‘We are trying to spread the reality bug for prime-time viewing in India’

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: With some well-known globally successful formats adapted to shows like Big Boss, Fear Factor - Khatron Ke Khiladi and Deal Ya no Deal to its credit, Endemol India has managed to catch the pulse of Indian television audiences. Whether its shows based on talent hunts or stand-up comedy acts, Endemol India has produced a wide variety of programmes for a cross-section of broadcasters. The country head, Endemol India Deepak Dhar tells FE’s Sagorika Dasgupta that soaps may have dominated Indian television screens for quite some time but reality shows are here to stay. Excerpts:

Fear Factor - Khatron ke Khiladi, the new show on Colors managed to record 2.3 TRPs in the first week of its launch. Since there has been an overdose of reality shows featuring celebrities on Indian television, didn’t you feel there would be viewer fatigue with the show?

We were quite confident about the format of the show as Fear Factor is an international property and has done quite well in many countries. But what worked for it was the way we managed to create a ‘pressure cooker’ scenario for the 13 female celebrity contestants. We wanted to bank on the emotional connect that these 13 ladies have with audiences and have tried to build on that aspect. The contestants were mentored by Army officials, which was the main twist in the show. This added the extra zing that was successful in grabbing eyeballs. Of course, Akshay Kumar’s presence was really beneficial in generating curiosity simultaneously, adding the initial thrust for the show.

Endemol is known to produce a host of reality shows. Do you all do fiction as well?

We have a division that caters to fiction shows as well. This department was launched in January this year. As far as fiction shows are concerned, we launched two weekly sitcoms—Jamegi Jodi for 9X and Full Masti 88.2 for Sab TV. Our fiction shows are catching momentum with the audiences. In India, fiction draws a large segment of the audience. Currently, the entire television market is evolving and due to fragmentation, viewers are expecting change. Although reality shows do have an audience, it is fiction that mainly dominates the Indian viewership pattern in a huge way.

How is the market for reality shows in India?

The market for reality shows in India is extremely encouraging. Any broadcaster would ideally position song and dance reality shows for weekend prime-time slots. But we are trying to spread the reality bug across the weekday slots from Monday to Friday for prime-time viewing.

That is quite a crucial spot for us as reality shows already have a loyal weekend audience. Positioning reality shows on weekdays will be the next change in weekly viewership patterns.

So are there any plans of launching a reality TV channel in India?

We were quite busy producing shows like Laughter Challenge season 4 on Star One, Jo Jeeta Wohi Superstar for Star Plus and some shows for NDTV Imagine. So no, we do not plan to launch any channel.

There are certain foreign shows (such as Wife Swap) that are not yet in India. How do you choose international shows for India?

We follow certain standards and practices while adapting an international format. We make sure that the format is tailored to suit Indian sensibilities so that audiences can watch the content with their families around. We also have an in-house team of Indian producers who come up with specific Indian content.

What is your business model?

We function on a commission model with broadcasters, providing a turnkey solution to them. All payments are made on a contract basis. We also have an ad-funded department that caters to various kinds of branded entertainment. We came up with formats like Rin Mera Star Superstar for Star Plus or the Chala Change ka Chakker series for Lays chips. These are activities that are conceptualised to highlight the brand values of various products.

Can you tell us about the price point of your formats?

Our price points are proportional to the scale of the show. It depends on the kind of content that we produce. For example a celebrity show like Fear Factor will have a higher price point compared to a talent show without celebrities. Banking on celebrities for a reality show is like a safety net for producers as the returns for these shows are usually high. The price points are arrived at by a mutual decision between the format owner and the broadcaster.

How important are television rating points (TRPs) for a company like Endemol?

TRPs affect Endemol in a large way. Most shows like Big Boss, Fear Factor and Jo Jeeta Wohi Superstar received good TRPs, sometimes as high as 5.8. Of course, the TRPs may not be linked to the revenue but they are really important to us as the reputation of our company is gauged by the kind of TRPs our shows garner.

Indian viewers have been exposed to many seasons of the same song and dance reality shows. Do you think a change is on the cards?