New Delhi, July 11 (TIWN) With the announcement that "Bigg Boss" would drop on OTT first before moving onto television in its upcoming season, the makers have tossed a googly on the Indian home entertainment pitch. If the digital domain has consistently emerged as a disruptor over the past couple of years, the move is bound to change a few ground rules on home viewing habits.

"Bigg Boss" after all has defined successful programming on Indian television for years now. It has been one of the last remnants of consistent success on the tube, guaranteeing assured ratings over the seasons.  For the uninitiated, the upcoming season of the show will play out on the streaming platform Voot for the first six weeks upon premiering, and will be known as "Bigg Boss OTT", before kickstarting season 15 on Colors channel.  OTT streaming of "Bigg Boss" is an idea that has been gradually picking up over the recent years, with Voot streaming bits and pieces of exclusive action, as well as making entire episodes available in the digital space in recent seasons. The difference this time is the show will first drop on OTT and stream for six weeks, before the season takes off on television.  Industry watchers feel the decision could be a 'soft launch' of sorts. If the idea clicks, who knows, season 16 next year could straightaway drop on OTT perhaps launch simultaneously on OTT and television.  OTT would seem like the perfect platform for a show as "Bigg Boss". A medium that thrives on individual watching habits on phones, tabs or laptops -- as opposed to television, which has traditionally been associated with living room, family viewing -- would be the apt platform for a reality show that caters to the guilty pleasure of voyeurism.  Nature of content is the prime reason why the show was deemed right for the mature audience only, and Colors have had to settle for the well-past-primetime 10.30 p.m. slot on weekdays. Repeat telecast timings on television were worse -- well past midnight. (There are the Weekend Ka Vaar episodes on Saturday and Sunday, of course, that play out at a better timing. These, however, are more about letting show host and Bollywood superstar Salman Khan play the field).