Doordarshan’s Kisan Channel was launched by Prime Minister Narendra Modi on May 26 at a time of distress when debt-ridden farmers were committing suicide. Yet, months before the launch, officials of the public-funded channel were involved in a serious backchannel exercise to get Bollywood stars to endorse it. Their search stopped with Amitabh Bachchan, who was roped in for Rs. 6.31 crore, which is said to be the most expensive endorsement ever by the actor.
Earlier, the officials considered the actor-couple Ajay Devgn and Kajol. Also discussed was Salman Khan, before eventually settling for Mr. Bachchan, the face behind a wide range of products from cement to gold. The Bollywood legend also endorses Gujarat.
E-mails and documents with The Hindu show how Lintas India Private Ltd., an agency empanelled with Doordarshan, drove a hard bargain with the channel’s officials to have Mr. Bachchan endorse the channel for Rs. 6.31 crore after initially agreeing to a sum of Rs. 4.02 crore towards the total cost of celebrity endorsement.
An e-mail sent to Lintas went unanswered, but an official called to say they had nothing further to add to the documents in Doordarshan’s possession.
“Ask DD officials,” he said. Mr. Bachchan’s PR agency confirmed having received an e-mail from The Hindu three days ago, but sought some more time to respond.
Under the conditions, Mr. Bachchan was required to shoot for a day, with the campaign playing on TV, print, Internet and cinema platforms till April 30, 2016.
Kisan Channel’s viewership dipping despite celebrity endorsement
While Doordarshan officials say actor Amitabh Bachchan’s endorsement of the Kisan Channel at Rs. 6.31 crore is his most expensive endorsement till date, The Hindu could not independently confirm it.
Under the terms and conditions, Mr. Bachchan was required to shoot for a day, with the campaign playing for a year on TV, outdoor, print, radio, Internet and cinema platforms till April 30, 2016. Despite roping in a megastar to draw viewers, the channel has been on a downward curve after viewership peaked days following the launch. In terms of reach, it has 3.6 million viewers compared with Discovery’s close to 43 million. Both channels share the same bandwidth.
E-mails in The Hindu’s possession reveal concern about the dipping viewership of the channel. While officials say comparisons are unfair, the channel enjoys a must-carry clause, which means cable and DTH operators have to the beam the channel dedicated to the Indian farmer.
The total budget for the channel is nearly Rs. 45 crore, and its adviser, Naresh Sirohi, belongs to the Bharatiya Kisan Morcha, the farmer’s wing of the Bharatiya Janata Party.
Ranjan Mukherjee, Additional Director-General, Prasar Bharati, who heads the channel, said the decision to have Mr. Bachchan as brand ambassador was taken by a high-power committee set up by the Prasar Bharati Board. “We felt the channel required a celebrity and also found that Mr. Bachchan had a strong connect with rural India,” he said. Mr. Mukherjee clarified that Mr. Bachchan’s name had been endorsed by the Prasar Bharati Board and that he had been paid for the services rendered.
The search began in January when the name of Salman Khan was shared with the Information and Broadcasting Ministry. However, after officials figured out the fee he commanded on a private channel, he was declared too expensive. It is learnt that Ajay Devgn and Kajol too were listed as probables. Officials said the actors’ manager was told that as the channel was dedicated to the nation, their services could be pro bono. Even Siddhartha Basu of Synergy Communications was asked to do a farmers’ quiz on the lines of Kaun Banega Crorepati. “It didn’t work out,” an official said.
Days before the official launch of the channel, Jawhar Sircar, chief executive officer, Prasar Bharati, had complained bitterly about increasing interference from the Information and Broadcasting Ministry and was absent at the high-profile launch.
