ITV

Tag: Star One

  • Star One’s The Great Indian Laughter Challenge Dwitiya clocks the highest ever ratings

    Mumbai, June 30, 2006: The Great Indian Laughter Challenge Dwitiya on Star One, the nationwide search for the best comic talent in India has recreated history and set new records!! The two-hour MEGA FINALE episode, which aired on Friday, June 23, 2006 burst through the TRP scales delivering a rating of 7.94 on CS4+ and became the 4th highest ranked shows amongst the Hindi General Entertainment channels.

    The Season 2 that captivated the fancy of the entire nation witnessed a robust growth in channel shares touching 3.41 on CS4+ HSM, making The Great Indian Laughter Challenge Dwitiya one of the most successful show launched in 2006.

    Basis the TAM media research figures across audiences and markets, The Great Indian Laughter Challenge Dwitiya has decimated well-entrenched competition in the last 4 weeks in the Friday Prime time slot of 10:00 p.m. to 11:00 p.m. The show-stealers were the ‘Wizards of Wit ‘ Shekhar Suman & Navjot Singh Sidhu, who donned the judges’ hats for both the seasons.
    The Great Indian Laughter Challenge Dwitiya that opened strongly with 5.06 TVR (CS4+ HSM Base) has only grown from strength to strength each week.

  • Star One plans revival in Mumbai

    Star One plans revival in Mumbai

    MUMBAI: After striking a truce with Mumbai’s cable operators and gaining prime band occupancy on their networks, Star One is making all efforts to regain lost ground.

    In order to refresh the memories of the Mumbai viewer, Star One has slotted a series of marathons and re-cap episodes of its key properties including The Great Indian Laughter Challenge Dwitiya (TGILCD), India Calling, D.O.N, Yeh Dil Chahe More and Kya Hoga Nimmo Ka.

    “Due to a disagreement with the cable trade in Mumbai, we were absent from the prime band. It crippled the channel’s growth in a big way. Now we have reached a settlement and are back on the prime band. Mumbai has always been an important market for the channel, delivering almost 30 per cent of the Hindi Speaking Market (HSM) ratings. Now we look forward to regaining our position,” states Star India EVP marketing Ajay Vidyasagar.

    Speaking on the impact that Mumbai’s absence from the picture made on the newly launched shows such as Kya Hoga… and Heart Beat, Vidyasagar says, “Those brands didn’t get an opportunity to connect with the Mumbai viewers.” On the revival of the channel, he counts on TGILCD to play a key role. “This property will be the lead vehicle for us to drive audiences in Mumbai back to the channel.”

    On the marketing and promotion front, the channel will be triggering a multimedia campaign covering print, radio, outdoors and internet. “We will begin with a print campaign tomorrow (1 June) leading up to the finals of TGILCD. This will be followed by a series of radio activities. Celebrities such as Hrithik Roshan and Diya Mirza will also come on board for promotions. We are planning extensive ground events to promote TGILCD,” says Vidyasagar.

    On the latest introduction Heart Beat not figuring in the recap exercise, Vidyasagar explains, “It is a bit tough to get into a wild bunch of repeats. We don’t want to offer an over dose of the strategy.”

    When queried on the fate of those upcoming shows including Sixer, which were put on hold post the cable disturbance, Vidyasagar said they were put on hold due to creative reasons. “There weren’t too many shows, which we put on hold. Yes, due to certain creative reasons, we have delayed certain shows. It will require certain time to recraft those shows,” he says.

    As already reported by Indiantelevision.com, Star One was pushed into the hyper band since January as Star India was asking for an increase in payout from cable TV operators. Star was blamed by the association of distributors and last mile operators in Mumbai for forcing the second bouquet comprising channels like Star One and Walt Disney on cable operators.

    Opposition was also against Tata Sky, in which Star is a 20 per cent joint venture partner, for approaching housing societies with the proposal of offering residents a central dish antenna through which it could connect individual installations and offer direct-to-home (DTH) service.

  • Sony, Star One bid to get back on narrative track

    It was in early October 2005 that we last had a close look at the Hindi entertainment space. What did we see then?

    The top programmes on Star Plus were witnessing a ratings erosion of between 10-12 per cent on an average. But the key point then was that though Star Plus‘ top shows had dropped on the TRP scale, the channel share had dropped by only 5 per cent due to the expansion of the performing time bands to the weekend — thanks to KBC 2 and its effect on the weekend line up on the channel.

