’s media specialist, Optimum Media Solutions (OMS), probed these topics in a recent survey across the three big metros of Mumbai, Delhi and Kolkata, a substantial part of the Hindi viewership belt.

Hansa Research conducted the survey for OMS sampling 200 men and women in each city among SECs A, B and C and age bracket of 25 - 44 years.

Hold the Hot Seat. It seems that our hearts still collectively beat for the Big B first. ‘Lock kiya jaye’ on this one: Amitabh Bachchan is clear top choice as KBC host across generations, cities, gender and SECs.

SRK needn’t muse on Kal Ho Na Ho, though. A generous 71% of the polled audience are willing to give SRK a chance, and an encouraging 21% say they will definitely continue to watch KBC3.

What’s more, an overwhelming 92% of viewers polled say they are going to ‘try’ the first few episodes of KBC3.

Advertisers of upper-collar brands have some cheer. The roster of advertisers on KBC3 includes most of the brands that SRK is brand endorser for such as Airtel, ICICI, Pepsi, Compaq.

Those already onboard are Hyundai, UTI Mutual Funds, Videcon-the latter two are also endorsed by SRK. That decodes to a mix of class and mass advertisers for this programme-and one expects more upper-tier brands.

There’s no screen-room for complacency though. Although 20% of viewers polled are likely to remain loyal KBC viewers, there are still 50% of viewers who are ready to flirt with other programme options.

This is manifested in some initial scepticism about the change in host for a ‘host-centric’ program like KBC.

The combined ad-spend on KBC3 and World Cup 2007 will be Rs 350-400 crore. Cricket will obviously pose tough competition for the game show as polled viewer preferences suggest.

If the KBC3 episodes clash with any cricketing event, 30% of the show’s viewership base will bat for cricket, reveals the survey. This swing will be seen particularly among 25-30 year-old males and Kolkatans.

An issue of concern will be the time slots. According to the study, although the weekday 9:00p.m slot is the most preferred one, the next most preferred time slot is the weekend primetime slot-especially for the viewer segment over 40 years and among lower socio-economic classes.

Viewers in different cities have different expectations of the KBC3 show: Delhi-ites expect easier entry into the show, Kolkatans hope for more fun/humour, while Mumbaikars expect the least change.

There’s a help line for SRK: “Aaj bhi hai pakdi ummeed ki dori: Don’t lose hope is the moral of the story.” Via