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Tag: Star Plus

  • TV channels undecided on apology scrolling

    TV channels undecided on apology scrolling

    NEW DELHI: The Indian government made it clear to TV channels yesterday that those guilty of breaching advertising code would have to publicly apologize, though channel managements are still undecided on future course of action.

    The ministry of Information and Broadcasting has issued a warning to 43 channels directing them to carry a scroll for three days regretting airing surrogate advertisements of liquor and tobacco products in violation of rules.

    The scroll to be aired reads thus: “Ministry of information & broadcasting issues a warning to X channel for telecasting surrogate advertisements of liquor/tobacco products in violation of advertising code. X channel regrets this and apologies for the same. We assure to be more careful in future.”

    A gaggle of broadcasters, under the aegis of the Indian Broadcasting Foundation (IBF), met ministry officials on Friday in an attempt to seek a resolution to, what a broadcaster described as, “uncalled for public humiliation.”

    The broadcast industry contention was that the government is unnecessarily objecting to ads of products and companies, which may have other legitimate businesses apart from tobacco and liquor products.

    Moreover, with the ASCI now given more teeth to regulate ads put out by companies, broadcasters argued, running a scroll of apology for three days would amount to financial setback and space loss for important news alerts too.

    However, the ministry officials were firm on their stand as, according to one of them, “too much pressure” was being exerted on the I&B ministry from parliamentarians who have criticized the ministry for inaction against surrogate advertising publicizing liquor and tobacco products on TV channels.

    The channels issued show-cause notice will be required to carry the warning scroll round the clock for three consecutive days on their respective channel from 18-21 August 2006.

    Still, the channels are undecided on future course of action and, according to information available, are also seeking legal advice on the matter.

    The channels that have been issued the warning are Aaj Tak, Animal Planet, B4U, Balle Balle, Channel V, CNBC TV-18, Discovery, ESPN, ETV Bangla, ETV Kannada, ETV Marathi, ETV-2, HBO, Headlines Today, India TV, MTV, National
    Geographic, NDTV 24X7, Raj TV, S S Music, SABe TV, Sahara Bihar, Sahara One and Sahara Samay.

    The list also includes Set Max, Sony Entertainment, Star Gold, Star Movies, Star One, Star Plus, SUN TV, Tara News, Ten Sports, TEZ, TV-9, Zee Bangla, Zee Café, Zee Gujarati, Zee Marathi, Zee News, Zee Sports, Zee Studio and Zoom.

    Rule 7(2)(viii)(A) of the Cable Television Networks Rules, 1994 states that “no advertisement shall be permitted which promotes directly or indirectly production, sale or consumption of cigarettes, tobacco products, wine, alcohol, liquor or other intoxicants.”

    In an official statement issued today, the I&B ministry said apart from liquor and tobacco ads, certain objectionable and indecent advertisements of undergarments were also found to have been telecast, which should be stopped immediately.

  • It’s Gauri vs Saloni as Star Plus slots KAA for 9:30 pm; to launch on 29 August

    It’s Gauri vs Saloni as Star Plus slots KAA for 9:30 pm; to launch on 29 August

    MUMBAI: The stage is set for another interesting contest in the Hindi GEC battlefield. In a significant move, Star Plus has decided to wind up Kavyanjali and replace the soap with another Balaji Telefilms production Karam Apnaa Apnaa (KAA).

    Slotted for 9:30 pm, Monday to Thursday, KAA will lock horns with Zee TV’s driver show Saat Phere.

    Star Plus will launch KAA on 29 August. According to Star India senior creative director Shailja Kejriwal, the channel will use the soap, which will have as its principal characters Bengalis, to target Eastern India.

    “We have lots of soaps targeting Gujarat and Punjab, but nothing for the East. We are filling this void with KAA. The story has a Kolkata backdrop and the look and feel is very much Bengali. Then, we have many Bengali artists, including Roopa Ganguly and Jaya Bhattacharya, featuring in the serial,” says Kejriwal.

    Another strategy Star Plus is initiating with KAA is to reach out to the young audience during the launch phase itself. Accordingly, the marketing wing of Star India has devised various marketing activities and one of these is to hype up the lead character’s marriage.

    “We understand that the youth audience plays a significant role in the success of a television programme in India. Hence, we are making our best attempts to woo them during the first phase of our launch itself. We are trying to reach the youth in the age group of 20-28 through various activities woven around Gauri’s (the protagonist) wedding,” says Satya Raghavan of Star India Marketing.

