KBC 18 sponsors: 27 brands on Sony TV, and eight more that bought only Sony LIV

Kaun Banega Crorepati season 18 went on air on 10 August 2026 on Sony Entertainment Television and Sony LIV, with Amitabh Bachchan hosting. Sony's launch list, carried by afaqs on 5 August, names 27 sponsors for the TV show: Google Gemini, Maruti Suzuki and Aditya Birla Group as co-presenting sponsors, five co-powered by sponsors, six special partners, twelve associate sponsors and the Reserve Bank of India. Sony LIV sells the show on its own, and its list had 22 brands by 1 September, eight of them not on TV at all. Every sponsor is also on the KBC season 18 sponsors page.

Who are the KBC 18 sponsors on Sony TV?

These are the TV sponsors in Sony's order, with Sony's tier names. Where a brand announced its own deal, that announcement is linked too.

The Reserve Bank of India has no tier in Sony's release, which says only that it “continues its association with the show”.

Who sponsors KBC 18 on Sony LIV?

Sony LIV published its own list on 7 August and added two names by 1 September. It runs five co-presenting sponsors to TV's three. Malkist is a co-presenting sponsor on Sony LIV and not on the TV list at all. Bharat Petroleum is a special partner on TV and a co-presenting sponsor on Sony LIV.

The afaqs story on the Sony LIV list runs to the special partners and stops. The partners line, from American Pistachios to Kapiva, comes from the same Sony LIV release as MediaBrief printed it. Sony LIV writes the Ai+ phone as “AI NOVA+”; TV calls it Ai+ Smartphone.

Has any sponsor joined KBC 18 since launch?

Not on TV. No new TV sponsor has been announced since 5 August. Zed Black's announcement on 21 August reads like a new deal, but Zed Black was already on Sony's launch list as an associate sponsor.

The changes are on Sony LIV. Dr. Fixit, already a TV special partner, and Siyaram's were on the Sony LIV list by 1 September, MediaInfoline reported. Kapiva, a Sony LIV partner from the start, launched a 12-week segment on blood sugar health from 22 September.

How do the sponsors show up on the show?

Google Gemini powers a new lifeline, Sanket Suchak, and a viewer quiz, indiantelevision reported on 9 September. Colgate has Bachchan close each episode with a Colgate line, 100 sign-offs across the season by the company's own count. Bharat Petroleum planned 120 integrations, 21 on TV and 99 on Sony LIV. ReNew used the show to launch its ‘Clean Energy Humse Hai’ campaign.

What changed from KBC 17?

Season 17 opened with 26 sponsors in August 2025. Fifteen of them are back on the season 18 TV list. Godrej is there too, as Godrej Enterprises Group, where season 17 listed Godrej & Boyce. Laxmipati Sarees moved up from associate to special partner.

Eleven TV sponsors are new: Google Gemini, PhonePe, Bharat Petroleum, Colgate, AU Small Finance Bank, Jaquar Lights, Ai+ Smartphone, Policy Bazaar, ReNew, Zed Black Agarbatti and AMFI. Ten season 17 names are not on the launch list: SBI, Asian Paints, Patanjali Dant Kanti, BHIM, Vida, WinZO, Groww, LIC, NSE and Plasto. See the season 17 sponsors page for that list.

The season is longer, too. Sony is making 120 episodes against 100 last year, BestMediaInfo reported, and kept about a tenth of its inventory back for Diwali buys.

Is KBC 18 still on air?

Yes, with a break. New episodes stopped in early November and older ones are re-airing on TV. Sony LIV told a viewer on X that new episodes return on 16 November, the Indian Express reported on 7 November. Sony has not announced a finale date.

Seven of the 27 TV sponsors sell money in some form: UPI, PhonePe, Stable Money, AU Small Finance Bank, Policy Bazaar, AMFI and the RBI. The show gives away crores; its sponsors would like a word about where they go.

We also track the Bigg Boss 20 sponsors.

How we checked: the TV list and tiers come from Sony's launch release as afaqs, BestMediaInfo and indiantelevision carried it on 5 August 2026; Sony has no copy on its own site. The Sony LIV list comes from Sony LIV's releases of 7 August and 1 September as afaqs, MediaBrief and MediaInfoline carried them. Season 17 comes from Sony's release of 11 August 2025 as exchange4media carried it. In-show details come from each brand's own release or the trade press. Images are Sony's own.