A different take on BD ending - Please read and put your thoughts - Page 3

Originally posted by: Samanalyse

I don't think it's that straightforward, actually. The PH is a company so it probably has many investors who provide the money to start the show and run it. Also, the channel is technically paying for the promotions since promos eat into ad time. The longer BD runs without making back the initial investment of the investors and the channel, the more losses everyone is incurring because it's not like the costs stop with the construction of the set. They have to shoot the show every day, and pay the cast, crew and maintenance people. So they are basically running at a loss and the amount that needs to be recovered is increasing with every new episode.

It's like in cricket, when you are chasing a total, you have to build a good run rate right away or else the required run rate goes higher and higher until it becomes impossible to attain. If the total you are chasing is just 200 runs, it's okay to have a run rate of 3 per over for longer (why it's okay for other shows to have lower TRPs), but not if you are chasing 300+ runs. BD was such a huge starting investment, elaborate sets, custom sound-track etc, that the stakes were really high. If the channel were in a better position and not so desperate for revenue, it might have been possible to cut down the budget from the production side to buy the show a little more time (though probably without promos as the channel would not be willing to invest until it brought in revenues), as I believe they did with SC. But since the channel is in no position to absorb/offset losses, the show is forced to end prematurely.

Originally posted by: malikakas

I guess the question is -- is the daily operating cost for BD higher than something like TSM or MAM? If you forfeit the game completely -- you've lost the original investment permanently. I guess the question is whether they are breaking even at all on this project but I'd find it hard to believe that the daily costs are much higher than any other show.

A new show means a whole other new investment... plus its still a gamble.

Originally posted by: Samanalyse

Even if the daily costs were the same as these other shows (which I have my doubts about, given the quality of cinematography), the point is that the initial investment makes the sum total they are trying to recover and surpass that much bigger. So it's much much easier for a show to break even if the initial investment is lower. You can either continue to run it at a loss in the hope that it will one day start earning, but in the process, what the show has to achieve to be profitable becomes more and more unattainable because the costs keep piling on. That's why sometimes its better to cut your losses. Yes, you do lose the initial investment but at a point when it seems unlikely that you will ever recover it, let alone make a profit, it can be better to stop putting more money into it. In this case, it is more about curtailing losses rather than trying for profit, when profit becomes unlikely.

A whole new show is always gamble, but then there are was to mitigate the risk factor. Ekta, even if not the queen of content is the queen of TRPs and generally knows how to pull a crowd. Even though the show might not exactly be something new and fresh, that is not really SP's number one priority right now, given the channel's relatively poor performance. They need a hit and they need it fast so they are bringing the expert! 😕

Originally posted by: malikakas

But if you've lost the initial investment in either case (scapping the show or letting it go on with mediocre trp).. what difference does the original investment make? Looking at it from a purely financial standpoint, the only thing that makes a difference at this point would be the ongoing costs vs what its bringing in. And comparing that to the idea of what another show could potentially bring in.

I just think these guys have been looking for another smash hit for a while and its way more than just a numbers thing. That's why they cut EHT short even though the numbers weren't that bad. Even the numbers of Nauc were pretty decent-- they were getting well above 2 Trps.

I am not complaining if the channel is looking for something specific. My real issue here is that they barely gave it time to see if it could become that. Even when YHM started it wasn't a smash hit in the first 2 months.

Bringing in the current reigning expert is fine-- given the success of YHM, KKB, MATSH. But the funny thing you mentioned... the golden era of hindi tv 2011-12. With the exception of PR, none of those shows were EK.😆 Everyone goes through boom and bust cycles.😆

Originally posted by: shruthiravi

@Saman the shows you mentioned EHMMBH, DABH and IPKKND were different, but they had the saas-bahu element in them. There were relations within the family. EHMMBH had beautiful relation of 2 sisters and bahu-saas everything was there. DABH though it was love story characterization of Bhabo and Meena ensured the TRP quotient, IPKKND I have not watched but even in it Khushi was the quintessential bahu. As you rightly said SC was salvaged the right way by bringing TRP ingredients by Sphere origins without actually completely butchering it. Saras and Kumud had some dignity left in the end. But shows like EHT, DYM, BD and all SP went too far in their experimentation. They took away the TRP aunty quotient. EHT was bought back as marriage was need of the story in EHT. But DYM, BD etc don't need such things from story perspective. And Indian audience is not yet ready for such things. Change should have been given slowly. Not suddenly the way SP did with nayi soch. Now this blunder has made them go back to all regressive soch once again