    Explaining the strategies further, Raghavan adds, “Over the next three months, we will be constantly in touch with young people through various touch points. We will get in touch with them through various methods – all connected to the marriage process. These include wedding shopping, venue search and astrology. The activities will be conducted in a sustained manner, to make the most of the upcoming marriage season.”

    KAA will also see Balaji offering another debutant to Indian television. The new face Pallavi Subhash will don the title role of Gauri. The star cast also includes Apra Mehta, Salil Ankola, Delnaz Paul and Geetanjali Tikekar.

    KAA tells the story of Gauri who hails from a small hamlet of West Bengal. She is a very simple girl without any ambition, who has put the interests of her family before herself and has dedicated her life to make her father and her sister happy. The only dream she has is that after marriage, she should live a simple and happy life with her husband and her kids. Gauri is on the threshold of turning her dream into reality by getting married to her fiance, Shashank, but she could never have imagined that destiny has something different in store for her. And thereafter starts the journey of this simple girl, of the hardships she faces and how she strives to overcome them.

  • More than 450 million viewers to watch Idea IIFA Awards across the world only on STAR Plus

    More than 450 million viewers to watch Idea IIFA Awards across the world only on STAR Plus

    Mumbai, June 24, 2006: Dubai- with its picturesque sand dunes, stunning malls and warm people- witnessed a four-day frenzy…a literal carnival of the Indian Film Industry. Every nook and corner of this fast paced city was transformed with the colours and flavours of Indian Cinema in all its splendour. The city was abuzz with the biggest stars of Indian cinema descending upon Dubai for the much-awaited Idea IIFA Weekend. So much so that wherever the IIFA contingent went, the people of Dubai welcomed them with open arms and warm hearts.

    STAR Plus will bring you Weekend with the stars on Friday, June 23rd at 8 pm, The Red Carpet on June 24th at 8 pm and the magnificent Idea IIFA Awards ceremony on June 25th at 8 pm

    The Idea IIFA Awards Weekend in Dubai was a once in a lifetime experience for both the city of Dubai and the Indian film industry. More than fifty of India’s best film personalities including Amitabh Bachchan, Jaya Bchchan, Shabana Azmi, Abhishek Bachchan, Hrithik Roshan, Aishwarya Rai, Diya Mirza, Directors like Karan Johar, Pradeep Sarkar, noted lyricist Javed Akhtar, Singers Himesh Reshamiya, Alisha Chinai, musicians Shankar, Ehsaan, Loy were all part of the IIFA contingent traveling to Dubai for the weekend. Throngs of fans couldn’t get enough of their favourite stars as they stood stand outside the Grand Hyatt hosting the IIFA Contingent for hours on end, sometimes till wee hours of the morning to catch a glimpse of their favourite superstar. Indian film stars like Amitabh Bachchan, Abhishek Bachchan, Hrithik Roshan and Aishwarya Rai were greeted with hi-decibel shreaks from the time they stepped out of their cars and every place they visited while in Dubai.

    The action packed weekend was replete with a host of exhilarating events like the FICCI-IIFA Global Business Forum, the IIFA Film Festival, the star studded IIFA Foundation Fashion Extravaganza and the IIFA World premiere of Provoked.

    Day One of the Weekend began with IIFA Brand Ambassador and superstar of the millennium Amitabh Bachchan, attending a press conference to inaugurate the IIFA Weekend in Dubai. The same afternoon, at a special ceremony he released the IIFA book- ‘Lights Camera Masala!’ written by Naman Ramachandran and Sheena Sippy. This unique interactive book gives a glimpse of the behind the scenes action of Indian films.

     

    The same evening saw the Red Carpet to the IIFA World Premiere of ‘Provoked’. Star from the film Aishwarya Rai, director Jagmohan Mundhra and the other cast and crew received a warm welcome by the Dubai International Film Festival committee. The film received a lot of critical acclaim and also sent out a strong message against domestic violence to a global audience.

     

    The second day of the weekend saw the FICCI-IIFA Global Business Forum witnessing a gathering of esteemed Indian and International business tycoons from the world of cinema, entertainment, telecommunication, aviation, gems & jewelry and tourism. The business forum was a place for ideation and new trade and commerce ties between India and Dubai. The evening of the 15th saw the IIFA Foundation Fashion Extravaganza at the World Trade Centre in Dubai. The black tie evening presented by Rosyblue Diamonds was held to raise funds to provide relief to bereaved families of behind the scenes crewmembers who have suffered misfortune during the course of shooting. And the people of Dubai filled up the tables to support this noble cause.

