A plethora of new shows cutting across genres, from fiction to reality, have hit television screens after the fourth edition of the Indian Premier League (IPL). IPL, often touted as a monster that eats into the prime time GEC (general entertainment channel) viewership, is always followed by a flurry of new launches from channels. While IPL-4 failed to generate much heat in terms of TRPs (television rating points), new shows with new formats, stories, stars and expectations, have kept the GEC space abuzz.
While some sections of the industry believe that the post-IPL period?much like the festival season?is one of the most attractive slots for new shows, others believe that this overkill adds to the clutter and fails to impact viewers. Genre leader Star Plus attracted maximum attention for its big ticket dance-based reality show Just Dance, featuring film star Hrithik Roshan who made his small screen debut as a judge. The show witnessed one of the biggest openings of Indian television in recent times, with its simulcast episode garnering collective TRPs of 4.7 across Star Plus, Star One and Star Pravah.
Sanjay Gupta, COO, Star India says, ?To break out from the clutter of new shows, we created several touch points for viewers with an innovative and disruptive marketing campaign for Just Dance?including four music videos and several digital initiatives?to help establish a direct connect with the target audience.?
Sony Entertainment Television (SET), on the other hand, grabbed eyeballs with its desi version of Simon Cowell?s musical reality show X Factor featuring Bollywood heavyweights Sonu Niigam, Shreya Ghoshal and Sanjay Leela Bhansali as judges. The show opened with 2.7 TRPs. Danish Khan, senior vice-president & marketing head, SET, says, ?IPL provided an additional promotional platform for Sony?s new shows. Our non-fiction show X Factor, which is a logical extension of Indian Idol, opened at a very competitive weekend slot. The gala rounds are expected to fetch more viewership than the audition episodes.?
There?s no end to reality TV in India as sequels of already established formats have also gone on air post-IPL, with Zee TV?s latest edition of Sa Re Ga Ma Pa Li?l Champs and Colors? fourth season of the Indian version of Fear Factor, Khatron Ke Khiladi Torchaar 4, marked by the comeback of stunt star Akshay Kumar as its host.
Meanwhile, Sony has brought back its dare-devil reality product Entertainment Ke Liye Kuch Bhi Karega on the weekday prime time slot and second-tier GEC Imagine?s Swayamvar series has entered its third season with popular television actress Ratan Rajput looking for an ideal match in Ratan Ka Rishta.
While the non-fiction space is a battleground of celebrity judges, spirited contestants and public voting, there is no dearth of drama in the fiction space either. Sony?s third launch coinciding with the closure of IPL is an old-world romantic drama series Bade Achhe Lagte Hain from the Balaji Telefilms stable. Starring small-screen veterans Sakshi Tanwar and Ram Kapoor in the lead, this show has a refreshing take on middle-aged romance and is said to be Ekta Kapoor?s dream project. Khan adds, ?Bade Achhe Lagte Hain competes with established shows like Pratigya in the 10.30 pm slot, but has managed to get 3+ ratings from metros and 3.5 from Mumbai and Delhi. It will soon be the slot leader and a great property for the channel in the long run.?
Meanwhile, Colors has also launched a light-hearted drama series Hamari Saas Leela, starring television?s iconic screen mother-in-law Apara Mehta in the lead, while Star Plus narrates a story of young star-crossed lovers in Iss Pyar Ko Kya Naam Doon.
In this clutter of new shows, viewership is often divided. According to TAM data for the week ended June 25, 2011, none of these shows has managed to break into the list of top 10 on GECs. There has been no change in the GEC pecking order either, with Star Plus continuing to lead the space with 292 GRPs, followed by Colors with 263 points and Zee with 228 points. While Sony witnessed a robust addition of 34 GRPs on the week following the launch of three shows, the channel failed to sustain viewership, recording a drop of 11 GRPs to 150 from 161 in the week before.
Barring Just Dance, which garnered an average viewership of 3.68, other big ticket shows like Khatron Ke Khiladi 4 and Sa Re Ga Ma Pa Li?l Champs met with a moderate response and opened at 3 and 2.1 TRPs respectively. Viewership of these shows has dipped further in the weeks following their launch. Meanwhile, ratings for Sony?s Entertainment Ke Liye Kuch Bhi Karega and Imagine?s Ratan Ka Rishta stood at 2 and 1.6 respectively.
While broadcasters are bullish on their content in the long run, advertisers believe that the audience reaction to initial episodes dictates a lot. Manas Mishra, executive vice-president and country head, Mudra Max says, ?Most channels have launched their new shows on a grand scale, but the advertiser response has been mixed. While there is certain comfort factor with Star Plus, Sony?s experimental formats haven?t always been a hit with media buyers. Whereas Zee?s new branding has taken it back to its core audience, and advertisers catering to that section are being roped in.?
In the days following IPL, while reality shows are fighting in the ultra-competitive weekend space, fiction shows are battling it out on prime time on weekdays. However, according to industry experts, most shows will fail to recover their ?extremely high? cost of production. Mishra adds, ?The reality shows will take at least a few seasons to turn profitable.?
