Tag: Zee TV

Ek Main Aur…ties up with ‘Corporate’; Sa Re Ga Ma Pa L’il Champs set to roll

MUMBAI: Zee TV’s music talent hunt show Sa Re Ga Ma Pa Ek Main Aur Ek Tu has tied up with Percept Groups P9 Integrated Pvt Ltd. to promote the film, Corporate. Director of the film Madhur Bhandarkar was a guest on the show this week.

Meanwhile, the auditions for the next series Sa Re Ga Ma Pa L’il Champs will be held tomorrow (17 June) in Lucknow at the Ravindralaya Auditorium and in Delhi at the National Science Centre. The audition in Mumbai will be at the Russian Culture Centre on 18 June. This contest is open to children between the ages 8 to 15 years. The series is expected to go on air next month.

As a part of the tie up with P9, Corporate will be extensively promoted on the channel. Besides this, the biggest draw of the alliance is that the film’s lead actress Bipasha Basu will be a guest at the grand finale of Ek Main Aur Ek Tu in Dubai. Kay Kay Menon, the lead actor in the film, is also expected to be present. The finale will be held on 24 June.

Director Gajendrra Siingh said, “All along the series, we have had promotional tie ups with many Hindi films and to be associated with a director like Madhur Bhandarkar, who is known to be a trendsetter in his craft, is a privilege.”

Zee TV vice president marketing c said, “It is a pleasure to be associated with the movie. Sa Re Ga Ma Pa Ek Main Aur Ek Tu’s performance has surpassed our expectations and at this stage, we are proud to associate ourselves with a promising movie like Corporate.”

This week, Bhandarkar along with the film’s music director Shamir Tandon, witnessed the two final jodis, Ujjaini and Aishwarya and Banjyotsana and Sharib, perform to a live orchestra. Both left the sets impressed with the young talented jodis sing to the tune of string instruments.Says Bhandarkar, “We had lots of fun during the semi-final in Mumbai, and we look forward to seeing the participants yet again in the finals. We have an interesting surprise in store for the winners.”

Tandon said, “It is awesome that people as young as them are getting an opportunity to showcase their talent to billions of people via television. I am envious of them.”

P9 general manager marketing Maneesh Mathur says, “Today, a film has a very short shelf life, so marketing of a film is as important as the content of the film. Corporate will get a lot of visibility because it will be promoted across the Zee Network and Sa Re Ga Ma… will deliver higher ratings because of the celebrities. We are confident that this tie up will benefit both Zee and Sahara One Motion Pictures.”

The finale of Sa Re Ga Ma Pa Ek Main Aur Ek Tu is expected to have performances by the finalists and the ousted jodis. The winners of the contest will receive a music contract worth Rs 50 lakh, and will also receive a grand surprise from Bipasha Basu and Madhur Bhandarkar at the event.

Today, the jodis are performing in Delhi at the Talkatora Stadium with Hariharan as the judge. The jodis will perform in Kolkatta on 18 June at the Nazrul Manch with Leslie Lewis and singer Usha Uthup as the judges. Sa Re Ga Ma Pa Challenge 2005 winners Debojit and Vineet are to be the hosts at both these events respectively. The show in Delhi will be aired on 22 June and the Kolkatta show will be aired on 23 June at 10 pm.

Viewers can watch the finale of Ek Main Aur Ek Tu on Zee TV, on Saturday, 24 June, 8 pm onwards.

June 16, 2006
Ek Main Aur…ties up with ‘Corporate’; Sa Re Ga Ma Pa L’il Champs set to roll

MUMBAI: Zee TV’s music talent hunt show Sa Re Ga Ma Pa Ek Main Aur Ek Tu has tied up with Percept Groups P9 Integrated Pvt Ltd. to promote the film, Corporate. Director of the film Madhur Bhandarkar was a guest on the show this week.

Meanwhile, the auditions for the next series Sa Re Ga Ma Pa L’il Champs will be held tomorrow (17 June) in Lucknow at the Ravindralaya Auditorium and in Delhi at the National Science Centre. The audition in Mumbai will be at the Russian Culture Centre on 18 June. This contest is open to children between the ages 8 to 15 years. The series is expected to go on air next month.