     

    The IIFA Film Festival also began at the Grand Cineplex on day two. 36 of India’s best films were showcased for the people of Dubai. This year there were a number of South Indian films at the festival, including the opening film of the Festival Chandramukhi. The festival was inaugurated by none other that Mr. Amitabh Bachchan himself with South Indian superstars Mamooty, Mohan Lal and Vikram.

    The Stars of Indian Cinema also saw the very best of the city of Dubai and the city played host to the superstars giving them some memorable moments during the IIFA Weekend. Superstar couple Maria Goretti and Arshad Warsi visited the Snow Park at the Mall of Emitares in Dubai. This artificially created park of snowy white ski slops and snowflakes was a special treat for their baby Zeek. In another part of town, upcoming actor Upen Patel went on a Dhow ride over the Dubai Creek. Here he was greeted by one of his special fans who spent the afternoon with the 36 Chinatown star. Upen was especially touched that he was being shown around Dubai by his fan.

    And Dubai isn’t complete without a shopping trip. The very beautiful Lara Dutta went on a special shopping trip for STAR Plus. She went along with the crew to WAFI City mall to shop for make up at the MAC store and could not keep her hands off the wonderful state of the art home theatre system. MAC also did a makeover with Konkona Sen. Konkona decided that she could look at changing her style for a bit in Dubai. With fantastic world class make up artists from MAC working their magic, Konkona looked like a stunning star.

     

    Some stars were there just to relax and take in easy at the IIFA Weekend. The Grand Hyatt saw to it that the stars were pampered to the core during their stay in Dubai. Shilpa Shetty went for a relaxing manicure and pedicure at the Grand Spa. The Grand Spa made sure she was well looked after and spoilt before the her big moment on the Red Carpet for the Idea IIFA Awards. Actor Suniel Shetty stirred a storm at the Market Café, as he donned a Chef’s cap and cooked an omlette for breakfast.

     

    After an action packed Weekend with the Stars, the spectacular Idea IIFA Awards Dubai was held at the Central Hall of the Dubai Airport Expo, as the biggest stars of Indian cinema performed for an audience of over 7,000 fans from across the world. Nostalgia and superstardom created a heady combination as the charismatic Fardeen Khan and Lara Dutta compeered the spectacular awards ceremony, with Karan Johar and Anil Kapoor. The awards ceremony witnessed dazzling performances by the likes of Salman Khan, Akshay Kumar, Katrina Kaif and Preity Zinta. But the most spectacular performances were by Amitabh Bachchan and Rani Mukerji based on their film Black and the finale by Hrithik Roshan on is new film Krrish.

     

    The Idea IIFA Awards marked IIFA’s association with the beautiful city of Dubai and its exquisite people. Joining IIFA in making the Awards a stupendous success was the Dubai Supper Surprises, Tiara Residence the presenters of the IIFA Weekend and of course the warm people of Dubai.

     

    The Idea IIFA Awards Dubai, was a salutation to the world’s largest film industry. The event this year will be watched in an exclusive telecast around the world by more than 450 million people only on STAR Plus. STAR Plus will bring you Weekend with the stars on Friday, June 23rd at 8 pm, The Red Carpet on June 24th at 8 pm and the magnificent Idea IIFA Awards ceremony on June 25th at 8 pm. The multimedia spread of the IIFA Weekend in Dubai brought to you homes only on STAR Plus will be a truly memorable experience for global fans of Indian Cinema across the Globe.

     

  • Keep watching Miilee on Star Plus and answer some simple questions to win exciting prizes in the big contest

    Mumbai, Wednesday, April 12, 2006 – This April, television viewing becomes more exciting as viewer’s get a chance to win while they watch! Starting Monday, April 17, STAR PLUS’ 9.00 p.m. show – Miilee, will have one & all glued to the tele-screen as they get to participate & win in a simple contest which brings them goodies like 5 Sony handycam’s worth Rs. 16000 each and 10 Goody bags each day.

