Bigg Boss 19: Salman Khan's reduced fee, premiere date, new hosts, and OTT focus; what to expect

Bigg Boss 19 premieres August 30 on JioHotstar, with Salman Khan hosting 15 weeks. The season will feature rotating hosts, a hybrid format, and a shift toward digital-first streaming.

Bigg Boss 19

On August 30, 2025, a revamped and digitally focused Bigg Boss 19 will make its debut. Primarily, the season will be streamed on JioHotstar (OTTplay Premium) with a delayed airing on Colors TV following. In preparation for the show's longest run to date (five months in total), additional information about the hosting lineup and production budget is starting to surface.

Salman Khan returns as host for first 15 weeks

As per a report in the Indian Express, Salman Khan would be back as host for the initial 15 weeks. He reportedly earns between Rs. 8 and 10 crore every weekend, for a total of Rs. 120 to 150 crore for the season. The gossip mill had him pocketing close to Rs 250 crore in Bigg Boss 18 and close to Rs 200 crore in Bigg Boss 17 thus this sum is noticeably lower. He supposedly demanded Rs 96 crore for his OTT-only stint on Bigg Boss OTT 2, but the true figure is greater.

This season, according to an insider in the business, is not being erected on a massive budget like prior television seasons because it is being viewed as an OTT extension. It is anticipated that other hosts will take over for the remainder of the term, with Salman leading for the first three months. Karan Johar, Anil Kapoor, Farah Khan, and reportedly others are in negotiations to replace hosts in the last two months.

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Promotional shoot done

Earlier this week, the official social media handle of the show, Bigg Boss Taza Khabar, disclosed that Salman shot the promotional video on July 21, from 2 pm to midnight. Supposedly, the teaser will have a political tone that ties in with the creative direction of the season as a whole. In addition, the creators intend to incorporate a slogan into the season's name to emphasise its digital focus.

Every day, new episodes of Bigg Boss 19 will be available on JioHotstar, while Colors TV will air a delayed telecast 90 minutes after that. There has been a noticeable change towards distribution headed by streaming with this transition.

Celebrity names emerge as possible contestants

Even though the casting process for the show has only just begun, several well-known personalities have emerged as potential contestants. Rumour has it that several famous faces, including Gautami Kapoor, Dheeraj Dhoopar, Alisha Panwar, Khushi Dubey, Gaurav Taneja (Flying Beast), Mr. Faisu, Apoorva Mukhija, Purav Jha, Gaurav Khanna, Dhanashree Verma, Sriram Chandra, Arshifa Khan, and makeup artist Mickey Makeover, will be competing.

The showrunners appear to be testing out a hybrid concept to keep fans interested across platforms over the prolonged season, as seen by the format adjustments and mixed hosting roster.

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