The real reality situation: KBC Season 4 leads the race
KBC Season 4 leads the reality charts, while Bigg
Boss trails behind closely, with Master Chef on STAR Plus creating its
own fans
The month of October saw four general entertainment channels (GECs) -
Sony, Colors, STAR Plus and Imagine TV - rolling out reality shows of
various formats such as Kaun Banega Crorepati (KBC) Season 4, Bigg Boss
Season 4, Master Chef and Rakhi ka Insaaf.
Both KBC and Bigg Boss are old formats and in their fourth season. They are at loggerheads at 9 pm.
Master Chef, a new concept on Indian television, is aired on
Saturdays and Sundays at 9 pm. Rakhi ka Insaaf on Imagine - quite
similar to Kiran Bedi's show Aap ki Kachehri - is slotted at 9pm on
Saturdays.
Though big money is riding on all these shows, KBC Season 4 seems to be ahead in the race in terms of viewership.
As per TAM data (C&S 4+, HSM), KBC recorded an opening TVR of
6.21, while Bigg Boss' opening episode clocked a TVR of 4.83. It's
interesting to note that KBC has made a comeback after a gap of few
years and with its first host, Amitabh Bachchan.
Anita
Nayyar, CEO, MPG, says, "Usually, re-launches do not work. However,
Amitabh Bachchan surprises the audience each time, which brings
freshness into the programme."
Ajit Varghese, managing director, Maxus, opines, "In case of Bigg
Boss, this time, the star cast is not that impressive. The format of the
show is such that it develops its own content, which has to be
captivating enough for the viewers. So, the fate of the ratings also
depends on how the content evolves in the show."
Even Nayyar believes that Bigg Boss is riding completely on the popularity of its host, Salman Khan.
Both KBC and Bigg Boss after an initial high has stabilised at lower
TVR. In its first week, KBC recorded an average TVR of 5.27, which
declined to 3.95 in the second week.
In case of Bigg Boss, the reality show in its first week registered
an average TVR of 3.15, which came down to 2.27 in the second week.
However, both Master Chef and Rakhi Ka Insaaf improved their
performances in the second week after a low opening TVR. For instance,
Master Chef opened with 2.59 TVR but in the second week it's TVR rose to
3.26 on the following Saturday.
Similarly, Rakhi ka Insaaf which clocked an average TVR of 1.9 in the
first week, increased its TVR to 2.29 in the subsequent week.
Mona
Jain, chief operating officer, VivaKi Exchange, says, "It was clear
from the very beginning that Master Chef is targeted at a particular
segment of the audience. So, while it started at a TVR of 2.59, from the
recent ratings, it can be seen that the show is gradually picking up."
In fact, expectations were not very high from Master Chef due to its
format. However, rise in the show's TVRs indicates that the viewers are
slowly accepting the format after the initial sampling.
Varghese has an interesting observation to offer. He says, "Rakhi Ka
Insaaf's viewership depends on sensationalism; however, too much of
drama could lead to a drop in the ratings."
While this may the first innings for the reality shows, the final call will be taken once the curtain falls for the shows.
Tags: Anita Nayyar,
Sony,
STAR Plus,
Imagine TV,
Colors,
Ajit Varghese,
Mona Jain,
Amitabh Bachchan,
KBC Season 4,
Bigg Boss,
Master Chef,
Rakhi ka Insaaf,
Salman Khan
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