As a part of the tie up with P9, Corporate will be extensively promoted on the channel. Besides this, the biggest draw of the alliance is that the film’s lead actress Bipasha Basu will be a guest at the grand finale of Ek Main Aur Ek Tu in Dubai. Kay Kay Menon, the lead actor in the film, is also expected to be present. The finale will be held on 24 June.

Director Gajendrra Siingh said, “All along the series, we have had promotional tie ups with many Hindi films and to be associated with a director like Madhur Bhandarkar, who is known to be a trendsetter in his craft, is a privilege.”

Zee TV vice president marketing Tarun Mehra said, “It is a pleasure to be associated with the movie. Sa Re Ga Ma Pa Ek Main Aur Ek Tu’s performance has surpassed our expectations and at this stage, we are proud to associate ourselves with a promising movie like Corporate.”

This week, Bhandarkar along with the film’s music director Shamir Tandon, witnessed the two final jodis, Ujjaini and Aishwarya and Banjyotsana and Sharib, perform to a live orchestra. Both left the sets impressed with the young talented jodis sing to the tune of string instruments.Says Bhandarkar, “We had lots of fun during the semi-final in Mumbai, and we look forward to seeing the participants yet again in the finals. We have an interesting surprise in store for the winners.”

Tandon said, “It is awesome that people as young as them are getting an opportunity to showcase their talent to billions of people via television. I am envious of them.”

P9 general manager marketing Maneesh Mathur says, “Today, a film has a very short shelf life, so marketing of a film is as important as the content of the film. Corporate will get a lot of visibility because it will be promoted across the Zee Network and Sa Re Ga Ma… will deliver higher ratings because of the celebrities. We are confident that this tie up will benefit both Zee and Sahara One Motion Pictures.”

The finale of Sa Re Ga Ma Pa Ek Main Aur Ek Tu is expected to have performances by the finalists and the ousted jodis. The winners of the contest will receive a music contract worth Rs 50 lakh, and will also receive a grand surprise from Bipasha Basu and Madhur Bhandarkar at the event.

Today, the jodis are performing in Delhi at the Talkatora Stadium with Hariharan as the judge. The jodis will perform in Kolkatta on 18 June at the Nazrul Manch with Leslie Lewis and singer Usha Uthup as the judges. Sa Re Ga Ma Pa Challenge 2005 winners Debojit and Vineet are to be the hosts at both these events respectively. The show in Delhi will be aired on 22 June and the Kolkatta show will be aired on 23 June at 10 pm.

Viewers can watch the finale of Ek Main Aur Ek Tu on Zee TV, on Saturday, 24 June, 8 pm onwards.

June 16, 2006
Zee TV slots ‘Shabaash India’ for prime time Monday to Wednesday

MUMBAI: Zee TV will launch Shabaash India, a tribute to this never-say-die attitude of the Indian, on 19 June. The show will run from Monday to Wednesday at 10:30 pm.

Hosted by Hussain Kuwajerwala, the serial has half an hour of extraordinary feats performed by people from all across the country, states an official release. Soft Focus Productions is producing the show.

Speaking on the launch of the serial, Zee TV programming head Ashvini Yardi says, “We have introduced fresh programming for the prime time band. Shabaash India is a step in that direction. After the recent launch of Johny Aala Re at 10 pm, Shabaash India at 10.30 pm will help us keep the viewer entertained through the entire hour. It is amazing and rather inspiring to see the endurance levels of the people who we assume to be ordinary. In each of us there is a spark to outperform. Shabaash India is the showcase of that spark.”

June 13, 2006
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.

June 6, 2006
Zee TV to launch ‘Johny Aala Re’ on 5 June

MUMBAI: After establishing its second position in the Hindi general entertainment (GEC) space, Subhash Chandra’s Zee TV is now trying to replace a weak link in its scheme of things – the Monday to Wednesday 10 pm slot earlier occupied by Kam Ya Zyaada.

The Manoj Bajpai-hosted game show, which has been taken off air due to its failure on the ratings front, is being replaced by a comedy programme, driven by none other than the much sought after Bollywood comedian Johny Lever.

