khatron ke khiladi charges up colors

By GAURAV LAGHATE
Indiantelevision.com Team

(16 September 2009 10:00 am)

MUMBAI: Colors' bold step of placing Fear Factor Khatron Ke Khiladi 2 at the 9-10 pm slot against top fictions - Bidaai, Yeh Rishta Kya Kehlata Hai (Star Plus) and Pavitra Rishta and Agle Janam Mohe Bitiya Hi Kijo (Zee TV) - is reaping rich dividends.

Launched on 7 September, KKK2 has opened with a TVR of 4.37, making it one of the biggest openings for reality shows in the last two years. KKK2 came second to Star Plus' Sach Ka Saamna which drew a TVR of 4.6 in its inaugural episode.

Riding on the back of this Akshay Kumar-hosted show, the Viacom18 channel has reached record ratings of 325 GRPs (gross rating points) in the week ended 12 September, as per Tam data.

Interestingly, the resounding opening of KKK2 hasn't caused much dent on the top four rival fiction shows. This denotes that KKK2 has attracted a wider non-fiction audience for the channel.

At 9 pm slot, Bidaai's average ratings inched up to 5.3 TVR as against 5.0 in the previous week while Pavitra Rishta saw a miniscule drop from 4.1 to 4 TVR.

Meanwhile, the 9.30 pm shows have felt a slight pinch in their ratings. Chart-leader Yeh Rishta… lost 0.6 TVR and dropped to second spot with a TVR of 6. Agle Janam… has come down to 3.7 TVR from previous week's 4.1.

Khataron Ke Khiladi, which pulled in audiences at 10 pm during its first season, has performed even better at the 9 pm slot. KKK2 has notched first week average of 4.1 TVR, as against an average TVR of 2 that the channel got for first season.

Colors CEO Rajesh Kamat said, "Khatron Ke Khiladi opened to great reviews last year and it is encouraging to see the great response this year as well. The return of this show with its Level 2 literally marks the Level 2 for the channel as well."

Adding further, he said, "This is all in line with our plans to consolidate our leadership position and widen the gap with the other players in the category."