     

    KBC 2‘s unexpected exit and Star Plus‘ failure to present a fitting substitute exposed the channel‘s overdependency on the property

    Add to that was the huge success sibling Star One enjoyed on the back of two talent shows Nach Baliye and The Great Indian Laughter Challenge. So, Star as a network ended the year on a super high note with Star Plus managing to hold steady its grip on Hindi entertainment and the added bonus of Star One‘s meteoric rise in the reckoning.

    Going into the month of April 2006 though, the picture is looking a whole lot different. What has been extensively reported on is Zee TV‘s overtaking of Sony Entertainment Television India’s flagship channel SET to ensconce itself firmly as the clear number two in the Hindi entertainment space.

    What not many seem to have taken note of though is the way Star Plus’ flanker channel, which Star Entertainment India CEO Sameer Nair had hoped would make a serious assault on the number two position, has plummeted hugely from a high of 15.1 channel share in the second week of December to a lowly 5.5 for the week ended 30 April (see charts).

    This brings us to a posit that has been made earlier, but with specific reference to SET — that the recipe of relying on format shows to deliver would prove difficult to sustain as a long term proposition.

    In a sense, the trajectory of both SET and Star One has been similar. While the format shows have offered them temporary spikes, the lack of strong wraparound drama content has meant that overall there has only been a downward spiral witnessed.

     

    Star Plus has finally zeroed in on the period drama Prithviraj Chauhan to fill the void created by KBC2‘s exit

    Comparing the two is not exactly warranted, though except to draw attention to the inability of the format shows to drive up the channel as a whole without solid dramas (or as Nair terms it narrative fiction) as the main menu proposition.

    Why is it incorrect to compare? The format shows worked brilliantly for Star One in the sense that if one looks at where the channel was before these shows “did the trick” it was far lower than where it is now. So basically, Star One is now in direct competition with Sahara One (which has improved on the ratings reckoner). It would appear that the only way ahead from Star One is up, which should be good news as a lot of hope and money is riding on the channel.

    For Sony, a lot depends on how the strategy that the channel is charting on the narrative fiction front takes off. The results haven‘t been too encouraging so far though with the two new prime time shows launched simultaneously on 24 April (Aisa Des Hai Mera and Thodi Khushi Thode Gham) yet to make an impact. This stands out in stark relief when compared to Zee TV‘s new prime time show Jabb Love Hua, which launched the same day and is doing far better.

     

    Channel
    Key properties
    April-May average ratings combined
    Star Plus Kyunki…, Kahaani…, Kasauti… 12.64 TVR
    Star One Laughter Challenge, Mano Ya Na.., Kya Hoga.. 2.61 TVR
    Zee TV Saath Phere, Kasamh Se 4.44 TVR
    Sony Idol final & Idol Muqabla, Fear Factor, CID 3.36 TVR
    Sahara One Cricket, Woh Rehne Wali.., Hanuman (film) 2.76 TVR
    Sab TV Caravan (film), Idol Takka Tak, Wah Wah, Lo Kal.. 0.52 TVR

     

     

    Source: TAM Peoplemeter System TG: CS 4 years + Markets: Hindi Speaking Markets
    Period: 2/4/06 to 6/5/06

     

     

    After Saath Phere and Kasamh Se, Zee‘s latest prime time property Jabb Love Hua is now ringing the alarm bells for rival channels

    If one were to look at Zee, Saath Phere at 9:30 pm delivered and that has given the channel a huge boost. The good show from Kasamh Se, coming at 9 pm, has doubled the channel‘s excitement. According to Tam, the latest prime time offering Jabb Love Hua has also achieved a strong opening. Zee also has strong properties in its afternoon soaps, Paalki and Mamta. Zee is presently strategising its moves to strengthen the afternoon band further.

    What gave Zee the momentum was of course Sa Re Ga Ma Pa Challenge 2005, which has been a solid home grown quality format property which has pretty much chugged along without too much media noise all these years. When Zee made substantial investments in Sa Re Ga Ma Pa Challenge, it got the dividends.

     

    Sony’s format overkill and the resultant viewer fatigue worked against ‘Indian Idol 2‘ in viewership charts

    While speaking of Sa Re Ga Ma Pa Challenge, the case of Sony’s Indian Idol 2 immediately comes into the frame. We remain convinced that Idol is an intrinsically a strong property. So frankly, we are surprised at the low (comparatively) ratings it delivered. About the only reason that makes sense is that Sony’s format overkill led to viewer fatigue.

    After the first edition of Indian Idol signed off on such a high note, in came Fame Gurukul, which also took the music talent route. From a viewer’s perspective, it was one into the next and before gathering breath as it were, there was Idol 2 back again.