To be aired three days a week from Monday to Wednesday at 10 pm, the half an hour show Johny Aala Re is packaged with segments such as stand up comedy, spoofs and mimicry performed by Lever, as well as celebrity guests and outside talent making brief appearances.

A tough fight is awaiting Johny Lever in the 10 pm slot, as Johny Aala Re will be locking horns with Star Plus’ seasoned player Kahaani Ghar Ghar Kii and also two new shows from the Sony stable. Aroona Irani’s Vaidehi, which will air on Mondays at 10 pm will launch on 5 June and Man Main Hai Vishwas, which is reportedly being launched on 13 June, will be telecast on Tuesdays at 10 pm.

“We will introduce new one hour weeklies in the 10 to 11 pm band in June. That will culminate our initiative of providing new and fresh programming for our viewers,” SET India COO NP Singh had told Indiantelevision.com some time back.

Commenting on the launch of the new family entertainment show, Zee TV programming head Ashvini Yardi said, “Johny Aala Re is laughter personified. Johny Lever is a comedian par excellence. We have also lined up some lively celebrities that go with the flavour of the show. Johny will meet them in his own comical manner, ensuring that the audiences are in splits, rolling in the aisles.”

Zee TV will be putting big efforts to promote the big ticket show, says Zee TV marketing head Tarun Mehra. The channel has made a programming association with MTV, apart from banking on its news channel Zee News to promote the property on air.

“As part of the promotions, we have tied up with MTV Networks to invite Johny Lever as the first star on their newly launched show TV Star of the Month. Apart from this, Zee News will also do an extensive interview with the star,” says Mehra.

In tune with the show, another marketing strategy adopted by the channel is the distribution of joke books. The books will be distributed through on-ground activities starting 3 June.

On the lines of a drive-in movie, the sets have an on-street ambience with a live audience casually sitting on the tops of cars. Besides the stand up comedy segment, Johny most often takes the guise of popular personalities, from politicians to film stars. In a separate segment titled, Main Bhi Johny, the common man is selected to showcase his talent in booths set up on the streets. Besides, fixed segments such as these, there are a few floating segments such as a parody of songs
and topical spoofs.

On completion of 25 years in the film industry and currently, taking a break from films, this is Johny Lever’s first TV show and several inputs for the script come directly from him, to add his own personal touch, states an official release. Produced by Akashdeep and Sheeba’s Cinetek Telefilms Private Limited, this is King-Com’s first ever series on television.

When queried about the number of episodes shot, Akashdeep stated that only a few had been shot, in order to keep to more contemporary issues.

May 31, 2006
Zee TV to launch ‘Johny Aala Re’ on 5 June

MUMBAI: After establishing its second position in the Hindi general entertainment (GEC) space, Subhash Chandra’s Zee TV is now trying to replace a weak link in its scheme of things – the Monday to Wednesday 10 pm slot earlier occupied by Kam Ya Zyaada.

Kam Ya Zyaada, which has been taken off the air due to its failure on the ratings front, is being replaced by a comedy show, driven by none other than the much sought after Bollywood comedian Johny Lever.

To be aired three days a week from Monday to Wednesday at 10 pm, the half an hour show Johny Aala Re is packaged with segments such as stand up comedy, spoofs and mimicry performed by Lever, as well as celebrity guests and outside talent making brief appearances.

A tough fight is awaiting Johny Lever in the 10 pm slot, as Johny Aala Re will be locking horns with Star Plus’ seasoned player Kahaani Ghar Ghar Kii and Sony’s two new show Vaidehi, which also goes on air on 5 June at 10 pm. “We will introduce new one hour weeklies in the 10 to 11 pm band in June. That will culminate our initiative of providing new and fresh programming for our viewers,” SET India COO NP Singh had told Indiantelevision.com some time back.

Commenting on the launch of the new family entertainment show, Zee TV programming head Ashvini Yardi said, “Johny Aala Re is laughter personified. Johny Lever is a comedian par excellence. We have also lined up some lively celebrities that go with the flavour of the show. Johny will meet them in his own comical manner, ensuring that the audiences are in splits, rolling in the aisles.”