    The contest questions will appear at the end of each episode of Miilee around 9.30 p.m. from April 17-21. All the viewers have to do is type ‘MIILEE’ followed by the correct option (01 or 02 or 03) and SMS this to 7827 or dial 1904 424 3333 followed by the correct option (01 or 02 or 03) for Televoting or just log on to www.indya.com. The answers should reach in latest by 3 p.m. the next day. The Maximum number of correct answers will win you a Sony Handycam.

  • Star Plus partners HLL for kids talent hunt show; Endemol to produce

    Star Plus partners HLL for kids talent hunt show; Endemol to produce

    MUMBAI: Star Plus is kicking off its programming series with high advertiser participation with the kids talent hunt show Rin Mera Star Super Star. The channel has teamed up with the FMCG major Hindustan Lever Limited (HLL) for the initiative. Endemol India has been roped in as the producer of the show.

    Rin Mera Star Super Star is a nationwide talent hunt dedicated to unearthing talent in children aged 5-14. The programme promises to offer a national platform for talented children to showcase their potential in three categories – singing, acting and dancing. The winning contestant will get a scholarship of Rs 5,00,000 to help him/her pursue the dream of becoming an artist or to take up future education, states an official release.

    Rin Mera Star Super will be aired every Friday on Star Plus at 7:30 pm beginning September 2006.

    With Rin Mera Star Super Star, HLL’s brand promotion, Rin Advanced White Star Hunt, is being taken to national television. Since June, over 1,00,000 children across 22 cities have already auditioned and the entries are still coming in. Around 2,000 schools are also participating in the audition process. The top 50 kids from across the country will compete for the coveted crown on Star Plus, the release adds.

    Speaking on the initiative, says Star India ad sales & distribution president Paritosh Joshi said, “This is our first show of this scale, which has focused on strategic brand solutions. And for the first time an advertiser, with the brand, Rin, is a strategic content partner. To enliven brands in the minds of consumers through content takes our partnership with advertisers to a new level, making us a partner of our advertisers.”

    HLL marketing manager Priya Nair adds, “Rin is all about making an impression and a talent hunt among kids is the perfect arena. Many children are blessed with amazing talent and Rin provides them with a great platform to make an impression.”

    Says HLL media services GM Rahul Welde, “This marks a new approach to brand building with a much higher level of engagement than the more traditional forms of commercial advertising. The launch of this show is a true win-win association for Rin and Star, providing Rin a nationwide platform from which to communicate with consumers and Star, an excellent format show to entertain its audiences”.

    Endemol India MD Rajesh Kamat offers, “Rin Mera Star Super Star is a combination of entertainment and branding, a concept which will be brought alive on TV in a fun and exciting show. This is one of the first local formats that we have developed and we look forward to creating many such shows for Indian television”.

  • Zee TV to defend turf with ‘Cinestar ki Khoj’, ‘Sa Re Ga Ma Pa Challenge’

    Zee TV to defend turf with ‘Cinestar ki Khoj’, ‘Sa Re Ga Ma Pa Challenge’

    MUMBAI: Zee TV is planning to launch the second season of its reality talent hunt show Zee Cinestar Ki Khoj in September-October 2006. The channel also has plans to bring back the 2006-2007 edition of its landmark property, Sa Re Ga Ma Pa Challenge, this year itself.

    “Zee TV will be launching the second edition of its reality talent hunt Cine Star Ki Khoj. The channel is targeting September-October for the launch of the new season. Zee will be taking the property to the market very soon. Also, inspired by the success of the Sa Re Ga Ma Pa series, the channel will be bringing back the flagship property Challenge this year,” says a source close to Zee.

    When contacted for confirmation of the developments, Zee TV marketing head Tarun Mehra agreed that plans were on to bring back Cine Star Ki Khoj and Sa Re Ga Ma Pa Challenge. However, he was quick to add that no time frame had been fixed as yet on the launch.

    “We have plans to launch Cine Star Ki Khoj’s second season this year. Sa Re Ga Ma Pa Challenge may also come back in 2006. But, we are yet to finalise the details,” says Mehra.

    According to reliable sources, Zee has awarded the production duties of Cinestar Ki Khoj 2 to Optimystix Entertainment. The production house has earlier produced the Manoj Bajpai-anchored gameshow Kam Ya Zyaada for Zee TV. The winning couple of the contest will be awarded title roles in a movie.

    Race, the movie which stars the winners of the first season, is presently nearing completion, according to a Zee TV executive. Zee has associated with Subhash Ghai’s Mukta Arts for the film. Zee owns the world rights for the film while Mukta owns the India theatrical rights.

