Posted:
A brilliant article on TRP written by hotdogg,
I feel is a must read for all of us.
So do read this, and share your comments and likes!
This is a copy of the post -
here's how the commercial angle goes...
..broadcasters / channels (SP, Zee etc.) are in the business of making money.
..they make money by showing ads to people during the show and charging advertisers for these ads.
..the ad rates they can charge (per second) is the only focus and reason why they go to work each day.
..the tv show is ONLY the envelope / package through which to deliver the ad to viewers.
.. ad rates they can charge depends on the popularity of the show.
..that is what trps measure.
..the channel is always comparing one show against the other through its trp.
..trps are measured by a neutral 3rd party, so there is no charge of bias.
..an advertiser will look at the trp and assume that x% is the captive, 'gullible' viewer who I can blanket with ads during the break and will payup accordingly to the channel to carry its ads.
.. so the broadcaster ALWAYS look at each show like an investment and constantly calculates the Return on Investment (ROI). (Like most of us. If we get better rates / returns don't we change our investments?)
.. its pure business...
..If the ROI is not working out pull the envelope (existing show) and put the ads in a new shinier one (new show).
..ROI calculation for a show looks at all input costs and income generated from ads.
This is where I think the problem for SP is...
...Its input costs for SC are already high because of SLB brand name fees, lavish sets, foreign schedules (Dubai), lavish costumes, unique and new costumes in most episodes etc. ...
coz its a chain...
...the producers like SLB are also there to make money right?...why else would Bansali Productions make a serial...
... so Bhansali productions produces the serial, adds its profit margins to its production costs (sets, location charges, equipment, cast salaries etc. etc.) and sell the serial (content & distribution rights) to SP...
... Bhansali Productions selling price of the serial now becomes an input cost for SP when SP pays Bhansali Productions (buys its distribution rights)..
... SP adds this distribution rights costs to its other costs (marketing, transmission etc.) and looks at income from ads to calculate ROI...
...in a given show slot, the actual show will be 15 - 20 minutes, rest 15 - 10 minutes is entirely when ads are run during the show...
...meaning in 10-15 minutes fixed time per episode, SP has to recover costs of the show's episode (all of the above) + make its own profit margins...
..that's where trps come in...
...low trp means less people are watching...means low ad rates...so why will advertisers pay more when less people are tuning in...means less revenue...means you could now start making real losses per episode...
..you could sustain for some time, but evenutally you close it down if it continues...
...for SP currently income is not going up (coz trps are low) and expenses are already too high. It also can't reduce the expenses because they are embedded in the show (SLB, sets you cannot dismantle since you have already spent).
I think it just doesn't have spare money to spend on other trp boosting activities like interviews, pr, media etc. (all of these also costs big time money)... :-(
..for SP other shows have higher trps and low costs (tacky sets, reuse of costumes, props etc.)..
..so following the investment approach, SP can afford to promote these cash cows and still get a bigger bang for the buck when they do..
..and like it or not...the average indian who drives trps and income like the absolute crap which gets shown in other serials...
I think SP had built a ROI model assuming zooming trps purely on account of the SLB brand name and lavishness...which did not happen..
...the only way out is a faster samud love story track to bosst trps...coz each day it does not add new viewers, the ongoing story becomes more hard to understand for new viewers..limiting new viewers...limiting trps...
yet... doing it too fast dumbs down the narrative or breaks up the story / dumbs it down...
Apologies for bringing the 'harder' money trail aspects into this post...
BUT I consider trp both as my friend and my spoilsport...
Remember earlier spoilers had indicated that saras will go back to dubai and kumud will say she has no feelings for him, then they will start to think, then maybe guman's haveli selling track where saras will come down to help, then they will fall in love...
that was at least 2 months of similar 'will they won't they' story before their confession...which I think would have tested the patience of even loyal fans...coz there was no closure happening of the track...
because trp was my friend...SP & SLB had to junk the entire track...and we got the beautiful moments of last week...much earlier than planned...
next week spoilers indicate that they are closing the haveli track too...remember the haveli corpus was a loss making company or such and guman planned to throw out VC and take possession of the haveli...now miraculously as per the spoiler ..there is a profit...and LN gives back the house papers in public to VC which causes the fight etc. etc...
...we hear gautam saying he is working without break for 77 days and counting... it was observed that his jacket in the birthday epi was the same as what he wore in some party the previous day...which means he has no time to change...
I guess it is because they are quickly reshooting new tracks in real - time ...the canned epis of the previous track are junk...
when trp is my enemy is when SP will have to dumb it down...there is no ESCAPING that if the show has to survive...the current track is of such high caliber that it limits the masses from understadning and enjoying... look at the wonderful dialogue we have on thread like these...it takes the whole group to figure out the nuances / points we missed etc...
...doesn't work for the masses...who drive trps...
...so its a tug-of-war between class and mass...and we will see some ups and downs & logic ki vaat till they get the right mix...
..silver lining is that SLB will not allow trp game to totally hijack his vision...and we can see that...
...GOLDEN lining...I am convinced now...there will be NO MARRIAGE TO OTHERS...SP & SLB will lose the loyal 1.4 trp-wala crowd if he even walks in that direction...so it will be ups and downs for sure...but I guess in the end both our dobas will ride off into the sunset..
What I LIKE is that despite this reboot in a manner of speaking...the treatment is still beautiful and unique...and a large amount of the credit goes to gautam and jennifer who are pulling off such amazing chemistry and scenes maybe literally on the fly...and of course the director who is capturing the scenes and still making them look fresh and unique...
