Exclusive: Why Bigg Boss 15 Has Planned For Auditions On Voot

Viacom18 has decided to use both the TV channel Colors and their OTT platform Voot for the next season of the big-ticket property Bigg Boss, hosted by superstar Salman Khan. While the main Bigg Boss episode airs on TV, a lot of unseen footage also gets streamed on Voot, which has helped the latter get lots of newer audiences and subscribers. The phenomenal success of Bigg Boss has seen the show’s run extended to six months.

In an attempt to cash in on the Bigg Boss craze, the network is now mulling plans to hold auditions on Voot, and the final selected bunch of housemates will then move into the Bigg Boss 15 main house for TV as before. Most reality show formats telecast auditions before the main action begins.

Filmibeat sources say this initiative by Viacom18 will further spread the buzz about Bigg Boss 15, leading to a spike in TRP.

Plus, the new season of Bigg Boss will also help Voot shore up its number base well. Extending the show further online has lesser financial implications than doing it on TV, reasons a source.

There is no clarity about the format this year. As per media reports, Bigg Boss 15 might yet again return to the celeb vs outsider format, which was phased out after it failed to connect with the audiences.

We can safely assume that the Bigg Boss 15 auditions will be held only for newcomers. This way, the auditions shown may help the audiences better know the newcomers, added our source.

Already there is speculation, as it happens every year, regarding the list of possible Bigg Boss 15 contestants. Rhea Chakraborty, Divyanka Tripathi and better half Vivek Dahiya, Neha Marda and Sanaya Irani are some of the names doing the social media rounds for BB15.

We don’t have information about the above list, as it is too early to tell. Yet, Endemol Shine are still talking to several people and will only decide on the final list in the coming weeks. Preliminary talks are also going around with those who might enter the show as newcomers. There might be a few social media celebrities thrown in the mix for good measure, as per a fly on the wall.