    There was a lot of “format noise” on the rival channels as well so that also has to be factored in. Music talent hunt Sa Re Ga Ma Pa has already been discussed. Then there was the celebrity dance contest Nach Baliye and the Great Indian Laughter Challenge on Star One and of course the big daddy of them all KBC 2 on Star Plus.

     

    Will the new soaps such as Aisa Des Hai Mera and Thodi Khushi Thode Gham see Sony pulling its viewers back to the drawing room?

    How do the coming months look for Sony? Well it depends on what are the narrative fiction shows that the channel has launched as well as those in the pipeline fare. Drawing from the example of the US, NBC has slid because it has found nothing to replace cult hits like Friends, Seinfeld and Frasier while ABC’s surge has filled the “vacuum” with hits like Desperate Housewives, Lost and Grey’s Anatomy.

    Coming back to Sony, Jassi has bid its long overdue adieu and the channel has tapped the horror genre (Khauffnak) as its replacement. The show is expected to conclude by June end. What shows the channel throws up next in the time band and how Aisa Des Hai Mera and Thodi Khushi Thode Gham ultimately fare in the ratings reckoning could well determine whether the coming months see SET’s ratings curve travelling north or further south.

  • Star One in truce with cable operators in Mumbai

    Star One in truce with cable operators in Mumbai

    MUMBAI: Star One will be back on prime band location in cable networks across Mumbai following an agreement with operators. The channel was pushed into a higher frequency since January as Star India was asking for an increase in payout from cable TV operators.

    “As part of the truce, Star has withdrawn its demand of a 10 per cent increase in paying subscribers from us. We have agreed to carry the channel on a better location in our networks,” says Cable Operators and Distributors Association (CODA) vice president Ravi Singh.

    Star was blamed by the association of distributors and last mile operators in Mumbai for forcing the second bouquet comprising channels like Star One and Walt Disney on cable operators.

    Opposition was also against Tata Sky, in which Star is a 20 per cent joint venture partner, for approaching housing societies with the proposal of offering residents a central dish antenna through which it could connect individual installations and offer direct-to-home (DTH) service.

    A few days back, the Star group of channels were back on the cable networks in Kolkata. Manthan Cable Network and Indian Cable Net (which was bought out by Siticable) had in April blacked out the Star channels opposing a seven per cent rate hike. Claiming outstandings of over Rs 20 million, Star, in fact, had switched off Manthan.

    Following this the last mile operators had blacked out carriage of the Star channels, led by the Forum of Cable Operators and Cable Operators Sanjukta, two association bodies of the last mile operators in the city.

  • Hindi GECs in summer overdrive

    “We will have to speak to our competitors and see how they are placed before scheduling our press conference,” says a PR executive who works for one of the leading Hindi general entertainment channels.The interesting comment came when we told her about the big day ‘24 April‘ that would witness the launch of about five programmes across the channels.

    Yes, this summer is about to witness a programming bonanza in the general entertainment channel (GEC) space, with not less than eight prime time shows being lined up for launch during this April-May phase. Both the weekday and weekend prime time bands will witness a flurry of activity and the shows gearing up for launch include some big budget projects as well. Star Plus, Sony, Zee, Sahara One and Sab, all will be launching an array of soaps during this time.

    Star Plus will replace its daily soap Milee with the much-awaited Ravi Chopra production Viraasat. The show will run Monday to Thursday in the 9 pm slot, starting 24 April. The channel has also lined up two shows — Prithviraj Chauhan, Dharti Ka Ek Veer Yodha and Ek Chaabi Pados Mein — for launch in May.

    According to Star India senior creative director Shailja Kejriwal, Prithviraj Chauhan will run Friday to Sunday, while Ek Chaabi Pados Mein is yet to be scheduled. “Prithviraj Chauhan will run Friday through Sunday. Internal discussions are going on to decide the time slot for this show, as well as the exact schedule for Ek Chaabi Pados Mein,” says Kejriwal.

    The channel has been working on these three projects since a long time as it required strong properties to fill the void left by its weekend driver show KBC 2. With the launch of these three big projects — two in the weekend band and one in the weekday band — Star Plus‘ attempt will be to bring in some significant improvement as well as consistency to its performance in the prime time band across the week.

    Sony, on the other hand, is now eyeing weekdays and is introducing two new shows on 24 April, after strengthening its Friday band with its Shukra Hai Shukravaar Hai package. Aisa Des Hai Mera will be aired at 9 pm and Thodi Khushi Thode Gham at 9.30 pm from 24 April. The shows will run from Monday to Thursday.

    On Monday and Tuesday, these two new shows will replace the second season of Indian Idol, which is coming to its end. Whereas, on Wednesday and Thursday, the two shows will substitute Deal Ya No Deal, which is now being made into a weekly and will air only on Friday at 8 pm.

