Despite KBC, Sony loses viewership

Sony's sibling channel SAB TV has also been losing the race with STAR's second rung GEC, Life OK for a couple of weeks. As per the TAM data provided by one of the agencies, Life OK has been defeating SAB TV in the race, on the back of its flagship property, Mahadev. The channel had a special one hour episode on Sunday, which garnered 8.2 TVRs.

Be it Dance India Dance, Jhalak Dikhla Ja or Kaun Banega Crorepati, reality shows have always helped Hindi GECs with the little push to cross the end-line in the Top 10 race.

However, if the numbers are to be believed, KBC seems to be losing its charm in its sixth season. The sixth season of the Indian version of the Amitabh Bachchan-helmed Who Wants To Be A Millionaire, opened with 6.1 TVRs on Friday, September 7 (C&S 4+, HSM).

Its viewership has fallen to garner 3.9 TVRs on Friday, September 14, in the following week. The Saturday episodes of the first and second weeks of launch garnered 5.3 TVRs and 4.8 TVRs, respectively, which again show a fall in numbers.

However, media experts believe that the show may never fall beyond an average of 3.5-4 TVRs, but the charm is definitely decreasing, season over season. This holds true for all the reality shows, say media experts. The Amitabh-quotient and the continuous minor refreshing of the presentation is what is still keeping the show in the reckoning.

For the record, KBC, first aired in 2000, delivered an average TVR of 9.75 on Star Plus. This was host Amitabh Bachchan's first appearance on Indian television.

In August 2005, the show returned after a four-year hiatus, and was renamed Kaun Banega Crorepati Dwitiya (or KBC2). It managed an averaged TVR of 10.55, while in the third season hosted by Shah Rukh Khan on Star Plus, it garnered an average TVR of 6.82.

Subsequently, in Season 3, Sony took over the show and it garnered an average of 4.20 TVRs, against Season 5's average of 4.77 TVRs.

Navin Khemka, managing partner, ZenithOptimedia states that week by week fluctuation doesn't matter much to advertisers. "Ultimately, what industry calculates is the viewership over a period of four-six weeks. If any change is reflected over that period, then only we consider and reason it," he adds.

However, Chandra Dobhal, head of buying, Delhi, Carat Media feels that Sony has been gradually losing on the viewership, even across its fiction shows. He adds, "None of the Sony shows are doing too well, to support the channel if any other property falls."

As for the show as an independent property, Khemka mentions that KBC has its own charm and for the current season, he feels that it's too early to comment on its overall performance. "It's too premature to talk about how the current season will perform. We will have to wait for at least a week more to decide," he adds.

Media experts note that the tempo built up by KBC over the first week of its launch died off soon. The stickiness quotient is highly missing from the presentation of the show. Dobhal of Carat adds that there are frequent changes in the participants and their profiles, which is actually disconnecting the audiences from the show.

Khemka feels that the weekend slot won't affect the viewership much, while media experts largely feel that the channel has tapped the best possible time band.

Meanwhile, there is a lot of shuffling in the top Hindi GEC rankings.

Star Plus has regained its No. 1 position with no gain or loss of GRPs. The channel is stable with 250 GRPs, same as last week (Week 36).

Zee TV has, however, lost 11 GRPs to garner 240 GRPs (251 GRPs last week). Sony and Colors have tied up for the third position with 230 GRPs.

While Sony has lost 14 GRPs (244 GRPs in the past week), Colors has gained a single GRP point to tie at No. 3.

STAR's sibling GEC Life OK, too, has managed to defeat MSM's SAB TV for a consecutive third week in a row, as it reaps the benefits from its mythological property, Devon Ke Dev Mahadev. On the back of a special one-hour episode of Mahadev, Life OK has garnered 167 GRPs in the current week, a gain of 26 points over last week's 141 GRPs.

SAB TV has gained a single point to garner 137 GRPs in Week 37.

Sahara One has lost two points to gain 34 GRPs.

The list of 10 most-watched programmes was led by the special one hour episode of Devon Ke Dev Mahadev on Sunday, which garnered 8.2 TVRs.

In Week 37, only two shows from Star Plus have managed to grab positions in the Top 10 list. At No. 2, Diya aur Baati Hum clocked a TVR of 5.3 (5.3 TVRs in the last week). Zee TV's DID Superkids has taken the third position with 4.9 TVRs (5.3 TVRs in the previous week).

The much-awaited Kaun Banega Crorepati has dropped in viewership figures for the second week. The show stands at No. 4 with 4.8 TVRs (5.3 TVRs in the previous week).

Colors' Balika Vadhu (5.1 TVRs in Week 36) and Sony's Bade Achhe Lagte Hain (3.2 TVRs in Week 36) have secured fifth and sixth positions with 4.7 TVRs and 3.9 TVRs, respectively.

Sony's Crime Patrol stands at No. 7 with 3.7 TVRs (up from 3.1 TVRs), followed by Star Plus' Saathiya Saath Nibhana (3.8 TVRs in the past week) and Sony's CID (3.9 TVRs in the past week) with 3.6 TVRs, each.

Last in the list, at No. 10, is Zee TV's Pavitra Rishta with 3.5 TVRs (3.3 TVRs in the previous week).