    THE STRATEGY
    Why would Zee TV exhaust all its key properties in the last quarter of the calendar year? Though settled comfortably in the second spot behind Star Plus in the Hindi General Entertainment Channel (GEC) space, the channel is in no mood to rest on its laurels. Reason? Competitors are gearing up to launch some key prime time properties in order to set off a fight-back.

    Sony Entertainment Television will be launching the Indian version of the popular international reality show Big Brother in November this year. The upcoming Champions Trophy, to be telecast on Max and Sab, will also be there in the running for the prime time stakes as the matches will be played Day/Night.

    Star One, on the other hand, has already announced its intention to launch the second seasons of two of its most successful properties Naach Baliye and Remix. However, the immediate priority for Zee TV would be to beef up its 8 pm slot, which is presently occupied by the long running soap Tumhari Disha. The channel will wind up Tumhari Disha in the first half of August with a new prime time property Dulhan.

    The latest Tam data for C&S 4+, HSM, shows that, the rest of the Zee TV properties have already established in their respective time bands. As per the Tam figures provided by the channel for the period of 3 July to 10 July, Saath Phere has recorded a rating of 6.54 TVR in the Zee TV charts, followed by Kasamh Se at 6.11 TVR. In the 8:30 pm slot, the soap Jab Love Hua has recorded a rating of 2.4 TVR. Shabaash India, at 10:30 pm, has delivered a rating of 2.7 TVR, while the 10 pm show Johny Aala Re scored 2.4 TVR. The Sa Re Ga Ma Pa L’iL Champs is averaging at 2.7 TVR.

  • Lifeline KBC2: Star holds on with re-runs

    Lifeline KBC2: Star holds on with re-runs

    MUMBAI: It is official now. Star Plus is not discontinuing Kaun Banega Crorepati 2 (KBC2) even though it has exhausted its fresh bank of episodes. Instead, the channel will telecast re-runs of KBC2, starting 20 February on Fridays and Saturdays.

    “We are not winding up KBC2. We are expecting the show to make a come back with fresh episodes by March. To fill the void, we will air re-edited versions of some of the interesting KBC2 episodes for the next four weeks,” Star India EVP marketing Ajay Vidyasagar told indiantelevision.com.

    However, Vidyasagar refused to give any timeframe on Bachchan’s re-appearance to shoot for KBC2.

    “You gotta wait for me”
    As reported earlier, Star Plus aired the 61st episode of KBC2, the last fresh episode in its hold, on 13 January. Anchor Amitabh Bachchan, originally committed to shoot 85 episodes, was unable to continue shooting after his recent illness. Reportedly, Bachchan is expected to resume shooting for the remaining 24 episodes next month.

    Vidyasagar feels that, such a break (of fresh episodes) will be good for the show’s popularity. “It will create a lot of expectations across the nation. Hence, when KBC2 makes a comeback, we expect it to deliver better ratings. That would be good for advertisers as well,” he says.

    Star India had earlier re-scheduled its popular game show following Bachchan’s illness to twice a week (Friday & Saturday) instead of the original thrice a week run with effect from 2 December. In between, the channel also re-ran celebrity episodes. The channel has filled the Sunday slot left vacant by KBC2 with the serial Sai Baba.

  • Zee TV takes lead in weekday 9-10 prime time

    Zee TV takes lead in weekday 9-10 prime time

    MUMBAI: It’s been a long time coming, but Star Plus’ vice like grip on prime time has been breached. Zee TV, which has been methodically building its narrative programming and taken a firm handle on the number two slot, has now made its first major assault on Hindi entertainment’s lead channel.

    And critically, this has been achieved not by a format show but two soaps working in tandem. Powered by the career best performances from Saat Phere and Kasamh Se, the channel has gone ahead of the market leader Star Plus in the highly contested 9 – 10 pm prime time band for Week 21 (18 May to 24 May), according to Tam.

    As per the data, the top programme on Zee TV during the period was the 9:30 pm soap Saat Phere which recorded its best ever 6.61 TVRs on 25 May with a reach of 11.28 per cent and time spent/viewer of 24 minutes. Saat Phere also gave an above average performance on 22 May (4.7) and 26 May (4.68). In the 9 pm slot, Kasamh Se topped with 4.96 TVR on 24 May, 4.68 on 22 May, 4.27 on 25 May and 3.72 on 26 May.

