Raising a toast

for Season 10

THE X FACTOR
Roadies

It has been a decade but the fire burns as brightly as ever. What makes MTV Roadies such a
durable proposition? By Raushni Bhagia

ne would think that a reality show

that provokes its guests non-stop on
national television, would be doomed
at the outset. However, 10 years
after hitting television screens, MTV Roadies has
become a cult youth brand.
Roadies has been called many things - a reality
show, a travel show, madness, a competition and,
of late, a cult show. But what is undisputed is
that it is Indias longest running reality show in
the youth genre. Bring in other genres into the
comparison and there are only Sa Ra Ga Ma and
Antakshari (both from Zee) that can boast of such
longevity. Roadies is a youth reality show where
the contestants bike from one place to another
performing various challenging tasks (laid out by
the programmers) along the way. Victory depends
on how he or she performs. And just as any other
reality show, Roadies has its own audience (though
not as big as one on a GEC), a digital presence,
merchandising units and marketing campaigns.

Nice Niche?
he show has auditioned over 1.5 million
people since 2003, touching over six million
families. Not everyone thinks Roadies is in a
niche, though. Laughs one media planner, With
60 per cent of the population being youth, I dont
understand how it is niche.
The major viewership of the show comes
from the HSM markets, more importantly from
Mumbai, Delhi, Punjab, Gujarat, Rajasthan and
Uttar Pradesh. In its 10th season, the show is being
simulcast in 35 countries (including Australia,
New Zealand, Nepal, Sri Lanka, Maldives, Qatar,
Singapore, US, UAE, Angola and Mozambique).

The format has also been adapted internationally

in some Asian countries. Pakistan was the first
one to adopt it, in 2010. The channel is in talks
with a couple of other countries too, including
Bangladesh and Indonesia.
Any talk about MTV Roadies is incomplete
without its host Raghu Ramalingam. Universally
known as Raghu, the 37-year-old creative director
and co-producer, MTV Roadies, is the brain
behind the show. He is also the executive producer
of the two reality television shows, MTV Roadies
and MTV Splitsvilla. It is rumoured that Raghu who is the face of the show, alongside Rannvijay
Singh Sangha, the other host and the winner of
Roadies Season 1 - had approached the channel in
2001 with the concept, but was rejected.
However, when Hero (then Hero Honda)
wanted to launch its sub-brand, Karizma in 2003,
MTV decided to go for it. The rest was history.

Says Aditya Swamy, executive vice president and

business head, MTV, Roadies is a powerful youth
brand.
Youth-connect
hen Roadies was launched, it was a travel
show in which a few youngsters travelled
on Karizma bikes. This continued for two seasons,
after which the format was changed and it became
competitive. Win at all costs, went the refrain. And
it went places too (see chart).
The content of the show kept evolving season
after season, because the generations have evolved.
It is unanimously believed that the attitude of
Roadies in any season, depicts the attitude of
the youth of that period. The show starts with
auditions. Forms are filled and contestants are
shortlisted for group discussions and personal
interviews, after which the final Roadies are
selected from each city. In the 5th season came

Raghu (left) and Rannvijay: the chalk-and-cheese show that clicked each time

relationship and need is mutual. Many believe

that the show has outgrown brand MTV, while
others say that it would not be fair to make such
comparisons. The argument for the former case,
is based on the fact that the youth genre itself
has seen a decline. But everyone agrees that the
passion behind the show comes through clearly.
That is probably one of the reasons why Roadies is
referred to as a cult show.
It hasnt done badly on the TVR front either.
The cumulative reach of the show has increased
over the years. Roadies Season 7 was watched by
nearly 60 million Indian viewers and this grew
by 34 per cent to over 80 million viewers, by the
eighth and ninth seasons. So far, the 10th Season
has reached 35 million viewers, in five episodes
and the channel is expecting to cross the 100
million mark.

