Shows on a song

TELEVISION: In the race for TRPs, Sony, Zee and Star Plus have turned to music-based talent shows.

The idiot box is in a mood to sing. All three entertainment channels, Zee TV, Star Plus and Sony TV, are showcasing music-based talent hunt shows, mostly on the prime time band.

What's interesting is that the people behind these shows "" judges, directors and anchors "" are playing their own little game of musical chairs.

So you have Gajendra Singh "" who first introduced the genre of talent-based shows on Indian television "" emptying his chair as the creative director of Zee's Sa, Re, Ga, Ma, Pa, after 12 long years, to direct Antakshari and Voice of India, both music-based shows, on Star One and Star Plus respectively.

Following Singh is not only the anchor, Shaan, but also judges like Alka Yagnik, Aadesh Shrivastava, Abhijeet and Lalit Pandit, all of whom were part of the music show on Zee TV.

Meanwhile, Gyan Sahay, who had assisted Singh on Zee's show, has now taken over and is directing Zee's show. The show, which retains judges like Bappi Lahiri, Himesh Reshammiya and Ismail Darbar, has also roped in music director duo Vishal-Shekhar for the new season.

Meanwhile, on Sony TV, Indian Idol has already begun its third season with its veteran judge Anu Malik, along with new comers Udit Narayan, Alisha Chinai and Javed Akhtar. Interestingly, all these shows started simultaneously in May.

Ashish Kaul, senior VP, Zee Network, feels, "Music-based shows are particularly successful because they reflect our heritage. Celeb shows, on the other hand, haven't had as much success because audiences eventually vote for talent." Singh's show, Voice of India, started on May, 18, and has had a slow start.

"We're showing audition rounds and generally the TRPs pick up once candidates are shortlisted," says Harsh Rohatgi, GM, (marketing and content), STAR India.

Gyan Sahay, who was earlier director of photography, and assisted Singh on Sa, Re, Ga, Ma, Pa, feels that with so many music shows running simultaneously on different channels, it is crucial to have an edge over other such shows.

"I avoided showcasing audition rounds on the channel. Audiences want to see performances and not mediocre audition rounds."

Zee's Sa, Re, Ga, Ma, Pa, despite the exit of Singh and Co, is already garnering TRPs of 5.5, partly because of the soaring popularity of its new anchor Aditya Udit Narayan. Other shows, according to sources, are getting average TRPs of 2.7.

While the average spend on each episode of music-based shows is usually Rs 15 lakh, channels spend anywhere between Rs 50-100 crore for an entire season.

The bulk of this money is naturally recovered from advertisers and SMSs. Zee's Sa, Re, Ga, Ma, Pa Challenge 2005, attracted a total of 12 crore SMSs. If one takes the cost of each SMS at an average of Rs 3, it translates into money worth Rs 36 crore easily, which of course is divided between the channel and service providers. Advertising spots (a 10-second advertising spot usually costs anywhere between Rs 1.5-2 lakh) are lucrative for such shows.

But which of these shows will finally emerge with the sweetest sound on the telly? Let's wait and watch, er, hear.