Star India is expected to suffer a notional advertising revenue loss of over Rs 70 crore as the Amitabh Bachchan-anchored Kaun Banega Crorepati2 (KBC2) had to be prematurely pulled off air.

Star had planned to air 85 episodes of the quiz show and was likely to earn Rs 3 crore as ad revenue per episode, according to media planners.

“Now, with the channel deciding to put an end to the show following Amitabh’s illness, it would suffer a notional loss of of over Rs 70 crore with 24 episodes left,” said a media planner. The channel would have earned revenues of over Rs 250 crore, had it been able to run 85 episodes.

The channel’s cost was estimated to be nearly Rs 85 crore for the show, including marketing costs and Bachchan’s remuneration. The eight sponsors, which had signed up with KBC2 for Rs 10-12 crore each, will now be paying proportionately less for the show.

Industry experts said it would not be easy for Star to recover the notional loss owing to other advertising options. Girish Bapat, vice-president - marketing, LG, said the remaining amount that was to be invested in KBC2, will now be ploughed into other avenues either within or outside the Star network.

“The mileage that our brand received through KBC2 was decent. Owing to the unforseen disruption of the show, the complete objectives have not been met,” he added.

Joy Chakraborty, executive vice-president, ad sales, Zee, said: “With the amount on KBC2 being unlocked, other channels also stand a chance to gain with advertisers on the lookout for alternative avenues.”

(www.business-standard.com)