A television buff is now spoilt for choice. We are talking quantity here, not necessarily quality. There?s many more serials ? okay, most look and play out alike ? reality shows (mostly music and dance), movies, news, sport. And then, there are the movie stars. For instance, you may watch the Badshah of Bollywood, Shahrukh Khan, between Friday and Sunday at 8 pm, Ajay Devgan and Kajol on Fridays and Saturdays at 10 pm, Urmila Matondkar on Mondays, Tuesdays and Wednesdays at 8 pm. That pretty much covers a week of filmstars ? and more are on the way. Soon, Salman Khan and Bollywood A-lister Akshay Kumar, who delivered four hits last year, will also appear on the small screen.
There may have been a time when television was shunned by the bigwigs of Bollywood. Not anymore. With the proliferation of general entertainment channels and corporate houses pumping money into the medium, popular film stars are willing to appear on TV either as anchors or talent contest judges. While a filmstar?s presence often does wonders to a show?s TV ratings (TVRs) ? remember what Amitabh Bachchan did for Star with Kaun Banega Crorepati? ? filmstars are also walking away with huge sums. As one analyst points out, ?With Bollywood having a particularly bad year at the box-office, it perhaps makes ample sense for stars to take to television.?
While Salman Khan is reportedly being paid Rs 90 crore for hosting 100 episodes of Sony Entertainment Television?s Dus Ka Dum, Akshay Kumar will walk away with Rs 1.5 crore per episode for hosting the second season of Fear Factor. The show, aptly titled Khatron ke Khiladi, will be aired on Viacom 18?s soon-to-be launched general entertainment channel, Colors. While the first season of Fear Factor hosted by Mukul Dev fetched merely a 2.5 on the TVR front, broadcasters feel that Akshay?s presence will bring an edge to the show. Sony?s new show, Vaar Parivaar, which according to aMap ratings, scored a measly rating of 0.7 on its first episode, is being hosted by Urmila Matondkar for a sum of Rs 15 lakh for one episode. The show is said to have 50 episodes which will fetch Matondkar a neat Rs seven crore.
An industry expert explains that actors are turning to television merely because it is yet another potential revenue stream for them. Earlier, actors shied away from television to maintain a certain amount of exclusivity. With changing times, actors are waking up to the power of television. Besides, it is also a matter of logistics. An actor may travel to various locales in different parts of the world to shoot a particular song in a film and end up shooting just one film a year. On television, not only does the actor get paid on an episode basis but since the show may be shot at the same venue for a shorter duration, it also proves to be a more viable option. Says a media analyst, ?While an actor may charge up to Rs six-eight crore for an entire film, he or she can earn almost triple the amount for a show on television by charging the channel on an episode basis.? And prices rise with the star?s popularity.
Anupama Mandloi, senior creative director, Star Plus, feels that when a big ticket show is launched then apart from the scale of the sets and the scope of production it is the host that lends his or her image and personality to the show. ?Selecting Mr Bachchan or Shah Rukh Khan ensures a canvas that is difficult to match and immediately catapults the show into the big league, which is the intent. It is not the presence of any film star, but the presence of a particular film star who has the ability to transform the show with his or her personality.
There is also some credit to the concept of the show that allows the star enough scope to grow into the role of a host and the brand image for the show. A good concept matched with the right star helps create the magic of viewership and numbers,? she says.
Currently, the Indian Premier League of cricket may be heavily affecting TVRs of most channels, but Shah Rukh Khan?s Kya Aap Paanchvi Pass se Tez Hain on Star Plus is one of the few shows that gave some competition to IPL. Though the first episode of Panchvi Pass garnered a rating of 4.7 ? IPL matches on Max got slightly higher ratings of 5 ? the second episode was marginally higher than IPL at 3.7. IPL got TVRs of 3.6. But then, IPL has now taken over with higher TVRs. No, SRK?s second outing as host hasn?t garnered very high ratings. For instance, Kaun Banega Crorepati (KBC), hosted by Shah Rukh Khan, opened with a rating of 12.33 while the first episode of Panchvi Pass got a rating of 4.7. Officials at Star Plus feel that the general ratings of the show during the KBC days were around 12 to 13 so a comparison of this sort is rather unfair.
Zee TV roped in Ajay Devgan, Kajol and Tanuja for its dance reality show, Rock n Roll Family. Many experts feel that it was a smart move to bring these stars on television as the usually reticent actor and his family had never appeared as full time judges on any show. The audience could associate with them as they had never seen an entire family appear on TV to judge a show.
Says Kalyanasundaram, programming head, Sahara One: ?The sheer power of stars helps in pulling audiences to the show. IPL may be the biggest television treat for viewers this year and is proving to be a huge competition for all the other shows but channels are sustaining their positions pretty well too.? As far as actors judging or hosting shows on small screen is concerned he feels that besides the soaring ratings, a substantial number of advertisers are also attracted to the show which in the long run proves fruitful for the channel.