height and we were worried that it might fall if the

next one we made, didnt meet expectations. But
my craving for more roadies and raw creativity
kept me going, he says. Rajiv Laxman, Raghus
brother was part of Season 6, 8 and 9.
The youthfulness of the show is obvious
even behind the scenes. The producers, makers,
participants and everyone else involved are young,
and contemporary. Marketers believe that Roadies
caters not just to the youth but to a little bigger
audience as well. Someone with a teenaged son
or daughter would want to watch the show and
understand what their world is like.
Once the show grew in popularity, came the
MTV vs Roadies debate. P M Balakrishnan, COO,
Allied Media, suggests that MTV as a brand rubs
off on the show. The reach that Roadies gets on
air is due to the fantastic distribution network that
MTV (Viacom 18) has. Observes a media planner,
Roadies has a lot of MTV-ness to it and its
important for the show.
Swamy seconds this by mentioning that the

Nothing succeeds like success

hat lies behind Roadies decade-long
success? Roadies is fun, its popular. The
content is engaging and the format has been
evolving gradually. The channel is doing that
smartly, says a media expert. Another strength is
the team, which has remained the same. Getting
Rannvijay as a co-host was a masterstroke, say
media experts. Rannvijay could attract female
viewership; otherwise Roadies would have had
only a male following. Raghu is the tough judge,
and Rannvijay the friend, philosopher and guide
for the participants.
While it is true that many of the participants
during the past seasons have got into showbiz (see

Roadies as a
brand was vibrant
enough to be taken
beyond television
screens.

Elixir of eternal youth

he language and tonality of the show is in
accordance with the youth of the day. Raghu
was a firm believer in the longevity of the show.
After season four, my twin brother Rajiv told me
to stop making it, because Roadies had reached a

Aditya Swamy
evp & business head

fotocorp

Roadies Battleground, a digital initiative, through

which the winner gets an opportunity to become
a part of the season and the journey, by getting
a direct entry. Once the Roadies are finalised,
the journey begins. Contestants are given tasks,
of which there are two types - money tasks (the
participants get an opportunity to earn a certain
amount) and performance task (participants can
vote each other out). The one who survives the
vote outs and performs tasks well, wins.
Divya Radhakrishnan, managing director,
Helios Media, says, The evolution of the show is
a big reason for its success. Roadies 1 and 2 werent
as spicy and reality TV as the show is now, in
its 10th avatar. Raghu as the main protagonist (or
antagonist if you prefer), and then the advent of
the twin villains, has given the show fresh twists
and turns every season, to keep the old audience
surprised and new audience hooked.
Each season of the show undergoes production
for about 10-11 months. The actual competition
takes place for 40-60 days and is telecast for
close to 20 weeks. Says Swamy, The brand was
vibrant enough to be taken beyond TV. Roadies
first became a TV+digital brand. Post this, we
extended it to auditions screening, merchandising,
anthem and then created our own website.

the road much travelled

(Looking back on the various seasons down the years and how it helped contestants become celebrities)
4

Australia
The first season without
Raghu, who had been
made creative head, MTV.
Celebs: No Celebs

11 Nov. 2006

26 Sept. 2005

Kenya and Egypt

Irrfan Khan came on board
as host. People didnt connect
to him, however. Raghu was
absent.
Celebs: Charlie Chauhan
Went on to play the lead in
BFF, a show Channel V.

7
8

Kerala to Gangtok
At this point, it had become big. Sponsors were lining
up and scripts were coming in fast. After Roadies 4,
MTV started airing behind-the-scenes activities.
Celebs: Gurbani Judge Fitness fanatic, became
anchor for Roadies auditions.
Vishal Karwal Played Krishna in a popular TV series;
participated in Big Boss.
Sahil Anand Went on to act in TV serials and the
movie, Student of the Year.
Shaleen Malhotra Lead role in Star Plus serial, Arjun.

Brazil
This, the team feels, was
the most fun season after
Roadies 1.
Celebs: Pooja Banerjee
Acted in the serial, Ek
Doosre Se, on Star Plus.
Nauman Sait Acted in a
horror serial on Colors.
Aanchal Khurrana Acted in
Chajje Chajje ka Pyar.

7 Jan. 2012

Thailand and Malaysia

Increased popularity and budget
took it international. Contestants
didnt want to get voted out before
they were abroad.
Celebs: Ashutosh Won Big Boss
season 4.
Anmol Singh Participated in the
popular TV serial, Desi Girl.
Shambhavi Sharma Acted in serial,
Chajje Chajje ka Pyaar.
Ayaz Ahmed Acted in leading serials and also in a Bengali film.

