Deepak Dhar, CEO of Endemol, a multinational television programme production company, is not sure if he can buy peace at home for another two months. That is, for the remaining duration of Bigg Boss 2, the Shilpa Shetty-hosted reality show produced by his company for entertainment channel Colors. For Dhar has hardly been home in the last three months: He’s been working round-the-clock on two of the biggest (read most expensive) reality shows on Indian television. First, he was in and out of Johannesburg, South Africa where Endemol shot the Akshay Kumar-starrer Khatron Ke Khiladi, also for Colors. Now he’s spending most of his time in Lonavala, on the sets of Bigg Boss 2. With the explosion in the general entertainment channel segment in India, these are exciting times for Endemol, which creates and licenses game and reality show formats to broadcasters and other digital platforms around the world. Dhar, who’s worked with MTV, Channel V and Star India earlier, spoke to Shuchi Bansal on programming trends in Indian television:
Are soaps losing out to reality TV in India?
There is no debate on reality TV versus soaps. Soaps are a given on a general entertainment channel. For viewers, soaps are the staple diet while reality TV is the cherry on the cake. TV channels are chasing reality TV because they want a spurt in viewership in the face of increased competition. Reality TV is like a 100-metre sprint, while soaps resemble a marathon. Viewers have now started demanding and consuming content and genres that are fresher and push the envelope within the Indian context.
Bigg Boss 2 hasn’t done too well...
I don’t agree. TAM numbers clearly suggest otherwise. The average rating for the last three weeks has been between 2 and 2.5 consistently for seven days a week. It has outperformed the first season (on Sony), not just in terms of numbers, but also in the magnitude of the buzz created.
Have broadcasters’ programming costs escalated?
Yes, they have grown by 50 to 60 per cent. But even the marketing costs have shot up.
What about return on investments, since these shows cost a bomb?
Big properties attract big Bollywood stars, that attract big sponsors. If broadcasters were not getting returns, they would not put money on the table.
Rating points for channels usually dip after a blockbuster reality show. How do you justify such content then?
Well, broadcasters know that these are finite shows. It’s their challenge on how they sustain the TRPs through the next property. It’s difficult, but they have to identify the right programme that will take the viewership forward. You could decide on the content through research which gives you the market pulse, but it has a lot to do with gut feeling.
What will be the next big wave in programming?
Absolute reality is the next big wave in prime time viewing. By absolute reality I don’t mean reality packages around song and dance but gripping stunts and Fear Factor kind of shows. These are not simulated shows but those that involve throwing people in a situation and studying their responses. A good amount of time will be invested in ideas that are going to distract the eye.
In fact, with Fear Factor and Bigg Boss 2, we have successfully moved reality shows from weekends to weekday prime time viewing. We are in the process of spreading the reality bug. Among the shows we are working on are Wipe-out, Divided and Golden Cage. Wipe-Out is an “obstacle” show with humour. We have the obstacle facilities in Argentina and the US. Divided, meanwhile, involves three participants and how they divide the cash prize among themselves. It’s a new format; Divided is currently running in the Netherlands. Then there is Golden Cage, where wannbe millionaires spend time in a luxury villa.
The other big wave will be Interactive TV. Currently, viewers vote-in and vote-out people from TV shows with the help of their mobiles. Soon, the next level of interactive TV will be launched, where viewers will have direct access to the anchor of the show. These will be low-cost game shows, cookery and lifestyle shows made for the pre-prime time slots where viewers can participate more actively.
Will you get into mythologies?
Mythologies with good production values are doing well. Good production values are a function of adequate pre-production time and not spending big amounts, as seen in some cases. Currently, we are exploring other subjects in the area of fiction. We are not at an advanced stage of research and pre-production with mythologies. But we can fast-forward if a client seeks our production quality and storytelling in the area of mythologies.
Do you make soaps?
Yes, Endemol is very big on fiction shows worldwide, especially in telenovellas. In India, we started with some weekly sitcoms on 9x and Sab TV and are now ready with a couple of fresh fiction daily shows for a leading broadcaster.
Who produces your shows in India?
We have a staff of 100 people. We are content producers worldwide and in India too, we produce all our content. Bigg Boss 2 has 300 people working on the show non-stop. We have also produced locally-relevant content like Jo Jeeta Wohi Super Star and The Great India Laughter Challenge. We are also producing a lot of content in the advertiser-funded programming space.
How old is Endemol in India?
We are three years old. Endemol is a Netherlands-based company, owned by a consortium including Goldman Sachs Capital Partners, Mediaset Group and Cyrte Group. We have a presence in the UK, Spain, Italy, France, Germany, Latin America, South Africa and Australia.
Is programming in India different from that in the US and Europe?
Our programming norms tend to be closer to southeast Asia and Latin America. This means we like loud, nearly over-exaggerated stuff. Subtlety does not work in India.
What kind of content works in the developed markets?
Developed markets have seen a shortening of attention spans. Ordinarily, this leads to finite storytelling and absolute reality shows. India is fast moving into this phase. In the west, reality from the late 1990s onwards moved from celebrities to common people. In India, we expect the same to happen though it may take some time. Currently, only the song-and-dance shows give the common man a chance. But soon, absolute reality shows will feature people like you and me.
