Zee plans show with Rs 100-mn prize

India's Zee TV, rattled by the success of Kaun Banega Crorepati -- Star Television's version of Who Wants to be a Millionaire, announced on Wednesday the launch of a new game show with potential winnings of Rs 100 million ($2.18 million) a night.

The game show will be a frontal challenge to the money-spinning Kaun Banega Crorepati show, the Indian version of Who Wants to be a Millionaire, which was recently launched by Star Television, which is owned by media baron Rupert Murdoch's News Corp.

"If that is the name of the game -- in terms of viewer expectations -- that is the game to be played," R K Singh, chief executive officer of Zee Network, an affiliate of Zee Telefilms Limited told a news conference.

"This crackerjack of a show provides the participants and the viewers the thrill of the chase and the excitement of a lifetime, with the winnings going up to Rs 100 million," Zee TV said in a statement.

Asked to say whether he was surprised by the lightning success of Kaun Banega Crorepati, Singh said: "Frankly, it has gone beyond expectations. That's a fact."

He said he could not spell out details of the game show immediately but said it would begin in the first week of October with a frequency of three to five shows per week.

He said that unlike the Star quiz show, whose host is popular Bollywood star Amitabh Bachchan, the Zee programme would not require the "crutches" of an icon. "I think interactivity should be the driving aspect rather than a personality."

The new show will be part of an array of new programmes which the channel will start rolling out in September.

Zee said its new programmes would include a mega soap called Sansar (World), shot across five continents with a storyline that encompasses generations.

It will also run a serial called Jai Ganesh telling the story of the Hindu elephant god, Lord Ganesh.

Two other shows will be The Thief of Baghdad, a fantasy based on Arabian Nights, and Akash, a drama based on a middle class working couple.

Zee said it has 27 million viewers and a 5.5 million homes advantage over its nearest competitor.

"Given the obvious advantage of the network, Zee TV alone commands the maximum audience share of 72 per cent which when coupled with its sister channels of the network goes up to 85 per cent of the Indian audience," Singh said in a statement.

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