In the past, TV serials built their relationship with the audience over years. Shows like Kyunki Saas Bhi Kabhi Bahu Thi, Kasautii Zindagii Kay, and Kahaani Ghar Ghar Kii sometimes ran for a decade, with characters that Indian families connected with every single day. The focus wasnât on next weekâs âshock twist,â but on continuity and narrative logic.
By contrast, in todayâs TRP-obsessed era, we see serials introducing endless âtime leapsâ and relying on cheap thrills like repeated marriages, divorces, or characters coming back from the dead. The goal is not to tell a story, but to maintain the weekly number.
In the past, there was variety: family dramas, light comedies, mythological epics, and historical series. Just remember Ramayan and Mahabharat alongside family comedies like Hum Paanch. Now, however, the landscape is dominated by repetitive melodrama, while other genres have been pushed to digital platforms or cinema.
When it comes to audience satisfaction, the old shows are still being re-aired today and continue to get massive viewership on TV and streaming platforms. Meanwhile, many of todayâs serials vanish from memory the moment they end, with no real rewatch value.
Back then, when there was no obsession with numbers and no mad race behind TRP ratings, Indian drama truly lived its golden age. The shows were filled with meaning, deep emotional stories, and unforgettable moments that stayed with viewers for years. Yet, even then, channels made profits and built strong audiencesâsometimes with even more channels and variety than we see today. Now, some channels have shut down, many have dropped in quality, and the trend is endless repetition, chasing a quick spike in the weekly ratings.
Historically, peak viewership was far higher: the re-telecast of Ramayan during the 2020 lockdown broke national records, hitting millions of views in a single day. Legendary shows like Mahabharat also reached exceptional heights during that season. Today, the TRP peaks for Hindi GECs (general entertainment channels) hover around 2â3 points for the top showsâmuch lower than in the past, reflecting fragmented attention and competition from other screens.
In terms of writing, older shows were planned with long-term arcs and a clear storyline. Now, scripts are written day by day, week by week, depending on the TRP score. If the number dips, suddenly a new character is introduced or a shocking twist is forced in.
TRP has long been the ultimate measure of success for Indian TV showsâthe card that decides whether a show continues with full support, or gets canceled and buried despite all its creativity. But is this system truly fair? Does it reflect the reality we live as viewers? đ¤
Recently, Iâve noticed that TRP ratings have become a highly controversial subject. Many shows are touted as âthe most watched,â but when we check social media or talk to people, we see the oppositeâcriticism, jokes about the plot, and complaints about actors with wooden expressions, fake emotions, and weak performances.
Some shows with very weak or repetitive storylines suddenly appear at the top of the TRP charts! Meanwhile, new shows with fresh concepts and unique plots collapse and fail. Do we really reject variety and creativity? Orâas some claimâis there manipulation behind the numbers, with production houses protecting their slots and ad contracts?
Sometimes it feels like the numbers donât reflect the true interest of the viewers.
Personally, as a drama fan, I feel deeply disappointed. I see brilliant shows with strong performances and gripping storylines being pushed down in the TRP lists and labeled as âflops.â On the other handâand I say this not out of hate but for fairnessâwe see repetitive shows with weak plots and illogical twists always sitting comfortably at the top.
So where is the flaw?
đ Many insist the numbers are manipulated, with production houses paying huge amounts to keep their shows in the lead.
đş TRP meters are installed in a very limited number of households, which hardly represent the massive and diverse Indian audienceâor even the global audience watching passionately online.
đ The result: shows that deserve to live are unfairly killed by a game of numbers that doesnât reflect reality, leaving entire fandoms heartbroken over their favorites.
And doubts are not baselessâthe system itself has been shaken. In 2020, the infamous âTRP manipulation scandalâ erupted, where certain channels were accused of buying viewership to influence measurement. BARC had to suspend news ratings for a long period before resuming under stricter rules. The investigations revealed deliberate tampering with meters to artificially inflate numbers for specific programs. Media reports confirmed that production houses and advertisers were involved in purchasing fake figures to maintain dominance. This didnât just damage audience trustâit exposed the whole system, showing clearly that what we see in TRP charts can be nothing more than a paid illusion.
As a loyal viewer, I feel bitter when my favorite show is called a failure when in reality, it may simply be a victim of manipulation. This suspicion is supported by the fact that many successful shows with strong ratings in the top tier were later neglected, mishandled, and deliberately pushed toward failure because their creators refused to play the dirty game.
Questions that must be asked:
Can TRP still be trusted after all these scandals?
Is it fair to cancel a popular show just because it didnât score high on a few limited devices?
In the end, I believe the industry is losing genuine creativity because of this manipulation. And we, as the audience, are losing even moreâwe lose the stories we love, the actors who worked so hard, and we are left with a sense of injustice, as if our voices donât matter. đ
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