    On the other hand, Star Plus’ counter soaps Kkavyanjali (9 pm) and Miilee (9:30 pm) for Monday to Thursday performed like this: Miilee – 4.77 TVR on 22 May, 4.17 on 25 May and 3.95 on 24 May. Kkavyanjali – 5.61 TVR on 22 May, 4.25 on 25 May, 4.19 on 24 May and 4.12 on 23 May. On Friday, 26 May, Prithviraj Chauhan recorded 4.24 TVR in the 9:30 pm time slot.

    To an extent, the good show from Saat Phere has been attributed to certain creative exercises the channel experimented on the soap. The consistent performance the soap had been maintaining over a long period gave the channel the opportunity to create, play up and reveal a suspense element on the soap and these efforts have now reaped it good fortunes.

    24, 25 and 26 of May were crucial for the soap as the suspense was revealed step by step during these days. And as the data reveals, the ploy has worked for Saat Phere and in the process the soap even emerged as the top show of the week in GEC in the 9-10 pm time band.

    “Saat Phere had been maintaining an upper trend if you look at the last few weeks data. We knew that the gap was closing. The suspense factor was just one of the reasons, but yes, it has helped the soap to record good numbers. However, this is just a one week performance and we have still got a lot of ground to cover to make our claims to the number one slot in this time band. Now the challenge lies in sustaining this good show,” states Zee TV marketing head Tarun Mehra.

    Star India senior creative director Shailja Kejriwal agrees that Saat Phere is doing a good job for Zee TV at present. “Zee TV has got two good shows in this time band and we agree that these shows are doing a good job. We have a healthy competition going on.”

    However Kejriwal is quick to warn Zee that Star Plus wouldn’t be sitting idle watching it stealing all the glory. “We are working on a strategy to beat it. Not only our newly launched or upcoming properties, but all the Star Plus prime time shows will play their roles in this process. This is a highly contested slot and we are confident of winning it back. In this particular slot, we have made fight backs earlier also. Earlier we have battled off the Sony soap Kkusum when it was going great guns in this slot. So we are confident of a comeback.”

    As already reported, Star Plus is launching a one hour soap Viraasat in the 9 pm slot, starting 12 June.

    The Tam data for the period also reveals that Zee TV has improved its position in the GRP (Gross Rating Points) space as well. In the 9 pm to 9:30 pm band, Zee recorded GRPs of 4.03 for the week, almost on par with Star Plus’ 4.04. But it was in the 9:30 pm to 10 pm slot that Subhash Chandra’s channel really made its play achieving average GRPs of 5.02 as against Star Plus’ 4.21.

    The channel as a whole recorded a GRP of 230 for the week 21, up by 34 points from 196 of the previous week. Meanwhile, the GRPs of Star Plus recorded a decline of 7 points, to 492 in the same week. Sony also went down by 5 points to stand at 103.

    What ammunition the “Empire” uses to strike back at the upstart that has intruded into its domain will be watched with interest. Whatever the final outcome though, it’s match on for the prime time ratings stakes.

  • 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 Plus & BR Films announce prime time serial ‘Viraasat’ launch

    Star Plus & BR Films announce prime time serial ‘Viraasat’ launch

    MUMBAI: Star Plus has slotted the BR Films production Viraasat in its 9 pm weekday primetime slot. The serial features Sangita Ghosh and Rohit Roy in the title roles.

    “Our currently running 9 pm soap Miilee had reached its logical conclusion, so it is imperative for us to launch a show which could fit well into the bigness of primetime 9 pm band and be a through and through entertainer, too. With Viraasat that’s exactly what we are getting for the viewers,” says Star India Content EVP Deepak Segal.

    “Our endeavor is to dole out a classic family entertainer as it goes on to set its own mark, one which has no precedence, and thereby expect Viraasat to help us consolidate the channel’s supremacy in the primetime slot after having already done so, successfully in the weekend band” he elaborated further.

    Viraasat, would be a multi-starrer family drama that will have a strong line-up of television’s popular faces including Kiran Kumar, Deepak Quazir, Aman Verma, Amarr Upadhyay, Jayati Bhatia and Pooja Raval Ghai.

    The serial will tell the story of two people Rahul Lamba- played by Rohit Roy & Priyanka Kharbanda – played by Sangita Ghosh, who are madly in love with each other, however are bound by an age old enmity between their warring families, the release adds.