Zee TV will be putting in the due effort to promote the big ticket show, says Zee TV marketing head Tarun Mehra. The channel has made a programming association with MTV, apart from banking on its news channel Zee News to promote the property on air.

“As part of the promotions, we have tied up with MTV Networks to invite Johny Lever as the first star on their newly launched show TV Star of the Month. Apart from this, Zee News will also do an extensive interview with the star,” says Mehra.

In tune with the show, another marketing strategy has been adopted by the channel is the distribution of joke books. The books will be distributed through on-ground activities starting 3 June.

On the lines of a drive-in movie, the sets have an on-street ambience with a live audience casually sitting on the tops of cars. Besides the stand up comedy segment, Johny most often takes the guise of popular personalities, from politicians to film stars. In a separate segment titled, Main Bhi Johny, the common man is selected to showcase his talent in booths set up on the streets. Besides, fixed segments such as these, there are a few floating segments such as a parody of songs
and topical spoofs.

On completion of 25 years in the film industry and currently, taking a break from films, this is Johny Lever’s first TV show and several inputs for the script come directly from him, to add his own personal touch, states an official release. Produced by Akashdeep and Sheeba’s Cinetek Telefilms Private Limited, this is King-Com’s first ever series on television

When queried about the number of episodes shot, Akashdeep stated that only a few episodes had been shot, in order to keep to more contemporary issues and not play on issues that have become stale.

May 31, 2006
Zee, other ethnic channels in the US form an association

MUMBAI: Zee TV in the US along with other ethnic broadcasters have formed an association named the Ethnic Broadcasters of America (EBA) trade association.

The organisation aims to provide ad sales and other business support to companies operating ethnic television networks in North America. Board members include American Desi TV chairman and CEO Vimal Verma, B4U US head Hari Srinivas, TV Asia VP Jaideep Jankiram, Zee TV USA country head S. Venkatasubramamian.

Media reports indicate that Reach Media president Elie A. Kawkabani serves as chairman of the EBA’s Board of Directors.

Reports add that it took two years for EBA to get underway. The organisation was the idea of Kawkabani. US satellite operator Echostar is the official corporate sponsor of the organisation. EBA will offer an environment where ethnic channels can work together to improve business.

May 31, 2006
Zee TV tightens hold on 2nd spot in prime time

MUMBAI: The last time indiantelevision.com analysed the Hindi General Entertainment Channel rankings (CS4+HSM) in February 2006, Zee TV had gone ahead of its nearest competitor Sony in the all day time band. Also, there was a neck and neck fight going on in the coveted prime time band.

The big question was, would Zee TV be able to post a convincing win over Sony in the prime time, while sustaining its all day performance?
Now, after a couple of months it is time to update the score card. Analysing the Tam data (2 April 2006 to 30 April 2006, CS4+ HSM), we have Zee TV proving that its good show in the past months was not a mere flash in the pan. The channel has not only retained the second rank in the all day part with a clear margin, but also reached the number two position (behind Star Plus) in the prime time band.

Zee’s ad sales wing also rose to the occasion. Based on the good performance, Zee Telefilms increased the ad rates for certain Zee TV shows last week. The programmes in question are on the expected lines: Saath Phere (an increase from Rs 75,000 to Rs 80,000 for 10 seconds), Kasamh Se (from Rs 40,000 to Rs 70,000) and Sa Re Ga Ma Pa – Ek Main aur Ek Tu (Rs 40,000 to Rs 70,000.).
“The logic behind the rate hike is fine performance. We wanted our inventories to meet the demand-supply situation. And hence, we have increased the ad rates of some shows, which passed the bench mark. For the upcoming shows Johnny Ala Re and Shabash India, we have zeroed in on decent rates, which we think are right,” says Zee Network EVP Sales Joy Chakraborthy.

The data says it all: In the prime time band, the average channel share Zee TV has posted within the above five week period is 14.6 per cent, against Sony’s 14.2 per cent. In the all day time band, Zee holds a significant 18.6 per cent of channel share, while Sony’s share now stands at a meagre 12.4 per cent.

