Star Plus' new quiz show Kya Aap Panchvi Pass Se Tez Hai, which will be hosted by actor Shah Rukh Khan, is expected to rustle up over Rs 18 crore from mobile and landline calls and through SMSes.

This amount is a lot higher than the Rs 10-12 crore it earned during Kaun Banega Crorepati last year. The show will run for 36 episodes starting April.

Unlike KBC-3, where Airtel, MTNL [Get Quote] and BSNL were exclusive telecom partners, this time around, the channel is going non-exclusive. The channel is in the process of getting on board almost every telecom service provider, which means that participants need not just call from an Airtel or MTNL/BSNL number.

"This will increase the base of participants than if the lines are open to only 2-3 service providers. Last year, Airtel provided around 20 million subscribers (largely mobile and around 2 million landline users), the major chunk of landline user base was contributed by MTNL/BSNL. However, with the growing subscriber base, it makes sense for the channel to sign on more than two telecom service providers. This will ensure reach to around 280 million users in the country," said a source close to the development.

During KBC-3, Airtel (mobile and landline combined) accounted for 40 per cent of the calls, while MTNL/BSNL contributed to the remaining. Star Plus is said to have signed on a few telecom partners that include Spice, Airtel, MTNL and BSNL, and is in talks with Reliance Communications [Get Quote], Idea Cellular [Get Quote], Tata Indicom and Vodafone, according to the source.

When contacted, Viren Popli, the senior vice-president of Star Mobile Entertainment, said, "We do plan to go non-exclusive, but cannot divulge any details at this stage."

Last year, calls for KBC-3 were priced at Rs 2.40 per pulse for both landlines and mobiles. The call rates this time will be around Rs 4 per landline call and Rs 6 for mobiles and SMS.

That apart, the revenue-sharing terms between the telecom operator and the channel have also been revised. While Star Plus earned 22 per cent and the telecom operator kept the rest, for Kya Aap Panchvi Pass Se Tez Hai, the revenue sharing terms will now be 50 per cent each.

Star expects to receive at least 2 million calls per episode, earning Star Plus over Rs 18 crore from telecom interactivity (it is estimated to earn 50 per cent of the Rs 36 crore from 36 episodes), said a source close to the development.

Kya Aap Panchvi Pass Se Tez Hai is the Indian version of the international show, Are You Smarter Than A Fifth Grader, in which adults are quizzed on questions from textbooks of standards 1 to 5. At each level, the contestant has the chance to win a specific amount and the maximum winning amount for the show is Rs 5 crore.