If reality reality shows on Indian television started off as differentiators, today every general entertainment channel (GEC) worth its money has a reality show on air. But where they differ today is in the scale and grandeur which not only raise the viewership ratings of the show but for the overall channel. And with advertising money being buoyant in the second half of the year because of the festival season, the top GECs of the country?Star Plus, Colors and Sony?are concentrating on big-ticket reality shows to keep the audience hooked.
This season the battle between the GECs has really intensified. Star Plus, the channel which is currently leading the GEC pack, has launched MasterChef India which, as the name suggests, is a cookery competition, based on the international format owned by UK based production house Shine, owned by Rupert Murdoch’s daughter Elisabeth Murdoch. MasterChef comes almost after a year after Star Plus aired Sach ka Samna anchored by Rajeev Khandelwal, a new actor. But this time round, Star Plus has preferred to rope in established Bollywood action hero Akshay Kumar who was credited for drawing in the audience in the first two seasons of Fear Factor: Khatron Ke Khiladi aired by Colors. In turn, Colors, which recently wrapped up Fear Factor: Khatron Ke Khiladi 3 with Bollywood actress Priyanka Chopra as the anchor, has launched another reality show – the fourth edition of Bigg Boss. This year the channel has got Bollywood actor Salman Khan to anchor it. And last but not the least, Multi Screen Media’s GEC Sony Entertainment Television (popularly called Sony) has brought back Kaun Banega Crorepati (KBC) 4 with its erstwhile anchor Amitabh Bachchan. Interestingly, Sony has scrapped the idea of launching another edition of Dus ka Dum hosted by Bollywood actor Salman Khan. The show that garnered impressive ratings in the first two editions has been pulled off because Khan is now hosting Bigg Boss season 4 on Colors.
The bunching up of reality shows in the second half of the year isn’t just a coincidence. ?The second half of the year forms the festive season and with big-ticket reality shows, it is an ideal opportunity for advertisers to reach out to their target group. Also, the first part of the year is typically dominated by cricket, so it makes sense for broadcasters like us to launch our big reality shows in the second half,? says Simran Hoon, head, national sales, Colors. ?We have an impressive line-up of reality shows such as India’s Got Talent, Fear Factor: Khatron Ke Khiladi and Bigg Boss during this period and viewers look forward to these shows around this time. These shows now form the major highlights of our annual programme calendar.?
The festive season, beginning with Ganesh Chaturthi, accounts for around 30-40% of the total ad spends in India, say media planners. Sandeep Lakhina, CEO, South Asia, Starcom, says, ?In general, ad spends are higher for the second half of the year for many categories like electronics, consumer durables, apparel, etc., primarily as Indian consumers tend to spend more during this period.? And hence, marketers launch various promotional programmes to woo them. All this leads to a spike in their ad spends that largely go to TV and print. And therefore, it makes sense for television channels to launch their high-profile, flagship programmes during this period, say media planners.
Some believe that a successful reality show can help raise the price band of the overall channel. ?For many of these properties, the ad monies committed would be in the Rs 100 crore-plus range. But having said that, also remember that a lot of money is spent to produce these shows, pay for the anchors and then market these shows. This figure would also be in the range of Rs 100 crore-plus,? says Lakhina. ?So I am not sure if these shows will really make money for these channels. What can happen is that because these shows tend to increase the overall channel share, it helps the channel to price itself higher overall.?
Says Hoon, ?Reality shows constitute 20% of our programming mix. Such shows serve the dual purpose of reach and impact at the same time. An advertiser depending on this category typically looks for high buzz-value, integration and the right brand fit. Considering the high cost of production vis-?-vis fiction shows, reality shows balance the profitability part with other factors like image and viewer acquisition.?
On one hand while new channels such as Colors are witnessing flow of huge funds with big ticket reality shows, more established players such as Star Plus see fiction shows as the staple programming for a GEC.
Anupam Vasudev, executive vice-president, marketing and communication, Star India, says launching reality shows in the second half of the year is a function of channel schedule. ?Reality shows capture just 10% of our total programming but due to the noise and buzz they tend to get talked about more.? But in the long run it?s the fiction shows which are more profitable. ?Fiction is the staple business and a steady source of income. Having said that I feel there should be a combination of fiction and non-fiction.?
However, for some channels, reality shows are there for a different reason. For channels such as Sony which is hosting KBC 4 this season, it offers a chance to get back into the game. The channel has made several attempts since May 2009 to get a place among the top three slots on the GEC roster. But it has not been able to taste success yet. It is now hoping that airing KBC with Amitabh Bachchan as the anchor will do the trick, just like the way it helped establish Star Plus as the number 1 channel some years back. And going by the data on television viewership, it does seem that KBC is working its magic again. According to data released by television audience measurement firm, TAM Media Research, Sony has now climbed to the number 3 spot pushing down Zee TV. For the weeks starting October 11 and October 18, Sony garnered 221 and 208 GRPs (gross rating points) respectively. In these two weeks, Zee which is now at number 4 garnered 178 and 203 GRPs. Again, while the first episode of KBC 4 garnered 6.2 TVR, the opening shows of Khatron Ke Khiladi, Bigg Boss 4 and MasterChef India generated 5.5, 4.8 and 2.6 TVR respectively. Even the average TVR at 5.3 in the launch week of KBC 4 is higher than the other three shows.
