With at least 50 episodes planned for the first season of reality show Sach Ka Saamna, the recently launched reality show on Star Plus, Star TV India is hoping to regain its number-one position among the 12 to 13 Hindi general entertainment channels (GECs). This is because the average show ratings of its first three episodes (telecast so far) have made it the second most watched show on the late night time band among the Hindi GECs, says aMap, an overnight ratings agency that tracks viewership ratings.
The average ratings for Sach Ka Saamna in the 10:30 p m to 11 p m timeband for the three episodes stood at 3.1, higher than the corresponding show on Colors but marginally lower to Zee TV, says the aMap data. The TAM data for the last week is awaited.
Sensing the initial buzz around the show, the broadcaster is said to have delayed launching some of the other reality shows for some time so as to focus on Sach Ka Saamna, say company insiders.
Sach Ka Saamna is also crucial for the fortunes of Star Plus because based on the weekly gross ratings, the channel has been dislodged from its leadership position among the Hindi GECs for three weeks in a row, a first for the broadcaster in almost a decade. Coupled with that, Star India’s financial performance for 2008-09 may have also slipped by 8-10 per cent on the advertising revenue side, as an outcome of overall slowdown and intense competition from rival channels like Colors and Zee TV, say industry experts.
“The success of Sach Ka Saamna is crucial for Star India’s overall performance, else it will continue to witness an errosion in its weekly ratings amidst the intense competition from rivals like Colors and Zee TV,” says an industry expert. Both Colors and Zee TV have been at the top position in the Hindi GECs in the last three weeks, while Star Plus has been at number three and number two position, according to gross ratings data provided by TAM Media, the TV ratings agency.
Commenting on the response the show has generated, Uday Shankar, CEO, Star India said, “Like any new show, we want Sach Ka Saamna to do well. It is an experimental show and it is doing well. We have sold out the airtime on it already.” Sach Ka Saamna has got six sponsors including Nokia and Sprite.
However, big advertisers and media planners have adopted a wait-and-watch policy before looking at buying airtime on the show. “It is indeed a bold show for the Indian sensibilities. While spot buys should not be a problem for the advertisers, I have my doubts if large advertisers will look at a sponsorship association with the show,” says Santosh Desai, CEO, Future Brands and an expert on advertising, branding issues. Echoes Anita Nayyar, CEO, Havas Media, a large media buying agency, “Spot buys are a function of the reach and popularity of a TV show. But it is a bold show and can attract large viewership for its bold content.”
The show based on the quiz format has been controversial in most of the 23 countries in which it has been telecasted. In the show, the contestents are asked 21 varied questions about their personal and professional life. The correct answers are determined by the results of a polygraph test done on the contestants before the show is filmed.
The prize money for correctly answering all the 21 questions is Rs 1 crore. However, in the entire history of the show being aired in 23 countries, no contestnant has won the prize money anywhere.