There is a certain dynamics that rules the share of the ad pie on television. Ravi Menon, executive vice president and general manager, Star One, states, ?Film actors do add value to a show. When a channel declares that a certain famous actor is being associated with a show, the sponsorships are sold upfront. The valuation of ad spots increases and the price of these ad spots rises in keeping with the popularity of the star.? A 60 second ad spot which may be sold on an average of around Rs 10,000 per second might shoot up to Rs50, 000 for the same time when advertisers realise a celebrity may be featured on the show.
The valuation of ad spots may depend on the media planning as well. It is entirely subject to the channel to decide how much money is to be put around television campaigns to promote the shows with film actors in it. Channels may also invite actors as celebrity judges for a few episodes if not to host or judge the show entirely. This in turn is a two-way association where an actor may agree to appear on a show to promote their film which may be due for release around the same time.
NDTV Imagine featured an 11-night show called Say Shava Shava hosted by Karan Johar and Simi Garewal during the initial week of the channel?s launch. The channel also brought various stars like Preity Zinta, Kunal Kapoor and Arbaaz Khan on its show Idea Dhoom Macha De which was hosted by Malaika Arora Khan. Shailja Kejriwal, executivevice president, content, NDTV Imagine, says, ?Film actors are mainly taken on board to host game shows or concepts where a larger than life host is required. A great level of curiosity can be built especially for the opening week of the show. A good strategic combination of certain celebrities to host a show leverages the opening TVRs of the show.?
According to a media planner, the success of a show depends primarily on the content. It is crucial for any channel to identify that merely placing a famous celebrity on a show is not enough as stickiness can only be maintained if the presentation is interesting. Since atelevision show is mostly aired on a daily basis, the time gap for the visibility of the actor is less. Thus, there are chances of a fatigue factor creeping in and in such cases only fresh content can salvage the show.
Another industry expert points out that after Amitabh Bachchan was roped in for KBC, many channels took the route of asking movie stars to host shows. So, we saw Govinda, Anupam Kher and Manish Koirala on similar shows but only a few succeeded in acquiring good viewership. INX Media too has celebrities like Lara Dutta and Raveena Tandon as judges on 9X called Mission Ustaad and Chak de Bachhe respectively. Says Indrani Mukerjea, founder and chief executive officer, INX Media, ?Bollywood has never failed to mesmerise audiences. Film actors are always looked up to, irrespective of the medium they are featured in.
Whether it is on celluloid, television or even a 30 second ad film, they always manage to generate a sizeable amount of interest.? However, she is quick to point out that sometimes television celebs are equally popular. ?We brought Smriti Irani and Sakshi Tanwar to host Vodafone Yeh Hai Jalwa, a dance reality show on 9X, and receivedgood TVRs for it. It was mainly because viewers had never seen them host any other show together. The trick lies in surprising the audiences,? she adds.
Now showing/coming soon
Shah Rukh Khan
Kya Aap Paanchvi Pass Se Tez Hain
Star Plus
This studio-based game show, a version of the popular Are You Smarter Than The Fifth Grader, is SRK?s second reality show after KBC. Though the TV ratings are lower than what he garnered for KBC, SRK, in his Anahita Shroff outfit, is creating quite a buzz
Salman Khan
Dus Ka Dum
Sony Entertainment Television
A game show to be launched in June, Salman Khan is apparently going to be paid Rs 90 crore for the 100 episodes he is slated to host. However, it remains to be seen how the audience will understand his heavily accented hindi and whether this stint on television will help his career in any positive way
Ajay Devgan and Kajol
Rock n Roll Family
Zee TV
A dance reality show, experts feel that it was a smart move to bring these stars on television as the usually reticent actor and his family had never appeared as full time judges on any show. The audience could associate with them as they had never seen an entire family appear on TV to judge a show
Urmila Matondkar
Vaar Parivaar
Sony Entertainment Television
The actress, who hasn?t been getting many roles, is hosting this music reality show for Rs 15 lakh for one episode. The show is said to have 50 episodes which will fetch Matondkar Rs 7 crore. The show, however, gathered a measly rating of 0.7 after the first episode, according to aMap ratings
Akshay Kumar
Khatron ke Khiladi
Colors (channel to be launched)
Akshay Kumar, who delivered four hits last year, will walk away with Rs 15 crore per episode for hosting the second season of Fear Factor. The actor known for his dare devil stunts is sure to give the show a positive boost. His recent successful stint at the Box Office will also help the show attract audience
Smriti Irani and Sakshi Tanwar
Vodafone Yeh Hai Jalwa
9X
A dance reality show, it received good TV ratings, probably because viewers had never seen them host any other show together. Both stars are immensely popular among the masses, thanks to their long-running TV series and the ongoing show has brought both of them out of their stereotyped images
