The reality TV boom seems to have come unstuck. Till a few months ago, the television viewer was spoilt for non-fiction shows on air. Not anymore. At the moment reality shows like ? Star Plus? Voice of India and Colors? Chhote Miyan Bade Miyan ? are running (among a few others) and players like NDTV Imagine have no non-fiction offering till June.

Is the reality genre under threat because of the economic slowdown? According to Niret Alva, Chairman, Miditech, if reality shows are missing it?s because they are all in incubation. ?The Rakhi Sawant show will soon be aired on NDTV Imagine and even channels like Sony, Star Plus and Colors are all ready with their next slew of reality shows. Only too soon, everyone will realise that there is no such thing as reality TV recession.?

According to KPMG, the launch of new GECs over the last few years has increased the size of the entertainment market. The television industry is projected to grow at 14.5% from 2009 to 2013 and reach a size of Rs 47,300 crore by 2013. There has simultaneously been a 30% hike in the weekly gross rating points of GECs in the Hindi speaking market as well. Experts believe that advertisers investing in reality shows manage to grab greater percentage of eyeballs since these shows are more captivating and interactive in nature. Reality shows now constitute 20% of the programming mix in the TV industry, compared to 5-10% earlier.

Sharada Sunder, President, Real Global Broadcasting says, ?Reality as a genre is always exciting and finds takers at any given time. These shows have a loyal audience appeal and work well with masses and there is no impact of an economic slowdown on this genre.?

And yet, most players agree channels are taking the cost factor into consideration. Jyoti Bansal, Executive Director, MPG India, says, ?The cost of producing a reality show is much higher than that of a fiction show. There is a huge gap between the revenue and investments for these formats. The return on investment for a reality show is lower than that of a fiction show so channels are becoming cautious about their spending.? It is also generally the norm that most of the reality shows are introduced in the second half of the year during the festive season. The television ratings for a particular show differ from one channel to another. For a channel like Star One, sampling of reality shows is higher than fiction shows.

Bansal feels, ?The reason why there is a lull in the number of reality shows is because most GECs are pushing their big ticket shows for the period post IPL season 2. Also, since the cost of production for these shows is higher, most channels are critically evaluating the markets before introducing non-fiction shows.?

IPL Effect

As per television rating agency, TAM?s data of week 17 (19th to 25th April 2009) (HSM, C&S 4+), thanks to the IPL, SET Max emerged as the number one channel on TV across all categories with 445 GRPs. Subsequently, there has been an overall drop of 5% (57 GRPs) in the Hindi GEC space.

NDTV Imagine?s reality show Rakhi Ka Swayamwar is slated to go on air post IPL. Shailja Kejriwal, EVP content, NDTV Imagine, mentions, ?In about 20 days since we announced the show, we have received over 12,500 entries from India and abroad. We haven?t finalised the slot yet, but the show will be launched post IPL.?

On being probed further about why reality shows on the channel taken a backseat, she says, ?We need to have a unique idea to do a reality show. Recently we wrapped up Farhan Akhtar?s show Oye It?s Friday and now we will be airing Rakhi Ka Swayamvar. Run of the mill song and dance ideas are creatively a bit boring to do.? Kejriwal admits the slowdown is affecting everyone. ?Reality shows are cost intensive, so channels will be more discerning while putting forward a new reality concept,? she adds. There is a line-up of reality shows from almost every GEC slated to hit the floors post IPL. While Star Plus is soon planning to launch its matrimonial show called Star Vivah, Colors and Sony are gearing up to air the consecutive seasons of Big Boss, Fear Factor and Dus Ka Dum respectively.

As far as innovation in formats is concerned both Kejriwal and Sunder of Real agree that reality shows have seen a gradual progression with innovative formats. ?Initially, there were formats brought from the international arena, now Indian households are becoming receptive towards home grown non-fiction formats. It is just a matter of time and we shall soon experience a crossover phase where Indian formats will be aired internationally.?It?s just a matter of time that the ?reality? factor gets rolling again.