    The channel is unveiling its programming strategy gradually. While the first one was to strengthen the Friday line up, the second is to ramp up the 9 to10 pm band on weekdays.

    In the next couple of months, Sony will also be revamping the 10 to 11 pm band as well as the afternoon band, where the latter at present comprises re-runs of old shows and repeats of prime time shows. Also, Jassi Jaisi Koi Nahi, which airs from Monday to Thursday at 10 pm will end its run in May and new shows are likely to be introduced then.

    Says Sony Entertainment Television (SET) India chief operating officer NP Singh, “We will be rolling out our new programming strategy step by step in the coming months. The beginning was made with the Friday lineup. By July, the programming schedule of Sony will be completely transformed.”

    Sony‘s move to strengthen its weekday programming with fiction will also see the channel taking a deliberate retreat from the reality terrain. Once Indian Idol 2 bids adieu, the channel will have its reality dose further scaled down with only Fear Factor there to represent the genre.

    Sab TV will be also be launching a new show – Twinkle Beauty Parlour in May in the 9 pm slot. However Sab business head Vikas Bhal declined to comment whether it would be a weekday or weekend show.

    While Sony is making some calculated moves to regain lost glory in prime time, the Zee camp is not sitting on its laurels but banking on some big launches. After launching its biggest project of the year Business Baazigar on 31 March, Zee TV will flag off another key property on 24 April. The soap Jab Love Hua will replace Rubba Ishq Na Hove and Sarrkkar in the 8:30 pm slot to run Monday through Friday. Then viewers can also expect some fireworks from the latest Sa Re Ga Ma Pa version Ek Mein Aur Ek Tu. It is learnt that the channel has ensured a high doze of reality-oriented excitement in the forthcoming episodes of the talent hunt show.

    Ek Mein Aur Ek Tu along with Zee TV‘s soap brigade have their task cut out: block any resurgence by Sony and make the viewers thank Zee TV as well – be it a Monday or a Friday.

    On Monday, 10 April, Sahara One will be launching a new fiction show – Suno… Harr Dill Kuchh Kehtaa Hai in the 10 pm slot. This show will run from Monday to Friday and will replace the re-runs of Virasaat on the channel. Once Buniyaad gets over in May, Sahara One will be launching another show – Sati to replace it.

    Reshuffle in Prime time rankings; Sony & Star One push Zee to fourth spot

    Interestingly, since the re-launch of Shukra Hai Shukravaar Hai on 10 March, Sony‘s prime time performance has seen a radical jump. Last month, the channel strengthened its Friday lineup, which included Deal Ya No Deal (8 pm), Fear Factor (9 pm), CID (10 pm) and Kandy Floss (11 pm). While Fear Factor has been the top rated show on Sony for three consecutive weeks; the new format CID has also been rating well consistently for the channel.

    In the week beginning 26 February, Sony‘s prime time (8 pm to 11 pm) channel share was 12.9 per cent in the C&S 4+ Hindi speaking market according to Tam. Whereas, in the week beginning 5 March (when the new Friday lineup was introduced), the channel‘s prime time share jumped to 20.3 per cent. In the corresponding week (12 March), the share further increased to 22.1 per cent. However, in the week beginning 19 March, the prime time channel share fell to 17.2 per cent.

    The latest prime time picture is as follows:

    Star Plus‘ share in the prime time fell from 56.9 per cent in the week beginning 26 February to 46.8 per cent in the week beginning 5 March and further to 43.4 per cent in the week beginning 12 March, according to Tam. In the week beginning 19 March, Star Plus‘ prime time channel share rose to 49.1 per cent.

    Star One meanwhile has overtaken Zee TV in prime time to claim the third position with 14.8 per cent channel share as opposed to Zee‘s 11.6 per cent in the week beginning 19 March. The shows which have triggered the good performance for Star One include Saarabhai Vs Saarabhai, Remix, The Great Indian Laughter Challenge 2, Kya Hoga Nimmo Ka and Mano Ya Na Mano.

    On the other hand, Sahara One, which has claimed to be the number three channel in the week ending 25 March, is still way behind Sony as far as prime time channel share is concerned. Sahara One‘s prime time channel share in the week beginning 19 March was 5.3 per cent. Star One has overtaken Zee TV in prime time to claim the third position with 14.8 per cent channel share as opposed to Zee‘s was 11.6 per cent in the week beginning 19 March.

    As the prime time action heats up across the networks, expect to see an ongoing jostling for leadership positions over the next two months. Behind Star Plus of course.