Apart from the channel driver Saath Phere, the serials which powered the good show include Kasamh Se and debutant Jabb Love Hua. Saath Phere and Kasamh Se are running in the range of 4 TVRs (see the programme rating chart below), according to Tam. Zee TV programming head Ashwini Yardi considers Jabb Love Hua as the latest find. “The soap opened with 0.6 TVRs in the opening week and the following week it recorded a far better 1.7 TVR. The storyline is going to gather much steam in the coming weeks and we are confident of the soap giving a solid performance,” she says.

Zee’s best prime time band performance in this five week duration came from the week beginning 23 April. The week was a significant one for Hindi GEC since three prime time shows launching (Jabb Love Hua on Zee and Aisa Des Hai Mera and Thodi Khushi Thode Gham in Sony) simultaneously on 24 April. Now, as per Tam, the day favoured Zee TV, as the channel improved its share by 20 per cent in the week – from 15.4 per cent to 17.6 per cent. Meanwhile, Sony’s channel share dropped from 17.4 per cent to 12.4 per cent.

Yardi attributes the jump to a good opening by the soap Jabb Love Hua. “Zee TV’s ratings for that particular slot went up by about 400 per cent on 24 April. That played a key role in the surge,” she says.

According to Yardi, Zee TV is not about to rest on its laurels. The channel is planning various strategies to further improve the performance of its prime time soaps. “For example, Saath Phere is going to be in the spotlight in the coming week. The story will take a major turn as we reveal a well-kept secret in the serial. We also have a new show coming in to fill the Kam Ya Zyaada slot,” Yardi offers. The channel dropped the Manoj Bajpai-anchored gameshow two weeks ago. Re-runs of the celebrity show Jeena Isika Naam Hai has replaced Kam Ya Zyaada temporarily.
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+ Hindi Speaking Markets Period: 2/4/06 to 6/5/06)

Hasn’t Zee TV’s big ticket reality show Business Baazigar’s non-performance dampened the mood a bit? “Business Baazigar is totally different from all the other reality shows that happened on Indian television so far. The format is new and people are taking their time to get into the loop. The show is delivering a TVR of 0.6 on an average and we expect this go up in the coming weeks,” Yardi reasons.

May 16, 2006
Sab pitches ‘Twinkle…’ in the tough 9 pm slot

headlines/y2k6/may/may196.htmMUMBAI: Reinforcing its commitment to reach the Hindi heartland, the ‘lighthearted’ general entertainment channel Sab is now launching a new show – Twinkle Beauty Parlour – on 15 May in the 9 pm slot.

The show will be aired from Monday to Thursday and will replace Maahi Ve – the channel’s first daily after its revamp – that was launched on 5 December last year.

Sab senior vice president and business head Vikas Bhal said, “Sab has been providing its viewers a kaleidoscope of entertainment ranging from light-hearted comedies to romantic melodrama through its innovative programming. Continuing this trend we are launching Twinkle Beauty Parlour, a show dedicated to the middle class women of India, who constitute the biggest part of our population.”

The show has been pitted in the 9 pm slot and will have to compete for eyeballs from Zee TV’s Kasamh Se (which has been doing well), Star Plus’ Miilee, Sony’s new show Aisa Des Hai Mera and Star One’s India Calling.

But Sab programming head Priya Mishra is confident of her product and is not deterred by competition. “As opposed to other shows in its slot, Twinkle Beauty Parlour would be a refreshing breather for the audience as the treatment of the show is light while the drama is gripping and thought provoking,” she said.

Phase 1 of the campaign for ‘Twinkle Beauty Parlour’
Twinkle Beauty Parlour is produced by Shrishti Arya Behl’s Rose Audio Visuals. “The show has multiple protagonists. We have deliberately moved away from the central character norm. Dealing with various lives – four families and five key characters played by the five female protagonists, the show works at different levels,” said Behl.

Phase 1 of the campaign for ‘Twinkle Beauty Parlour’
The three phase campaign around the show, which was rolled out some time back is currently in its third phase. While the first phase informed people of the location of the beauty parlour, the second phase had women sporting mustache.. waiting for the parlour to open its doors. The third phase of the campaign will be rolled out next week with the tagline – ‘Sab par khul gaya hai,’ which will inform people that the show is now on-air on Sab.

