STAR signs up 5 sponsors for SRK show

Advertisers are lining up for Shah Rukh Khan's forthcoming quiz show Kya Aap Panchvi Pass Se Tez Hai on STAR Plus.

The channel has signed on Cadbury, LG Electronics, General Motors and Pespi Co India as associate sponsors for the show. The associate sponsors are said to have paid Rs 9-10 crore each.

STAR Plus plans to rope in four more associate sponsors. According to sources close to the development, the channel is said to be in talks with Future Group, a handset manufacturer, an insurance firm, a mutual fund company and new direct-to-home service provider Reliance ADAG, amongst others.

Last week, telecom company Airtel came on board as the presenting sponsor for around Rs 40 crore.

Kevin Vaz, head of marketing and sales, STAR India, said, "We have singed on five advertisers "" Airtel, Pepsi, LG, General Motors and Cadbury "" as of now. We are in advance stages of discussions with a few. We hope to close in on the show's sponsors by March 17."

The quiz show, which will air 36 episodes starting April 18, will have around 700 to 800 seconds of commercial time per episode. Vaz estimates only around 10-15 per cent of the 700-800 seconds to be sold as spot buys.

This apart, Star Plus will have a bank presenting the cheque, a computer brand on the show, and a brand that will present the 'money tree' (the ticker that will display the amount won by a contestant at each level), branding on the home question. There will also be three advertisers for the three lifelines.

Advertisers will have to shell-out in the range of Rs 1-5 crore depending on the exposure they get on air during the show.

Panchvi Pass is quiz show is an Indian version of the international show, Are You Smarter Than A Fifth Grader?, in which adults are quizzed on questions from textbooks of standards 1 to 5. At each level, the contestant has the chance to win a specific amount and the maximum winning amount for the show is Rs 5 crore.