'Bigg Boss' Season 20 crosses 100 crore watch-time hours on JioHotstar

Mumbai, Nov 6 (PTI) Salman Khan-hosted "Bigg Boss" Season 20 has crossed 100 crore watch-time hours on JioHotstar in under 60 days, making it the fastest season of the reality show franchise to achieve the milestone, the streaming platform said on Friday.

    The season, which premiered in September, also recorded the biggest opening day for a reality show on JioHotstar.     

    According to the OTT platform, more than 350 crore votes have been cast so far, a 71 per cent increase over the previous season, while the number of fans voting has risen by 48 per cent.

    "Bigg Boss" Season 20 has also found audiences overseas, ranking among JioHotstar's top five titles in the UK, Canada and Singapore since its premiere.

    In the UAE, it is currently the number one show on STARZPLAY and has remained in the platform's top 10 since it began streaming there.

    "Bigg Boss ka asli game sirf ghar ke andar nahi, ghar ke bahar bhi chalta hai, jahaan audience har moment se judi rehti hai. Reaching 100 crore watch-time hours on JioHotstar is a testament to the incredible love and connection our viewers share with the show.

    "Every season brings something new, but what remains constant is the excitement and enthusiasm of our audience. This milestone belongs to each one of you. Thank you for being such an important part of the Bigg Boss journey," Salman said in a statement.

     Alok Jain, Head of Hindi and English Entertainment Business (Streaming, TV and Studios) at JioStar, said the show had crossed the milestone with nearly half the season still to go.

    "It’s heartening to see viewers embrace a season we have shaped around what they love most about the show. Bigg Boss has always been made for every Indian, and today it is watched from the biggest metros to the smallest villages. This season, we gave our audience even more ways to be part of it: they don’t just watch the house, they help run it, voting, polling and debating as the drama unfolds. Our heartfelt thanks go to every viewer who has made the show their own," he added.

    Deepak Dhar, Founder and Group CEO of Banijay Asia and Endemol Shine India, said the milestone reflected the audience's continued engagement with the show, which has been running for over two decades.

    The show's most-watched markets in India include Delhi, Mumbai, Pune, Bengaluru, Kolkata, Ahmedabad and Hyderabad, as well as Lucknow, Surat, Jaipur and Nagpur.

    According to the platform, Gen Z accounts for 45 per cent of the show's watch time, while connected TV viewership has also grown.

    "Bigg Boss" is JioHotstar's biggest entertainment franchise and currently runs in six languages. The Hindi season streams round-the-clock on the platform.

    The format is owned by Banijay Entertainment and produced by Endemol Shine India.

(This story has not been edited by THE WEEK and is auto-generated from PTI)