Fiction and non-fiction shows have been a regular part of the lives of audiences. While globally fiction shows like HBO’s Games of Thrones ran for eight long years being one of the longest-running fiction shows, besdies other long-running shows like Doctor Who, in India, nonfiction shows such as Bigg Boss, Jhalak Dikhhla Jaa, Crime Patrol, among others seem to have found a place in the heart and mind of consumers. Interestingly, media experts opine that people have been watching reality television in one form or another for as long as TV has been around. “For instance, we have had ‘Saregamapa’ launched on Doordarshan sometime in the 1990s. If we go further back, we had quiz shows on the radio. As a nine-year-old kid in 1972, I remember, I used to listen to Bonvita Quiz Contest. If we go even further back when Radio Ceylon used to broadcast in India, there was a show titled ‘Vinaka Gitmala’, which was a countdown show. It was not a reality show but a music talent contest, literally from the 1960s. So, even in the radio era, reality shows were enjoyed; the previous medium paved the way for TV,” Paritosh Joshi, a senior media expert told BrandWagon Online.
Which content is the King?
While a few shows within the reality genre may appeal to audiences across age and demographic factors generally, there are shows that were created to target niche audiences. For example, Shark Tank is a reality show which is targeted at entrepreneurs, SMEs, and start-ups. “It’s all about interest, some formats tend to be targeted at demographics and of a certain age of people. For example, shows like Splitsvilla or Fear Factor are more toward younger audiences. But shows like KBC, Indian Idol or India’s Got Talent have more family audiences across the spectrum,” Uday Sodhi, founding partner, Kurate Digital Consultant said.
Typically, in shows of this genre, the celebrity factor plays a crucial role. Actors such as Amitabh Bachchan, and Salman Khan have played the role of anchors or hosts in reality shows including Kaun Banega Crorepati, and Bigg Boss. It is widely believed that actors or popular faces help in getting attention People seem to resonate with the show with a particular celebrity. “Celebrities bring relevance and impact to the show. We have seen that with Amitabh Bacchan running KBC which has a significant impact. Whenever there has been a change in the host, the show hasn’t been accepted by viewers. So, the celebrity has to perfectly match the interest and add value to the format to make a successful show,” Sodhi added.
The digital rise
The emergence of digital mediums seems to have transformed the reality show genre too. Especially the over-the-top (OTT) platforms are believed to have added a new dimension to the world of non-scripted shows. To be sure, while drama, crime, action, and thrillers were predominant genres in OTT in 2023, reality shows pulled in very large numbers of audiences and is expected to increase further in 2024, as per a FICCI-EY report. OTT platforms are believed have to democratised reality shows’ content by making it a real-time show. Experts opine, that due to this phenomenon, real convergence has been seeing daylight currently. “ Social media and digital platforms have impacted shows massively. Back in time, when Indian Idol had just started, the first set of interactivity was people voting for contestants via SMS. There was a time when reality shows used to be the only platforms for talents to come into focus. But now, if somebody has talent, they can upload reels or short videos on social media. It has made life difficult for platforms to attract viewers but also created a fresh set of popular people who they can get as auditions. Nowadays these reels can act like auditions. In the case of BigBoss, in last few years, many of the contestants came from the social media influencer community. Slowly everything is merging, and the real convergence is seeing daylight. In a few years, it will evolve into a much different space than we know right now,” Ashish Golwalkar, a senior media consultant said.
Not to mention, India has large numbers of social media users who are believed to be Gen-Z mostly. As per the FICCI-EY report, 482 million Indians were active on social media in September 2023. To cater to this large audience, non-scripted shows have been trying to figure out the way to interact with the youth audience. As per industry experts, other than shows like Bigg Boss and Shark Tank, not many resonate with Gen-Z. But things are changing, even traditional dancing or singing shows are trying to find ways to interact with young audiences. “But it will be difficult for makers to attract a large mass and youths. If somebody tries to make shows that attract Gen-Z, the overall viewership might be affected. There was a time when these non-scripted shows were watched by everybody, but now people have so many options on their hands. In fact, overall viewership of these shows on TV has also gone down,” Golwalkar added.
Reality shows: Money magnet?
Just like any other content, reality shows also have been created to generate revenues. The longevity of these shows, broadcast season after season proves their success in money matters. Over the years, brands have sponsored these television shows, and now with digital platforms broadcasting these shows, the advertisement and sponsorship metrics have been modified. As consumption has gone to TV plus digital, makers have been able to sell bundled inventory from TV and digital on one side. Apart from that, they can also sell the show on digital as a separate product to those brands who can’t afford to pay huge amounts that are charged for advertising on TV. “So, it has increased numbers of advertisers because they can take much smaller ad campaigns on digital platforms as compared to TV. In the case of Bigg Boss, there have been two billion minutes of viewership on OTT. The digital version of the show provides massive opportunities to monetise that inventory through advertising and sponsorships. However, in digital, advertising is also affordable due to its feature of letting advertisers choose certain geographies, making it cost-efficient,” said a senior analyst on the condition of anonymity.
To give a sense, soon after the announcement of Bigg Boss season 17, Colors had closed about 12 sponsors from across traditional and new-age categories. The TV and digital sponsors signed up by the company at the time included Hyundai, Dabur Bae Fresh, Tresemme, Appy Fizz, InMobi-owned Glance, Ching’s Schezwan Chutney, Reckitt Benckiser, MakeMyTrip, Paytm, Vimal Elaichi, RedBus, and Hindware Smart Appliances, among others.
Even as a few reality show have been able to strike a right cord among viewers, there is always a concern of viewer fatigue. “There have been no problems with the proliferation of similar formats. There are enough viewers and demand for good content as long it is made sharply different than others. When Dance India Dance was doing supremely well, we rolled out Dance Plus which was made differently and both performed well. It has happened across channels and shows. So, genres do not get fatigued but formats do, because people will not stop watching dance or listening to songs. Makers need to analyse viewer’s preferences and tweak the format,” Golwalkar added.