Rooted to the ratings
ANUJ KUMAR
|
The television canvas is changing but the lever is again the TRP ratings.
|
Are the channels ready to risk business for variety in stories?
Reality check Stills from “Sangam”
When this past week Star Plus called a press conference for its new serial “Sangam”, it seemed no unusual exercise. One thought it would be the same saas-bahu saga in a new package. However, the story turned out to be different.
It’s about a young girl Ganga who wants to fulfil her father’s dream. No, not to take over the family business or by getting married into a multimillionaire family, but by opening a small school in her hometown Kundanpur. That Sangam could mean confluence of a father’s dreams with his daughter’s aspirations is a revelation.
Yes, the television canvas is changing. It’s not the first attempt though. Early this year Sony brought a whiff of village air through “Durgesh Nandini” and Zee offered “Jab Love Hua”, a romance set among mustard fields and bullock carts. So, are the channels finally looking beyond metros…are they ready to risk business for variety in stories?
No, not quite. It is again the good old TRPs that are the guiding light. To the uninitiated, TRPs are television rating points, provided weekly to broadcasters, media agencies and advertisers by TAM (Television Audience Measurement) media research.
“Durgesh Nandini”
And in January TAM increased the number of peoplemetres from 4800 to 7000, increasing its sample base from 73 cities and towns to 148. And the effect is showing.
Early primetime
Today primetime starts at 7 pm. Zee already has soaps in this time band. Now with “Sangam” Star has joined the trend. Sony is also inching towards it with “Khwahish” slotted at 7.30 pm. The reasoning is simple. The common man returns home by 7 in small towns.
According to Prem Kamath, Vice President Marketing, Star India Private Limited, the cities and towns that have been added are primarily smaller centres.
“This has changed the sample profile. So we also need stories that address the values and concerns of the new audience. Advertisers also want to take their product to these audiences.”
Meanwhile, Ashish Kaul of Zee is feeling vindicated. “Ours has always been a channel for the heartland. But with TAM ratings emerging as the common currency for all the stakeholders, we lost our top place to Star and Sony, which concentrate on the metros. Now that the base has increased, these channels are feeling threatened.”
Siddharth Mukherjee, spokesperson for TAM, calls it a matter of interpretation by the broadcasters. “On our part, the increase in the base was in consonance with our policy to mirror the changes happening at the ground level in the best possible way. We still have all the peoplemetres only in Class 1 cities which have a population of one lakh and more.”
“Saat Phere”.
But, has aesthetics been reduced to certain numbers? “No, we have a strategy group which tortures the numbers to figure what is good or bad with a channel’s content, marketing and distribution strategy,” avers Siddharth.
Sanjila, the supervising producer of “Durgesh Nandini”, shares, “In the brainstorming with production houses, the channels have started pointing out the need to look for semi-urban-centric stories. There is enough of glitz and zardozi borders. And with increase in the TAM base, it makes business sense too.”
Audience profile
Ashish says earlier the audience profile used to change over five to ten years, but now it changes every two years. “Till five years back youth was considered to be frivolous enjoying only MTV and action. Today, youth is being seen as an evolved segment.
Who would have thought that a dark girl would play a lead character in a daily soap? Today “Saat Phere” is our flagship show. Similarly, the duration of “Jab Love Hua” was increased twice on audience demand.”
“It’s not that saas-bahu is out, it is out of focus. The perspective to look at characters is changing. Ganga’s story will have all the relations but the focus will be on how she returns to her town as a magistrate and opens the school,” says Rajesh Berry who has conceptualised “Sangam”. Ashish agrees, naming serials like “Mayka” and “Betiyaan” to emphasise the point.
Viewer’s support
Rajesh asks for viewers’ support as well. “Sometimes along the way the audiences start liking particular characters. Then we have to shift focus to these characters and in the process lose track of the original story.
It’s not like a three-hour film, we have to plan for at least 400 episodes. For instance, if people start appreciating Ganga’s stay in the city, we have to prolong that portion.” Something, which is already happening with “Durgesh Nandini”. The girl has come to a big city and is now refusing to go back. Defends Sanjila, “It was part of the original story. The point is she hasn’t forgotten the values she has brought with her to the city.
221;
News channels are equally dependant on these TRP ratings. And in this case it affects the common man. For instance, “ACP Arjun” on India TV, a news channel, which is said to be seen in semi-urban areas.
A channel source says market research showed that they should present the anchor in a police uniform to appear different from other crime shows. “Now we get letters every week thinking that the man on the show is a real police officer. I don’t know how to clarify.” To advertisers or the common man?
Printer friendly
page
Send this article to Friends by
E-Mail
Friday Review
Bangalore
Chennai and Tamil Nadu
Delhi
Hyderabad
Thiruvananthapuram
