Shah Rukh needs a lifeline

KBC slipping, Shah Rukh needs a lifeline

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Finally the eyeball verdict on Kaun Banega Crorepati(KBC) is out and audiences have given Shah Rukh Khanthe thumbs down.

Tam Media data for the first four days of KBC3, which opened on January 22, showed a television viewership rating (TVR) of 12.33. Amitabh Bachchan had a bigger opening on KBC2 on August 5, 2005, with a TVR of 19.75.

It gets worse. After the initial curiosity about SRK's performance, many viewers seem to have tuned out. On January 23, KBC3 notched a TVR of 10.44 and 7.36 the next day. The show recovered to an extent on Janu ary 25, hitting 9.24.

Compared to the diminishing numbers for SRK, the Big B's audience grew with each passing day. KBC1 opened with a TVR of 10.59 on July 3, 2000, rising to 10.79 on July 4, 13.64 on July 5 and 14.32 on July 6. It peaked on October 19, 2000, with a huge

TVR of 26.55.

Star has a defence. Paritosh Joshi, the network's president (ad sales and distribution), said the number of persons 'reached' on SRK's first day was 23 million compared to Bachchan's 18 million. 'Reach' is defined as all those who saw the show for at least a minute. TVR, on the other hand, incorporates the number of persons who tuned in for the duration.

Does that mean less 'stickiness' for SRK? An audience study by Optimum Media Solutions supports the view that people were not sticking with SRK. Only 44 per cent of respondents watched all three episodes of KBC3, 25 per cent watched only the first episode and 30 per cent watched two episodes.