Jaisalmer to Leh
This was the first season MTV
produced the show. Telecast of
auditions started this year.
Celeb: Shubhi Mehta Acted in
TV serials and the movie, Chak
De India.

22 Jan. 2011

8 Nov. 2009

9 Feb. 2008

Roadies

29 Nov. 2008

Chennai to Chail
Of the 40 days on the road, it
rained for 25.
Celeb: Rannvijay Singh Won
the Most Popular TV Personality
award ahead of Amitabh
Bachchan. Season 1 and 2 were
produced by Miditech.

21 Aug. 2004

15 Aug. 2003

Grand Trunk Road:

Kolkata-Wagah Border
Rannvijay, brought on board as presenter was 21. Most of the Roadies
were older than him.
Celebs: Ayushmann Khurrana Went
on to anchor popular music awards;
sang and acted in Vicky Donor.
Shaleen Bhanot Acted in serials and
reality dance show Nach Baliye.

US
Rannvijay rose to be
a judge on the show
for the first time. This
season was a big hit.
No Indian TV show has
ever been shot in the
US, on this scale.

chart), the show doesnt promise a

career. But the fact that anybody can
be a roadie is what attracts attention.
The challenge that the team faces,
points out Raghu, is budgets.
According to him, it is always short
on budget.
Roadies On your sleeve
erchandising for Roadies
started in the sixth season.
Last year, retail stores sold `60 crore
worth of Roadies merchandise (the
channel gets a percentage of the
sales). Roadies branded products
(like stationery, clothing, eyewear
and footwear) are available in about
5,000 retail outlets in 50 cities. These
range from categories such as shoes
(a tie-up with Mochi), jewellery
(Pretty Woman, Dazzling Jewels),
gifts and novelties (Archies), helmets
(Steelbird) and notebooks (Bilt).
Sandeep Dahiya, senior vicepresident, consumer products and
communications, Viacom18 says that
the channel hasnt partnered with
any e-commerce player, but some of
the licensees have aggregated deals
with a few shopping websites.

Roadies has 5.6 million Facebook fans

and 300 million views, across YouTube, its
website and Mobile TV.
Merchandising contributes 7-9
per cent to the revenue generated,
but could have been more. Says
Dahiya, The licensing market is
unorganised and piracy makes it
worse. Marketers believe that there
are two emotions attached to buying
a Roadies product - passion for the
brand or that wearing Roadies is
cool. Says one media planner, This
is another plus for MTV. Its an
expert in ensuring youth touchpoints
on various platforms.
Digital footprint
ith more screens available,
MTV unleashed Roadies
Battleground, an online extension for
auditions, that ensured engagement
and confirmed traction on it. It has
garnered about one million auditions
in the last five years. There was
recognition too.

Last year, MTV Roadies won

the most social TV show in the
world title at the Mashable Awards.
The show has 5.6 million Facebook
fans and 300 million views across
YouTube, its website and Mobile
TV. MTV has hiked overall digital
marketing budgets from `1 crore,
four years ago, to `5 crore, now.
Not So Popular?
t has not been roses all the way.
Though the show has managed
to influence and lead the youth,
Radhakrishnan of Helios Media
opines that the overt bravado and
visible negativity dont always depict
the attitude of the young Indian and
hence, it backfires in some segments.
The frankness, outspokenness and
tonality attracted enough problems
for the show and, in one case, two
years ago a political outfit went after

the anchors in Pune, opposing the

use of derogatory language.
But Raghu is clear, If elders had
to approve of the show, it would have
never seen 10 seasons. Roadies has
travelled five continents - Australia,
Asia, Africa, South America, North
America - and this season is being
shot in the North-East.
In a nutshell, the persona of
Roadies revolves around Being
Yourself. Roadies will probably be
on the road for a long time to come.
As Raghu explains, after each season,
the question that arose would be:
Should we do another? Despite
a No being the first answer, the
show rolled on. Ten years down the
line it wouldnt be unreasonable to
expect another decade of fun. n
raushni.bhagia@afaqs.com

(Based on additional interviews

with Ajit Varghese, Maxus; R.S.
Suriyanarayanan, Lintas Initiative
and Zubin Tatna, MEC)