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Bring it on! How TV channels are tackling stiff competition from the internet

Updated on: 30 April,2017 07:53 AM IST  | 
Shaheen Parkar |

On the small screen, it's the TRPs make or mar the show. A dip in viewership ratings rings alarm bells signalling the end. The reason why channels focus on prime time (conventionally 8 pm to 11 pm) to attract eyeballs and climb atop the ratings heap

Bring it on! How TV channels are tackling stiff competition from the internet

A still from Dhhai Kilo Prem
A still from Dhhai Kilo Prem


On the small screen, it's the TRPs make or mar the show. A dip in viewership ratings rings alarm bells signalling the end. The reason why channels focus on prime time (conventionally 8 pm to 11 pm) to attract eyeballs and climb atop the ratings heap.


In a change of trend, however, channels are now keen to awaken the audience from their afternoon siesta with a line-up of afternoon and early evening shows. This time slot was earlier reserved for repeat telecasts. Their target group is mainly youngsters, senior citizens and women - the last category being most crucial.


It is also seen as a move to counter the growing influence of web shows available to the audience any time of the day. At the moment, TV remains the big draw, but with more and more Bollywood folk entering the digital space, there is fear that the audience will gradually wean away from the remote control.

Kya Qusoor Hai Amala Ka?
Kya Qusoor Hai Amala Ka?

No more slumber
Earlier this month, a 12.30 pm to 2.30 pm slot was created to air the long-running Diya Aur Baati Hum's sequel, Tu Sooraj Mein Saanjh Piyaji, which marks the homecoming of Bhabho with the next generation. This was followed by three more shows - Kya Qusoor Hai Amala Ka? (an adaptation of the Turkish show, Fatmagul, about a woman who sets out to seek revenge after she is wronged), Ek Aastha Aisi Bhee (about a girl who believes serving humanity is the best way to worship God) and Dhhai Kilo Prem (about an overweight girl's quest for love).

The shows are consciously steering clear of kitchen politics and the realm of the absurd. With fresh and novel stories, they hope to lure the audience and make them reach out for the remote controls and, hopefully, stay hooked.

Saba Mumtaz, writer and co-producer of Yeh Moh Moh Ke Dhaagey which airs at 7 pm, opines, "Prime time could be any time these days. There is always someone or the other somewhere watching TV. Early evening, city folks may be in office or commuting back home, so it is obvious the target audience are the senior citizens, women and children."

While launching the afternoon line up, the channel folk had explained the need to make an inroad into different slots. According to them, there is a huge television viewing audience available in the country in the afternoon, especially in the interiors.

The aim was to present viewers with a spectrum of original content and to invent another prime time. The goal was to make compelling content available to viewers throughout the day. The channel also feels that afternoons are the only time of the day, where the woman of the house has a few moments to spare. So why not entertain them with fresh stories?

But, the big question is, whether there is an audience for shows in these time slots and for how long can the system sustain itself?

Says Shashank Vyas, who plays Ravish in Jaana Na Dil Se Door, that airs at 5.30 pm, "I don't believe in time slots. We have seen shows like Shanti, Yug, Swabhimaan and Itihaas in the past, which were telecast in the afternoon. An actor agrees to be part of a show because of the content, not for its time slot."

Meri Durga
Meri Durga

Content is key
He feels it can also offer producers an opportunity to come up with innovative programming at this hour to lure the audience. Though he agrees, "It is mostly youngsters and women who would watch TV at that hour."

Eijaz Khan who features in Yeh Moh Moh Ke Dhaagey is candid about the viewership ratings. "There are fewer eyeballs at 7 pm, but as an actor, I can't get caught in these things. I have to give my best whether it's 7 pm, 9 pm or 2 am." He adds, "It takes a little more time for a 7 pm slot to be successful than a prime time show."
The makers too have their own set of fears. Yash Patnaik, producer, Jaana Na Dil Se Door, which airs at 5.30 pm points out, "I was worried about the time slot, but at the same time I was confident that good content will stand out. My earlier show, Veera, had a one-year run at 5 pm. Sadda Haq was also an early evening show. I am glad we have found audience for Jaana Na Dil Se Door."

Getting hooked
At the same time Patnaik says, "Had the show been at a later time slot, the viewership would have been larger. During prime time there is a lot of floating audience who are surfing channels and perhaps get hooked to a show, which we don't get. Our audience has to switch on the TV to watch our show, as there aren't any other shows at that time."

Most producers opine that good content makes the show stand out even if it is at an odd hour. Mohammad Nazim, the protagonist of Saath Nibhana Saathiya which airs at 7 pm, says, "If the content is good, you get an audience. My show may air early evening, but I have a fan following. Wherever I go people recognise me, that means people are watching the show even at that hour."

The channel folk believe that compelling stories can draw available audiences to the channel at different time zones. They also hope to change viewership habits by offering differentiated content. Like Meri Durga, which airs at 6.30 pm, revolves about a girl who aspires to be an athlete. There is a conscious effort to be distinct from what is offered at prime time.

As producer Nikhil Sinha, who made the super successful Devon Ke Dev... Mahadev, says, "A prime time show has a loyal base, but new and early time slots needs to gain an audience. As a TV producer, it is a big challenge and we have taken it up to get the viewers tune in during afternoon and evening slots."

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