Divya Dixit
Scroll through any OTT platform, and you are bound to lock horns with a reality show or two. With giants like Netflix, Amazon Prime Video, Jio Cinema hosting reality shows, one wonders if there is certain logic or sense behind this. Across regions and languages, audiences globally tend to enjoy reality content as it makes for an inclusive and immersive way to spend watch time. Reality shows have always had a market and digital presence of these have now opened up more avenues for interactions and engagement.
Why are reality shows so engaging? Because they allow the audiences to live vicariously through the actors in situations that otherwise would never be possible for them. These shows can be part scripted and shot prior like The Fabulous lives of Bollywood Wives or streamed live like ALTBalaji’s Lockupp with a multi camera setup. The bigger appeal is when it’s airing live and viewers feel that they are witnessing raw authentic scenarios; which unfortunately is not the case with pre-shot reality shows. The flip side is that live and multi camera setups are more expensive than pre shot ones. Newer formats like business reality shows such as Shark Tank have seen viewership numbers of 4.5-5 million with about 85,000 pitches from168 different parts of the country, making it a clear audience winner. The appeal was startups getting a national media platform to reach out to investors on the panel or to the audience and it paid off.
Since the shows anyway incite conversation and audience chatter they do not require as much marketing push, but rather focused seeded content, unique marketing efforts and tieups. People tend to find their favorites in such scenarios and discuss them across live, digital and personal forums, sometimes making them headlines across media as well. A classic example in this case would be the Big Boss series, where the audience tends to pick their favorites and root for them via votes or digital gifts. This also opens up another revenue stream for the platform. Gamification of these shows is another winner for the platform and its partners, like KBC on Sony and its gamification partner Jio.
Now digital means more creative freedom and lesser constraints. When a show is telecast on television, there’s a time limit for the show; however on digital platforms, there’s convenience, edgier narratives and ease of access. Television does not allow scope for creative modifications to any reality show, whereas OTTs have a choice of narratives behind paywall. Platforms are finding that this is paying off in terms of deeper audience engagement and loyalty, and we now see a plethora right from Bollywood Wives, Indian Matchmaking, Big Boss, LockUpp, Shark Tank, Splitsvilla and Roadies.
Not everyone owns a television, but everybody does have a smartphone and can access OTT platforms. These reality shows’ sun has just started rising on OTT platforms.
The author is a business strategy and growth advisor
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