Zee extends DID's charm to Maharashtra

The reality show is expected to earn Rs 10-12 crore for the channel and will have a celebrity from Bollywood to replace Mithun Chakravarthy in the Marathi version.

Zee Network has planned to launch another regional version of its popular non-fiction property, Dance India Dance on its Marathi general entertainment channel (GEC), Zee Marathi. The show, in its new avatar, will be called Dance Maharashtra Dance and will be scheduled on weekdays at the 9:30 pm slot for three months.

Sources reveal that the channel targets an estimated revenue of Rs 10-12 crore from this property and will spend about Rs 3crore to market it. The format of the show will be exactly like its national version.

The format was first tried in the Bengal market, aired on Zee Bangla and when it went well in that market, it touched the national grounds on the Hindi GEC of the network, Zee TV. Apparently, the property has turned back to the regional space to extend its charm.

The channel already hosts a bouquet of reality shows, including 'Idea Sa Re Ga Ma Pa (singing-based reality show), Hasya Samrat (stand-up comedy show), Maharashtracha Superstar (acting talent hunt show), Marathi Paul Padhate Pudhe (talent hunt show) and Ekapeksha Ek (dance reality show).

Speaking about the difference between the old and the new dance reality shows, Nikhil Sane, business head, Zee Marathi, says, "The format has to remain the same, else the essence of the show will be lost. We just want to add Marathi-ness to it. While Ekapeksha Ek focuses completely on the Marathi folk dance forms, DMD will host all others, including western and other Indian dance forms."

The channel has got on board Idea as the title sponsor for the show, while Amway, Ayushakti and Ambuja Cement have partnered as associate sponsors. Other brands will also be associated with the dance talent hunt.

Sane further states that due to the kind of reach that DMD has to offer in the Tier 2 markets, advertisers are very keen to associate with the property and reach out to the economically growing markets.

The channel has travelled to seven cities including Nagpur, Aurangabad, Nasik, Kolhapur, Pune, Thane and Mumbai for auditions of the 15-30-year olds. Till now, the channel has got close to six thousand participants for auditions.

Meanwhile, the channel has also planned a massive marketing campaign across media platforms.

Targeting the Maharashtra audience, the channel has launched an out-of-home (OOH) campaign in nine cities, including Mumbai, Pune, Nasik, Aurangabad, Kolhapur, Nagpur, Thane, Ahmednagar, Solapur and Latur. Apart from the Zee Network television channels, it has also tapped other channels such as ABP Majha and IBN Lokmat.

Print ads are spread over regional and national publications, along with a bullish campaign on the digital medium that involves various social media platforms. The participants can also upload their videos on Facebook for online auditions.

As for the time-slot of the show, Sane reveals, "Reality has always been on weekdays for us."

He further adds that as a network, it is a fair deal. "Our flagship channel, Zee TV has reality on weekends and we, as the regional partner, serve reality on the weekdays," he reasons.

It is also learnt that a 'big-size music-based reality show' is being planned for the Maharashtra market in the coming year.