Zor Ka Jhatka peaks at 2.85 TVR

The show, which opened with an average TVR of 2.61 on Tuesday, 01 February, averaged at 2.61 TVR for the week, as well.

Imagine TV's plan to tap into a new set of audience through the accessorising of its latest reality show 'Zor Ka Jhatka' with the much lucrative Shah Rukh Khan seems to have paid off at least for the time being.

The property, an Indian version of the international reality format Wipeout, has garnered a peak TVR of 2.85 for the week ended 05 February (TAM, C&S4+, HSM). Also, while the show opened with an average TVR of 2.61 on Tuesday, 01 February, its average for the week stood at 2.61 TVR, as well. The channel, therefore, has substantially gained in GRPs during the week, quite evidently riding on the back of its most recent launch. The channel has witnessed a 20-point upswing in its GRP over the previous week, as it currently stands at 100 points. Its relative share has also moved up from 5.9 per cent in Week 5 to 7.4 in Week 6.

For the record, Imagine TV had been playing in the 100-plus zone for the period May 2009-March 2010, when its programming schedule included reality formats such as Rakhi Ka Swayamvar and Raaz Pichle Janam Ka, and fiction formats like Bandini and Jyoti.

Says Nikhil Madhok, senior director, marketing and communication, Imagine TV, "Our viewership had slipped since May 2010. So, with Zor Ka Jhatka, our primary objective was to create a tent pole property for the channel that would help in garnering viewership for the channel, which would lead to channel sampling and creating buzz for Imagine TV in the market. We are using it extensively to promote our other shows, too."

Interestingly, before the show was launched, the 9-10 pm slot had an average rating of 1.2 TVR (1 TVR Gunahon Ka Devta, and 1.5 TVR Baba Aiso Var Dhoondo). The regions that have significantly contributed to the show's viewership are Kolkata, Delhi, Punjab and Rajasthan.

What worked for the show?

The format of the show is not new. However, while it bears a resemblance to the Japanese game show Takeshi's Castle, the show's USP lies in the SRK brand association, along with its alliance with Indian participants.

Market observers believe that the initial pay-off for the show has come through the element of immense curiosity, coupled with the huge marketing splash conducted by Imagine TV to create the buzz.

Says Amit Ray, president, Lintas Media Group, "The marketing for the show was humongous. That helped increase the awareness for the property in an unprecedented manner."

Carat India's associate vice-president, Rajni Menon pointed out the fact that when compared to the other existing shows across other channels, it's been observed that currently, this is the only property that is celebrity-driven. "Therefore, people are curious to see how Shah Rukh and other guest celebrities act on the show," says Menon.

Will the show be able to sustain its viewership?

While some believe that the show could only sustain its present viewership momentum, quite a few state that the show will lose its audience gradually.

Says a top media executive on conditions of anonymity, "The show instantly reminds you of Takeshi's Castle, with Javed Jaffrey as the commentator. He is much better. Also, as per the format of the show, it lacks drama. It cannot, therefore, garner as many eyeballs, as for instance, Rakhi Ka Swayamvar could."

What will however work for the channel is the repeat telecast of Zor Ka Jhatka. "Since all through the day, people will not have much good content to watch, they could choose to watch Zor Ka Jhatka. This could improve the channel's stickiness, thereby adding to the channel's GRPs," he says.

Shailesh Kapoor, chief executive officer, Ormax Media, is of the opinion that Zor Ka Jhatka is one of the few reality shows that is built around the core benefit of comedy. "In all our work, we have seen a constant need for good comedy content on television. While Shah Rukh Khan is the prime attraction to get viewers for the show (something Javed Jaffrey would never manage on weekdays GEC primetime), the action-and-comedy mix seems to be doing the rest of the job, thereafter," says Kapoor.

He further adds that a property like this has the tendency to get monotonous over time, "but given the short four-week season of the show, we expect fairly good sustenance."

Many are also of the opinion that SRK is not the right person to fit with the channel's image. They believe that after associating with properties such as KBC on Star Plus, his image does not fit the Imagine TV profile.

"I think that the 9 pm slot is for serious viewing. And, this show presents emotions, which are quite childish. I don't know how much the show can work," says Ray, expressing his doubts. "However, the show could catch up with audiences who are not familiar with Takeshi's Castle or Wipeout on AXN," he adds.

Meanwhile, even though the consistency of the show's viewership pattern remains under ambiguity, Zor Ka Jhatka is doing well with advertisers. Market sources reveal that the channel is selling the show's ad inventories at approximately Rs 1 lakh to Rs 1.5 lakh.