Ajit Thakur, executive vice-president and business head, Sony Entertainment Television, says, ?Thirty per cent of our programming is reality shows and we have one reality show every quarter. And this year we have seen a stable growth and have steadily grown from 88 GRP to 221 GRP. KBC has helped us move to the next level.?
Thakur maps out the advantages of having a show like KBC. ?Such shows have a lot of traction and therefore advertisers prefer to invest their money. It also becomes an overall marketing tool for the channel. And different themes help broadbase the appeal for the channel and get new audiences.? And Sony is utilising the KBC platform that reached 81 million viewers in the first week itself liberally. It has launched two fiction shows on the back of KBC?Tera Mujhse Hay Pehle Ka Nata Koi and Saas Bina Sasuraal.
One of the oldest GECs in the country, Zee TV, which has always been one of the top three players in this space, believes in a different strategy. The channel has only two music based reality shows?Sa Re Ga Ma Pa and Dance India Dance, which are anchored by some renowned Indian singers and music directors. Atul Das, president, corporate strategy and business development, Zee Entertainment Enterprises Ltd (ZEEL), says, ?We have developed some formats over a certain period of time and they are hosted by people who are relevant for the show. Both the shows are well received by audiences. I know there are concurrent shows running on other channels. We do not have the need to launch a similar kind of show. We would focus on formats that work in the long term.? Talking about the recent drop in Zee TV’s GRP, Das says, ?It will matter only if it persists for a long term. Otherwise, during the sampling period of any new show the GRPs and ratings remain volatile. And after a few weeks it settles down.? The channel has recently announced the launch of Dance India Dance Doubles. This year the show will also scout for international talent in markets Dubai, the US and the UK.
The second tier of GECs such as SAB TV, Star One and NDTV Imagine are also staying away from the reality show format. This, despite the fact that Star One had a successful run with stand-up comedy format Laughter Challenge. Vasudev of Star says, ?Everyone tries their hand at reality shows but for small channels the ability to monetise is limited. So, a big-ticket reality show works better on larger channels.?
But Anooj Kapoor, executive vice-president and business head, SAB TV, which is owned by MSM, says that the channel has deliberately stayed away from reality shows. Not only has the channel adopted comedy as its primary genre but even in terms of GRPs it is ahead of Star One and Imagine TV. According to TAM data for the week starting Oct 25, Sab TV, Imagine TV and Star One garnered 118, 96 and 44 GRPs respectively. Kapoor says, ?I think we have managed to stay robust because of our differentiated strategy. And therefore we are not likely to fall into the trap of a reality show.?
However, NDTV Imagine did make an attempt through shows like Rakhi Ka Swayamvar and Rahul Dulhaniya Le Jayenge. ?But these shows lack the scale and are not as successful. Moreover they are not driven by A-class stars.? said a media planner who did not want to be named.
While fiction-based programmes on GECs are primarily targetted at women viewers, reality shows are expected to draw in male audiences, who typically are more loyal to news and sports channels. K Sriram, vice-president, sales, marketing and services, Mirc Electronics Ltd. (owners of the Onida brand) says, ?Generally speaking, the communication for consumer electronics categories and air conditioners are directed at the male target audiences, and that for home appliance categories are directed at female audiences. Therefore the GEC channel weightages are higher for home appliances such as microwaves, and washing machines. Between 35-40% of our annual TV spends on Onida go through the mainstream GECs and cricket programming.?
He adds, ?While there is certainly a trend of increased viewership of reality-based programming (at the expense of some serials), it will be wrong to conclude that reality-based programming therefore gives better ROIs (return on investments), because the pricing of ad rates can vary significantly with the programming.
The challenge for Star Plus, Colors and Sony will then be to keep the freshness alive around these shows without which there could be viewer fatigue thus driving away audiences. So KBC 4 is trying to get cricketer Sreesanth on the show to play with Bachchan. But the previous seasons of KBC too had celebrities putting their general knowledge to the acid test. Only time can tell if Sony will add a new twist in this tale. Colors, too, has added new homemates like wrestler Khali and actor Dolly Thakur in Bigg Boss who are expected to spice up things a bit. And MasterChef India is expected to have Bollywood celebrities like Aishwarya Rai Bachchan sharing their culinary secrets with the viewers.
While GECs are battling it out with each other they are also in competition with channels like MTV, Channel V and UTV Bindaas as far as reality shows are concerned. For most of these channels reality shows are their staple diet and their continuous innovations around these. A senior media planner who did not want to be named says, ?Right now, between the three reality shows Bigg Boss 4, KBC 4 and MasterChef India there is a clear differentiation. And the channels should make an effort to keep it that way. Because in the past we have seen that due to the fatigue factor many brands migrated to reality shows on youth entertainment channels.?