Bollywood filmmaker Karan Johar will conclude the eighth edition of his chat show Koffee with Karan on Disney + Hotstar this Thursday on a high note, with actor Aamir Khan and ex-wife Kiran Rao as his guests.
From Neetu Singh and Zeenat Aman to Deepika Padukone and Ranveer Singh, Johar’s intrepid questions on life, relationships and career have spared no one, with audiences asking for more. That has drawn premium Indian brands wanting to associate with the show because they get a direct entry into high-income audiences in the tier I and tier II cities.
According to media consultancy Ormax, the eighth edition of Koffee with Karan has consistently ranked among the highest-viewed, non-fiction over-the-top (OTT) shows in India, delivering 6 million viewers on an average per episode since telecast began on October 26, 2023. By non-fiction the reference here is to reality and interview-based shows.
Gaurav Banerjee, head, content, Disney+ Hotstar & HSM Entertainment Network, Disney Star, puts it bluntly: “Koffee With Karan is a show that viewers simply enjoy. Karan Johar’s knack for candid conversations that gives an insight into the lives of superstars, clicks with audiences.”
The fact that Koffee with Karan has had a long run of two decades on Indian screens – the first season was telecast on English-language TV channel Star World, part of the Star network, in 2004 – has meant that it has a fan base, who’ve followed the show for its guests, gossip and hamper of goodies. Season seven saw the show leap into the world of OTT, with the programme coming into its own in season eight as audiences lapped it up.
Advertisers too have flocked to the show. Streamer Disney+ Hotstar says that sponsors for the eighth edition of Koffee with Karan have included names such as Audi, Jaquar Bath+ Light, Fabricare by D’décor, Tata Coffee Grand, Google Pixel and Only Natural Diamonds.
Experts say that there’s a broader trend dictating advertiser interest in shows such as Koffee with Karan. That is the need for originality, entertainment and viewer excitement. In a sea of fiction shows and Hindi movies – as many as 107 Hindi shows and 41 direct-to-OTT Hindi films were launched in 2023 according to OTT experts – reality and interview-based shows provide variety and colour on digital platforms.
In a note last week on non-fiction OTT shows, Ormax’s head of business development Sanket Kulkarni said that as many as 13 Indian non-fiction properties had a viewership of more than five million audiences in 2023, up from 10 in 2022, and four in 2021. Of these, Koffee With Karan (Season 8) along with a few other shows (such as Temptation Island India and MasterChef India) have made it to the top 5 list week after week.
Ormax says that the number could grow in 2024. With digital likely to account for two-third of the growth that the domestic media and entertainment industry, pegged at Rs 2.34 trillion in terms of size, will see over the next two-three years, according to consultancy EY, non-fiction OTT shows will continue on its growth path.