Viewers Choice
Anandi's decision to divorce her unfaithful husband Jagiya has been seen by most viewers as progressive content on Indian TV. But Colors, which airs Balika Vadhu, a roller skater tale of rural politics'both emotional and communal'is unwilling to take all credit. Research revealed that viewers wanted to see Anandi happy, admits Prashaant Bhatt, Head Fiction, Colors, "It had us toying with the idea of divorce. Since it goes against the Indian value system, we feared an audience backlash. The alternative was Jagiya's realisation of his mistake," he recollects. To iron out doubts, the team conducted extensive research to find surprising results. Women between 25-40 years felt that Anandi shouldn't be treated like a doormat or take Jagiya back. They were also keen that Dadisa, the regressive matriarch of the drama should initiate the divorce.
Bhatt points out that viewers are the real decision makers for TV content. All channels, especially in the Hindi general entertainment category, have in-house research teams that work to find what their core audience ' across Maharashtra, Gujarat, Madhya Pradesh, Punjab, Haryana and Uttar Pradesh ' wants to watch. "If the heroine gives her married life preference over career, or men never are protagonists, these are all audience preferences," explains Sneha Rajani, the business head for Sony Entertainment Television. "The idea is to give viewers what they like, to ensure healthy ratings and advertising."
New shows are conceptually tested before production, each track is tested and the teams keep a strict eye on what emotions on an existing shows resonate with viewers or get rejected. Target research audience depends on the show. For example, Star and Zee consider women from demographic sections B, C, D and E, essentially small towns and villages, as their core audience for soaps. Sony looks at Tier I and II cities, whereas Bhatt says that Colors doesn't like to subscribe to categories. Male audiences are taken seriously only for reality and crime shows. "India is perhaps the only country in the world where women control the TV remote to this extent," explains Shailesh Kapoor, CEO, Ormax Media, a research agency employed by several channels.
Before launching Phir Subah Hogi, Zee's team made a considerable effort to visit Raee dancers in Madhya Pradesh's Sagar village. "It was an effort to understand the realities of these dances and whether the content will find takers," explains a Zee official who travelled extensively across Hindi speaking states for this. Focus group screenings, debates, dipsticks and discussions are common methods employed.
Research doesn't always predict success. Rajani cites the example of Chhajje Chhajje Ka Pyar, which went off air within five months of its launch. "On paper, people liked the concept, but the execution didn't work ' we gave them a love story when they were expecting a family drama," she explains. Love stories, says Rajani, are more popular among 15-34 age group and the NRIs.
Bhatt says that taking a show off air isn't always the way out. If the track or character hasn't established a connect, tweaking the story could help. A recent trend is the audience's preference for happier stories and real characters. "Audiences want hope; they want to see characters fight problems and overcome hurdles, as in case of Afsar Bitiya (Zee) or Balika Vadhu," Kapoor says. "Kyunkii Saas Bhi Kabhi Bahu Thi won't work today because the audience want incidents and people they can relate to," adds Bhatt insightfully pointing out to how viewers too are in transition.
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