TOI: No new plans in IPL 5: Rajan Shahi

GECs to launch more shows during IPL
5
Shruti Jambhekar, TNN Mar 25, 2012,
12.00AM IST
Tags:
Phir Subah Hogi| Kairi...Rishta
Khatta Meetha| Jo Jeeta Woh Hi
Superstars 2| entertainment|
ashish
(A still from Kairi...Rishta Khatta
Meetha)
The small screen is all set for a prime-
time battle. And when it's about a
mega cricket event like Indian
Premier League (IPL), then who will
get the remote is the kahani ghar
ghar ki.
In the initial two seasons of IPL,
cricket took over soaps and
interestingly that led to the wrapping
up of shows that got launched around
or within IPL schedule. Although for
season three and four, there was a
dip in excitement and most General
Entertainment Channels (GECs) did
manage to cash on it. During IPL 4,
atleast eight shows were launched
and this year, there are five shows -
Kairi...Rishta Khatta Meetha, Phir
Subah Hogi, Jo Jeeta Woh Hi
Superstars 2, Dance India Dance Li'l
Champs 2, Indian Idol 6, Surkshetra
that will be launched during IPL 5.
Before anybody jumps into conclusion,
there are few producers who put
things in a different perspective.
When asked Shashi Mittal, producer of
upcoming show Kairi...Rishta Khatta
Meetha, she said, "GECs' audience and
cricket audience are two different
entities. And, if the content of a
particular soap is good, the audience
won't go away." Another producer
Rajan Shahi says, "No, we have not
planned anything special. All shows
which I'm producing will follow normal
course and hopefully the remote is in
the right hands who will not abandon
their staple diet of daily soap."
Interestingly, channels' top bosses
are playing it safe. They deny of any
plans to make any major changes in
the content. Suresh Mishra,
assistant director worker of a
popular GEC says, "Yes, we may bring
certain changes in the content as IPL
does affect the TRPs slightly. So far
as pepping up the shows during the
IPL season, it is nothing but part of
our larger programming strategy
which is a continuous process. We
have our own loyal viewers." Even
Ashish Golwalkar, non-fiction head of
another GEC says, "I won't say IPL
doesn't affect GEC viewing. It does,
but for us programming new shows is
part of our schedule. It's a fact that
the audiences are not constantly
glued to the IPL matches, the high
focus is simply towards the end of the
matches or with some decisive
matches."
The buzz is that there's something
that works in GECs' favour. Saurabh
Tewary, producer of Baba Aiso Varr
Dhundho says, "IPL broadcast surely
affects the prime time viewing more
towards weekend than weekdays. We
will always have high viewing for some
important IPL matches, then there is
10% of drop in Television Viewer
Rating (TVR). And for that prime time
TVR drop, most GECs make it up with
non-prime time broadcast of the
same. The first season of IPL was a
threat for GECs. Post that, every
year there's atleast one show which
was launched during IPL that did
exceptionally good like Saath Nibhana
Saathiya, Mann Ki Awaaz...Pratigya
and last year it was Chandragupta
Maurya and Navya."
GECs surely are playing a safe game
about IPL though. What works in their
favour is repeat broadcast of their
shows and audiences moving away
from too much of cricket. And surely
the TRP chase will be on for GECs, be it
in prime time or during 'premier' time!