ZeeTV TIGHTENS HOLD ON 2ND SPOT

By BIJOY A K
Indiantelevision.com Team

(16 May 2006 8:00 pm)

Now, after a couple of months it is time to update the score card. Analysing the Tam data (2 April 2006 to 30 April 2006, CS4+ HSM), we have Zee TV proving that its good show in the past months was not a mere flash in the pan. The channel has not only retained the second rank in the all day part with a clear margin, but also reached the number two position (behind Star Plus) in the prime time band.

"The logic behind the rate hike is fine performance. We wanted our inventories to meet the demand-supply situation. And hence, we have increased the ad rates of some shows, which passed the bench mark. For the upcoming shows Johnny Ala Re and Shabash India, we have zeroed in on decent rates, which we think are right," says Zee Network EVP Sales Joy Chakraborthy.

The data says it all: In the prime time band, the average channel share Zee TV has posted within the above five week period is 14.6 per cent, against Sony's 14.2 per cent. In the all day time band, Zee holds a significant 18.6 per cent of channel share, while Sony's share now stands at a meagre 12.4 per cent.

Apart from the channel driver Saath Phere, the serials which powered the good show include Kasamh Se and debutant Jabb Love Hua. Saath Phere and Kasamh Se are running in the range of 3 to 4 TVRs, according to Tam. Zee TV programming head Ashwini Yardi considers Jabb Love Hua as the latest find. "The soap opened with 0.6 TVRs in the opening week and the following week it recorded a far better 1.7 TVR. The storyline is going to gather much steam in the coming weeks and we are confident of the soap giving a solid performance," she says.

Zee's best prime time band performance in this five week duration came from the week beginning 23 April. The week was a significant one for Hindi GEC since three prime time shows launching (Jabb Love Hua on Zee and Aisa Des Hai Mera and Thodi Khushi Thode Gham in Sony) simultaneously on 24 April. Now, as per Tam, the day favoured Zee TV, as the channel improved its share by 20 per cent in the week - from 15.4 per cent to 17.6 per cent. Meanwhile, Sony's channel share dropped from 17.4 per cent to 12.4 per cent.

Yardi attributes the jump to a good opening by the soap Jabb Love Hua. "Zee TV's ratings for that particular slot went up by about 400 per cent on 24 April. That played a key role in the surge," she says.

According to Yardi, Zee TV is not about to rest on its laurels. The channel is planning various strategies to further improve the performance of its prime time soaps. "For example, Saath Phere is going to be in the spotlight in the coming week. The story will take a major turn as we reveal a well-kept secret in the serial. We also have a new show coming in to fill the Kam Ya Zyaada slot," Yardi offers. The channel dropped the Manoj Bajpai-anchored gameshow two weeks ago. Re-runs of the celebrity show Jeena Isika Naam Hai has replaced Kam Ya Zyaada temporarily.

Hasn't Zee TV's big ticket reality show Business Baazigar's non-performance dampened the mood a bit? "Business Baazigar is totally different from all the other reality shows that happened on Indian television so far. The format is new and people are taking their time to get into the loop. The show is delivering a TVR of 0.6 on an average and we expect this go up in the coming weeks," Yardi reasons.

The overall picture

The leader Star Plus holds an average channel share of 57.9 per cent in the prime time band. Interestingly, there is a tough fight - as intense as the one for the second place - going on for the fourth spot in prime time between Sahara One and Star One. Taking an average of the five week period, Star One is placed with 5.8 per cent channel share, against Sahara One's 5.5 per cent. Sab TV holds a 2.1 per cent channel share here.

In the all day part, Star Plus is continuing in the range of 50 per cent and the average score stands at 50.7 per cent. Now, here, Sahara One is the clear number four with an average channel share of 10 per cent. Comparing the score with Sony's average 12.4 per cent might look threatening for the latter, but it should be noted that the India-England series played a significant role in Sahara One's surge here. Now it remains to be seen if Sahara would be able to pull it off against Sony with a consistent performance in the coming weeks. In this segment, Star One and Sab TV hold 5.4 per cent and 3 per cent respectively.