No ratings tussle: TV bosses not worried about IPL anymore

The beginning of every Indian Premier League sees discussions about the expected drop in TVRs of daily soaps and TV channels not wanting to launch new shows around the tournament. This year, however, has seen a change. GECs (General Entertainment Channels) launched new shows in the weeks leading to the tournament and there are even a couple of shows that will be launched in the middle of the tournament.Kumkum Bhagya was launched a day prior to the IPL, while Mission Sapne will start airing from April 27 and Gangs Of Hasseepur will also be launched during the league. We find out whether the fear that the IPL will play havoc with TVRs has diminished:
Viewers have lost faith in IPLSome producers think that after the recent bout of controversies, viewers have lost interest in the IPL. “In the last couple of years, I have seen that broadcasters are not that worried about the IPL. Producers are not put under pressure to bring in high points and twists to gain viewers’ attention. Viewers now realise that IPL is a cricket tamasha, more of a reality show. After all the controversies and the spot-fixing scam, the faith of the viewers is somewhat shaken in the IPL. Moreover, the IPL is like a sweet dish for viewers. You might savour the sweet dish for a few days, but in the end, you have to come back to dal-chaawal (daily soaps) at home,” says Rajan Shahi, producer of Aur Pyaar Ho Gaya.
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Elections affected ratings more than IPL This election season took away more viewers than the IPL, says Gajra Kottary, the writer of Balika Vadhu. “Out of the six weeks of IPL, the first and the last interest the viewers the most. The first week, viewers want to get an idea of the teams and the players, while in the last week, they want to watch who wins the play-offs and heads to the finals. During that time, ratings are affected but that happens for all shows equally. In the remaining four weeks, the ratings aren’t affected that much. In fact, this time around, more than the IPL, the elections have affected TV shows as people are taking a keen interest in the polls. However, people still tend to be a little cautious when launching new shows around the IPL, as it would mean swimming against the tide,” he says.
Kinnari Mehta, producer of Ekk Nayi Pehchaan, adds, “Earlier, we were asked to keep the best tracks on hold for when the IPL was on, but this year, we haven’t been issued any such directive. This time, more than the IPL, the elections have been gaining eyeballs. So, it’s the news channels that must be benefitting from this hype around the elections and their increased viewership might have affected the ratings across GECs.”
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Most households have two TV sets Yash Patnaik, producer of Main Naa Bhoolungi, says, “We have three shows on three different channels and none of the broadcasters have put any pressure on us to change the track or introduce more drama to gain eyeballs. Most of the urban households have two TV sets at home and women viewers don’t have to fight with their husbands to watch daily soaps during the IPL. If a new launch happens around the IPL, the fight is for publicity as all the promotional vehicles (TV, hoardings and print media) are blocked for the IPL promotions. Even the rates are quite high at that time. However, if GECs have decided to launch new shows during the IPL, they will have specific strategies to promote the show. It’s also a question of content. Any show will manage to garner viewership, if the content is engaging.”
An overdose of cricket
Cricket might be a religion in India, but too much of it is bad for the viewers, say actors.
Gunjan Utreja, one of the male leads of Madhubala, says, “In my opinion, IPL is an over-hyped event. I agree that the first three seasons of the IPL affected the ratings, but now we are into the seventh season, and I don’t think it’s going to affect TVRs that much. There might be a slight dip in the ratings, and then it means that the viewers don’t like the content, and the IPL cannot be blamed for that. I feel that there has been an overdose of cricket. We have seen the Champions Trophy and the T-20 World Cup; so, why would I watch the same players again? Out of 365 days in a year, almost 270 days are reserved for cricket matches; so, there is a decline in the interest of viewers. I am a KKR fan, but recently, when they played against Mumbai Indians, I didn’t watch the entire match. I just saw the highlights. Also, the spot-fixing scam has somewhat dented the trust of the viewers.”
Shashank Vyas adds, “As a person who watches cricket, my interest in the IPL has diminished. Viewers have been watching international tournaments throughout the year. People might still go the stadiums and watch the matches, but I don’t think they will be glued to the TV for three hours. Even if people want to watch the match, they can watch it during the commercial breaks during the daily soap. I don’t think viewers will miss TV shows to watch the entire match. Even films are released during the IPL season.”
The effect of the IPL cannot be negated Farhan Salaruddin, producer of Beintehaa, disagrees with the fact that the fear of IPL has completely disappeared. “We will get to know if the ratings have been affected or not by next week, when the details about TVRs come in. However, we cannot totally negate the effect of the IPL on daily soaps. This time, the first phase of the tournament is happening in UAE, so there is all the more reason that people are going to watch it. In fact, if there is a match in the afternoon, the ratings of TV shows airing between 6pm to 7pm will also be affected. But IPL is a thing we have learnt to live with.”
The IPL doesn’t affect our content plan: GECs
GECs say that their content does not depend on factors like the IPL and elections. Manisha Sharma, weekend programming head, Colors, says, “We make decisions about our programming line-up for the year well in advance, and believe that every genre has its own loyal audience base – be it cricket or general entertainment. Moreover, if your content is good, the viewers will keep coming back to the show irrespective of the changes in the overall TV scenario. In fact, we’re launching a new property next week – Mission Sapne.”
Prashant Bhatt, weekday programming head, Colors, adds, “We don’t believe in making adjustments in our annual programming calendar. Our fiction properties have a loyal audience base, and they continue to tune-in and watch the shows regardless of environmental variations.”
Namit Sharma, programming head, Zee TV, says, “It’s a competitive environment. The GECs are competing with each other, and the IPL and elections have also emerged as competitors now. At present, the IPL is not the only challenge we have to contend with. We have to try to engage our viewers by providing wholesome entertainment, and not be affected by distractions in the face of politics and sports.”
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