No elimination in Roadies Season 11

With more than 20 brands partnering in its 11th season, the channel expects 20 per cent higher ad-revenues from the property.

The cult youth brand, MTV Roadies is all set to hit the TV screens on January, 25 with an expected 20 per cent higher advertising revenues in its eleventh season. Interestingly, this is the first time that the format is tweaked to remove the most important part - eliminations. Since its inception in 2003, the show has been known for the stress and competition that the participants go through, to avoid being eliminated.

It continues to be a Saturday 7 pm show. This season (like Season 10) will be shot in India. A drive that will start from the Sun City Jodhpur will end at the Rann of Kutch, the contestants travelling from desert to desert. The season boasts of the catchphrase, 'Ride for Respect'.

The channel expects 15 per cent higher ad-rates for its 10-second slots, while the title sponsor, Hero has spent about 20-22 per cent higher to get the association, as per sources. While the channel chose to remain tight-lipped about the financial details, the sources have also informed that a single 10-second slot on the show is being offered at Rs 22,000-25,000.

Along with this, unlike many other successful properties on television, Roadies demands 11,000-15,000 for a 10-second slot on the repeats of the episodes too, which is close to 50 per cent of the original telecast. Hero, the title sponsor, will get 90 seconds of free commercial time (FCT) with the deal, while all the associate sponsors will get 30-40 seconds each.

Anil Dua, SVP, marketing and sales, Hero MotoCorp, says, "Hero MotoCorp is a young brand and connects with the youth through the platforms of music, entertainment sports, adventure and the like. MTV Hero Roadies is one such powerful platform with which Hero has been associated since its inception more than a decade ago. Over the years, our association has only got stronger."

Interestingly, there is a wide range in the deals signed by the associate sponsors, suggests a source. As he explains, the less competitive segments like vehicle lubricants will pay on the lower range while those with more competition like the mobile handset space could have paid more.

However, the associate sponsors are expected to have shelled out Rs 40 lakh to 2 crore for the deal.

The main sponsors for Roadies Season 11 are PVR cinemas (multiplex partner), Radio Mirchi (radio partner), Café Coffee Day (Café partner), Killer (style partner), Denver Deo, CEAT, Spraymint, Mountain Dew, We Chat, Wham! (mobile partner), Lee Cooper, UFO (cinema partner), India TV, Airtel digital TV and Karbonn tablets.

The channel has also taken aboard a few more brands that include Steelbird, G-Shock, Everyuth Naturals, Skybags, Manforce and Patrika Group, amongst others.

Another differentiated performance was created by Roadies on the online platform. It is one of the few shows which have a very high online viewership. In the previous season, the show commanded close to 80 million views on YouTube and its own website, http://mtv.in.com/roadies/.

The show's Facebook page has about 78 lakh fans, with more than 3.4 lakh people talking about it. The channel claims that the website has about 20 million unique visitors, while it is the most subscribed show on YouTube in India.

Aditya Swamy, EVP and business head, MTV India, says, "Fresh twists in the format have made Roadies India's longest running reality show and this year's format breaker ensures survival only of the fittest. In addition to the high impact promotions across our network and the internet, this year we reach out to over 100 new power towns and over 200 first time colleges to make Roadies X1 the biggest season the franchise has seen."

The show will have seven girls and seven boys contesting for the winner's crown. Leading them in this journey is MTV Roadies Season 1 winner, Rannvijay Singh and the bad boy of Indian television, Raghu Ram. Roadies in its X1-series will sport the mantra - 'No Vote Outs, Only Performance can get you to Win'.

Raghu Ram, the producer of the show, says, "The show has made adventure and bikes a household name in India. Ten years have seen over 5 million hopefuls, gruelling auditions, tough tasks and deserving winners. What has kept the show going is the love of the audiences and the sheer belief that the show is a life changer for many."

The marketing plan for the show has been extended to 150 towns and 200 colleges through BTL activations. An elaborate college connect programme has been rolled out that includes Raghu and Rannvijay's visits to colleges, integrations with college festivals and college bike rallies across cities. Roadies is also being integrated with city specific events like the marathon in Pune, and partnerships with malls, hangouts and clubs.