It is that time of year when all the channels on your idiot box are showing film awards function. And they are in abundance – Filmfare, Screen Awards, Zee Cine Awards, IIFA Awards, Stardust... and the list just goes on.
You may wonder what makes these awards shows so lucrative that all the Hindi general entertainment channels air them? And the answer is good TRPs (television rating points), which translate into good ad revenue from the show. Also, these are cheaper than a movie and return is higher.
For instance, BIG STAR Entertainment Awards on Star Plus last year clocked a whopping 5.9 TVR, adding over 42 GRPs (Gross Rating Points) to STAR Plus' kitty. On Colors, the 18th edition of Screen Awards had notched a 5.5 TVR and 40 GRPS. Filmfare on Sony Entertainment Television and Zee Cine Awards on Sony too have rated over 4.4 TVR.
“These awards are definitely revenue generators for the TV channels as they are well packed in terms of sponsors. Its quite an interesting and important genre for these channels. Though many times the awards are pure content for these channels and the IP is owned by the producer, but the interesting part is, all the awards get good ratings. They have loyal viewership and they give spike to the ratings,” PM Balakrishnan, COO at Allied Media.
| Channel | Programme | TRPs |
| Star Plus | Star Parivar Awards 2012 | 6.5 |
| Star Plus | Big Star Entertainment Awards | 5.9 |
| Colors | 18th Screen Awards | 5.5 |
| Star Plus | IIFA Awards Singapore | 4.7 |
| Sony Entertainment TV | Filmfare Awards 2011 | 4.6 |
| Colors | Colors Golden Petal Awards | 4.5 |
| Zee TV | Zee Cine Awards 2012 | 4.4 |
| Zee TV | Zee Rishtey Awards 2012 | 4.2 |
As per industry estimates, a good award show that costs anywhere between Rs 10-12 crore in today's times, can earn between Rs 15-25 crore from on-air and on-ground sponsorships.
“These awards have good revenue potential and are very profitable. We have been associated with Filmfare and Stardust since very long for Sony and MAX and they are two of the most prestigious award shows. We get close to 12 sponsors for Fimfare every year,” Rohit Gupta, president - network sales at Multi Screen Media, said.
And the awards are not just about films. Majority of channels also have TV awards, like Colors Golden Petal, STAR Parivaar, Zee Rishtey, Gold Awards, Indian Television Academy Awards and New Talent Awards.
“The awards shows cost much less than acquiring films, which now cost a bomb. A film never recovers acquisition cost on first airing, but these awards, not just recover the cost but also make handsome profits on first airing itself. Than we also have option of re-runs and using it online. These also act as good marketing vehicles not just for the channel and shows, but also many films and brands like to associate with the marquee award properties,” a top executive of a Hindi general entertainment channel explained.
However, the awards still not command any significant ratio of the total advertising pie of a GEC. “GECs get Rs 4000-5000 crore in advertising revenues in a year, while these awards are just close to 100 crore all put together. But, the fact that you have a big award show in your calendar, makes it important for a media buyer to ink yearly deals,” a media buyer said.