Sab is also readying another show for the primetime slot – Left Right Left produced by Tony and Deeya Singh, which is scheduled to launch in June. However, the channel has not yet decided whether it will be a 9.30 pm show or if Twinkle Beauty Parlour will be shifted to the 9.30 pm slot to give way to the new show at 9 pm. If Left Right Left is placed in the 9.30 pm slot, it will be competing with Saat Phere… Saloni Ka Safar on Zee TV, Kavyanjali on Star Plus and Thodi Khushi Thode Gham on Sony.

May 9, 2006
Plus is all India ‘star’ in GECs, while Sun shines brightest among regional channels: IRS 2006

MUMBAI: While in the regional space, Star Plus has managed to rise up on the charts more than any other Hindi general entertainment channel (GEC) in the last five years; the story is no different as far as the Top 10 television channels in the country are concerned.

Since 2000, Star’s flagship channel has managed to topple DD2/Metro, Sony, Zee TV and Zee Cinema to claim the second position with a viewership share of nine per cent in 2006. DD1 (National Network) has maintained its top position over the years.

DD1’s viewership in the Top 10 TV channels in the All India market in 2006 is 27.4 per cent as compared to its share of 43.2 per cent in 2000 according to the findings of IRS Round I done by Hansa Research and Media Research Users Council (MRUC). Going by these numbers, DD1 viewership on an all India basis has dropped by almost half in the last five years.

DD2/Metro, which was second in line in 2000 with a share of 11 per cent has completely gone off the Top 10 television channels list in 2006.

Sony Entertainment Television, on the other hand, which was the number three channel in 2000 with a viewership share of 9.4 per cent, has fallen to the seventh position in 2006 and currently has a share of 4.6 per cent. Rival channel Zee TV saw an even steeper fall over the years, but all the same has maintained its place in the Top 10 television channels list. From its third position in 2000 with a share of 9.2 per cent, Zee TV lost 5.6 per cent share to other channels and fell straight to the tenth position this year with a share of 3.6 per cent.

The reason for the drop in Sony and Zee’s channel shares, which were the third and fourth best viewed channels after the national channels in 2000, could be because of the change in the program genre of these channels. Both channels focused more on music shows and game shows to garner viewership, reasons Hansa Research marketing and client servicing India head V Sudarshan.

Going by the data thrown up, the fact remains that viewers are still hooked to the soaps and serials, which is clearly indicated by Star Plus viewership numbers, predominantly garnered by the ‘K’ serials. However, now both Sony and Zee have a robust line up of dramas like Thodi Khushi Thode Gham, Aisa Desh Hai Mera, Saath Phere and Jabb Love Hua in the primetime. Hence it remains to be seen whether the channels’ popularity soars on the charts riding on these shows. Zee TV’s Saath Phere, for one, has been consistently delivering for the channel in terms of ratings.

While three channels from the Top 10 All India list have disappeared from the charts in 2006, three other channels have made their entry. DD2/Metro (second position), Star Sports (seventh position) and DD10 Marathi (eighth position), which were on the charts in 2000 seem to have made way for DD News (third position), Aaj Tak (fourth position) and Sun TV (fifth position) in 2006.

One of the interesting trend that is seen in the current Top 10 and the Top 10 five years back is that in 2000, no news channel made its way to the Top 10 list. Whereas in 2006, DD News and Aaj Tak have been featured.

“This explains a very big phenomenon, that there are possibilities that these news channels are now eating into the share of the print medium, and it could be that people are now preferring to tune rather than turn, for their news requirement. Viewers are interested in current news, and not yesterday’s news and this also reiterates the fact, why magazine readership has come down so dramatically over the period,” said Sudarshan.

One channel that has maintained a consistent performance on the charts since 2000 is Zee Cinema. In term of viewership share, the channel has dropped only marginally from 6 per cent in 2000 to 5.3 per cent in 2006 and is now placed in the sixth position as opposed to its fifth position in 2000.

Among the regional channels, apart from Sun TV, that have made a mark in the Top 10 channels in the All India market in 2006, are ETV (4.4 per cent) and Gemini TV (4.1 per cent) in the eighth and ninth position respectively.

April 19, 2006