MUMBAI: In the near future, don’t be surprised if while watching ‘Uttaran’ or ‘Balika Vadhu’ on TV, you suddenly see Akshay Kumar hitting Imran Khan and romancing Sonakshi Sinha.

Television always gathers a lot of eyeballs, especially during the prime slot of 8 pm to 11 pm. Ekta Kapoor, the producer behind ‘Once Upon A Time In Mumbai Dobaara’ is the best person to know this and is taking advantage of it too.

Normally, TV channels run movie trailer for free, but not during primetime slots. Tanuj Garg, CEO of Balaji Motion Pictures said, “According to my knowledge, this is the first time that a production house is featuring a film trailer during prime time on so many channels simultaneously.”

Explaining further the rationale behind this decision, Garg said, “It is between 8 pm to 11 pm that the popular shows are on air and people are hooked on to the TV. We wanted maximum people to watch the trailer, and what better than featuring it during prime time on four channels.”

A spokesperson from Colors said, “Ekta bought the ad space at usual sales rates.” However, the production house by itself did not want to reveal the cost. Garg said, “It is obvious that prime-time slots won’t come cheap. But money was not an issue. We have spent in crores, as we know that running the trailer during prime time will attract many viewers and could target a greater audience. It will surely create more buzz for the film.”

In the marketing blitzkrieg before the release of a film that has become important over the past few years, this is just one more new step. We will wait and watch to see how long this one lasts.