ready to face team india-KBC/SRK

T he battle has just begun. The Cricket World Cup kicks off today. With most of the matches being telecast at night, are television channels pre- pared to keep viewers glued to their usual dose of soap, thrillers and reality shows? Zee TV, the No 2 channel in the market, has not planned any spe- cial strategy. They are focussing on twists and turns in their prime time shows —- Ghar Ki Laxmiyan- Betiyaan, Dulhan Banoo Main Teri and Kasamh Se —- will also see a major twist. They are also relying on repeat telecasts of these shows. Says Ashwini Yardi, Zee TV's programming head, "We expect the TRP's to dip, especially when the Indian matches are on. Our main aim is to develop turning points in our shows, which will help our shows to sustain its view- ership. But whatever we do, for that particular period we will lose quite a bit of viewership." Sahara One believes that it will survive the World Cup. Kalyan Sunderam, the channel's pro- gramming head says, "Kaun Bane- ga Crorepati with Shah Rukh Khan was also a supposed threat for our channel, but it didn't affect our shows at all. We have carved a niche for our shows. There will be absolutely no change in the pro- gramming schedules. We will con- centrate on the content and make it stronger." Contrary to the strategies of the other channels, Star Plus and Star One show no fear of losing view- ership. Ajay Vidyasagar, Stars' head of Marketing and Commu- nication says, "We have witnessed this situation before. It has never affected Star because we are mar- ket leaders. Yes, only when India's playing, there's a volume drop of around nine per cent. Unlike smaller brands, we don't believe in playing with our schedules. "Since India's matches will be played mostly on the weekends, we will add more shows on the week- end line-up than playing around with the original programming." Sony Entertainment Television, too, is not re-shuffling its pro- gramming schedules. "There is absolutely no change in the schedules. Content has always been our priority, but there is no special strategy because of the World cup," states Sony's spokesperson. Sab TV, so far, is the only chan- nel to go in for major re-schedul- ing because it will be telecasting the World Cup. Its shows, Left Right Left, FIR, Yes Boss and Mohalla Mohobbatwala, are now on a season break. They will return sometime in April. Apart from the channels, even producers are all set to face the challenge. Says Tony Singh, producer of Jeete Hain Jiske Liye and Jab Love Hua, "Better storylines, faster pace and keeping the audience hooked on to the show, is what we're concentrating on. It's tough to combat the World Cup, really tough." Is it tougher since Jeete Hain is relatively new? "Well, it is. Our shows will get affected during Indian matches. But we have many creative ideas in place, and- hope that works,"ends Singh.