A cursory glance at the prime-time television programming of the Hindi general entertainment channels (GECs) and all one gets to see women-oriented series. Be it Balika Vadhu on Colors, Chhoti Bahu on ZEE, one can clearly see that women are the focus of prime time programming. Indian television would have not have been the same if women, both actors and viewers did a disappearing act.
Television has recognised the power of women. And numbers suggest that the largest television rating points (TRP) grabbers are female-oriented shows. Now more shows depicting various aspects of womanhood are soon finding popularity on TV. Purnendu Shekhar, writer of popular shows such as Baalika Vadhu on Colors and Jyoti on NDTV Imagine feels, ?A female character has multiple roles to play. She is a powerhouse of emotions and thus forms a great source of inspiration for most stories. ?
Anupam Vasudev, executive VP, marketing and communications, Star India, says, ?A large percentage of programming on GECs is dictated by women as 55% of the Hindi GEC viewers are female.
Shows that cater to the family space with female protagonists and realistic story lines based on consumer insights work best for Indian viewers.? STAR Plus aired two of the most iconic female protagonist shows on television ? Kyunki Saas Bhi Kabhi Bahu Thi and Kahani Ghar Ghar Ki. These shows popularised the trend of Saas-Bahu serials and had catapulted the TRPs of the channel. Kyunki… spearheaded STAR Plus to the top of the ratings chart since it was aired in the year 2000. After its end in 2008, ?We plan to launch some new shows in prime time shortly, one of them being Sabki Laadli-Bebo, which is a soap about a family who craves for a girl child,? added Vasudev.
Aap Ki Kachehri, hosted by Kiran Bedi is another show that is based on socially relevant issues and has found an appeal with the audiences. Shows like Na Aana Is Des Lado revolving around the concept of female foeticide and Mere Ghar Aayi Ek Nanhi Pari about a family craving for a daughter are soon to go on air on Colors. Danish Khan, Head, Marketing, Sony Entertainment Television, explains, ?Women constitute a critical part of our channel?s programming as they are the key drivers for advertising revenue. The time spent by female viewers is the highest for any GEC and so the viewership and TRPs automatically soar. Most categories of advertisers as FMCG, cosmetics, lifestyle goods, childcare products and consumer durables want to associate with the female target group and this in turn benefits the channel?s ad revenue.?
Most of the female-oriented television programming has enjoyed prime time as well as afternoon slots, both slots frequented by female viewers. STAR Plus and Colors are also strengthening their afternoon slots by introducing new women based shows. Other GECs like SET, 9X and Sahara One either air re runs of their prime time shows or movies during the afternoon slots. Thus while STAR Plus, Colors and ZEE enjoy average GRPs of 6.1, 4.8 and 3.9 respectively, channels such as SET, and NDTV Imagine command 1.4 GRPs each.
While one may be mislead into believing that mostly women viewers who reciprocate in a positive way to such shows, it is quite surprising to learn that there is a good response from the male audience as far as shows like Baalika Vadhu, Bidaai, Yeh Rishtaa… is concerned. Both Khan and Shekhar agree that since India is still majorly dominated by single TV homes, there is a fair amount of male viewership that these shows enjoy. Newly launched GECs like Turner?s Real are also not shying away from women based shows like Hindi Hai Hum, with a female lead protagonist. Sharada Sunder, president, Real Global Broadcasting says, ?For Real, both men and women viewers are important. Women account for approximately 55%. Real?s offering is to both men and women and hence we hope to further balance this ratio.?