So fingers crossed...and planning to enjoy the ride...
p.s. why do my posts turn out like essays? ...will work on it,,,humor me once again..
.
..broadcasters / channels (SP, Zee etc.) are in the business of making money.
..they make money by showing ads to people during the show and charging advertisers for these ads.
..the ad rates they can charge (per second) is the only focus and reason why they go to work each day.
..the tv show is ONLY the envelope / package through which to deliver the ad to viewers.
.. ad rates they can charge depends on the popularity of the show.
..that is what trps measure.
..the channel is always comparing one show against the other through its trp.
..trps are measured by a neutral 3rd party, so there is no charge of bias.
..an advertiser will look at the trp and assume that x% is the captive, 'gullible' viewer who I can blanket with ads during the break and will payup accordingly to the channel to carry its ads.
.. so the broadcaster ALWAYS look at each show like an investment and constantly calculates the Return on Investment (ROI). (Like most of us. If we get better rates / returns don't we change our investments?)
.. its pure business...
..If the ROI is not working out pull the envelope (existing show) and put the ads in a new shinier one (new show).
..ROI calculation for a show looks at all input costs and income generated from ads.
This is where I think the problem for SP is...
...Its input costs for SC are already high because of SLB brand name fees, lavish sets, foreign schedules (Dubai), lavish costumes, unique and new costumes in most episodes etc. ...
coz its a chain...
...the producers like SLB are also there to make money right?...why else would Bansali Productions make a serial...
... so Bhansali productions produces the serial, adds its profit margins to its production costs (sets, location charges, equipment, cast salaries etc. etc.) and sell the serial (content & distribution rights) to SP...
... Bhansali Productions selling price of the serial now becomes an input cost for SP when SP pays Bhansali Productions (buys its distribution rights)..
... SP adds this distribution rights costs to its other costs (marketing, transmission etc.) and looks at income from ads to calculate ROI...
...in a given show slot, the actual show will be 15 - 20 minutes, rest 15 - 10 minutes is entirely when ads are run during the show...
...meaning in 10-15 minutes fixed time per episode, SP has to recover costs of the show's episode (all of the above) + make its own profit margins...
..that's where trps come in...
...low trp means less people are watching...means low ad rates...so why will advertisers pay more when less people are tuning in...means less revenue...means you could now start making real losses per episode...
..you could sustain for some time, but evenutally you close it down if it continues...
...for SP currently income is not going up (coz trps are low) and expenses are already too high. It also can't reduce the expenses because they are embedded in the show (SLB, sets you cannot dismantle since you have already spent).
I think it just doesn't have spare money to spend on other trp boosting activities like interviews, pr, media etc. (all of these also costs big time money)... :-(
..for SP other shows have higher trps and low costs (tacky sets, reuse of costumes, props etc.)..
..so following the investment approach, SP can afford to promote these cash cows and still get a bigger bang for the buck when they do..
..and like it or not...the average indian who drives trps and income like the absolute crap which gets shown in other serials...
I think SP had built a ROI model assuming zooming trps purely on account of the SLB brand name and lavishness...which did not happen..
...the only way out is a faster samud love story track to bosst trps...coz each day it does not add new viewers, the ongoing story becomes more hard to understand for new viewers..limiting new viewers...limiting trps...
yet... doing it too fast dumbs down the narrative or breaks up the story / dumbs it down...
Apologies for bringing the 'harder' money trail aspects into this post...
BUT I consider trp both as my friend and my spoilsport...
Remember earlier spoilers had indicated that saras will go back to dubai and kumud will say she has no feelings for him, then they will start to think, then maybe guman's haveli selling track where saras will come down to help, then they will fall in love...
that was at least 2 months of similar 'will they won't they' story before their confession...which I think would have tested the patience of even loyal fans...coz there was no closure happening of the track...
because trp was my friend...SP & SLB had to junk the entire track...and we got the beautiful moments of last week...much earlier than planned...
next week spoilers indicate that they are closing the haveli track too...remember the haveli corpus was a loss making company or such and guman planned to throw out VC and take possession of the haveli...now miraculously as per the spoiler ..there is a profit...and LN gives back the house papers in public to VC which causes the fight etc. etc...
...we hear gautam saying he is working without break for 77 days and counting... it was observed that his jacket in the birthday epi was the same as what he wore in some party the previous day...which means he has no time to change...
I guess it is because they are quickly reshooting new tracks in real - time ...the canned epis of the previous track are junk...
when trp is my enemy is when SP will have to dumb it down...there is no ESCAPING that if the show has to survive...the current track is of such high caliber that it limits the masses from understadning and enjoying... look at the wonderful dialogue we have on thread like these...it takes the whole group to figure out the nuances / points we missed etc...
...doesn't work for the masses...who drive trps...
...so its a tug-of-war between class and mass...and we will see some ups and downs & logic ki vaat till they get the right mix...
..silver lining is that SLB will not allow trp game to totally hijack his vision...and we can see that...
...GOLDEN lining...I am convinced now...there will be NO MARRIAGE TO OTHERS...SP & SLB will lose the loyal 1.4 trp-wala crowd if he even walks in that direction...so it will be ups and downs for sure...but I guess in the end both our dobas will ride off into the sunset..
What I LIKE is that despite this reboot in a manner of speaking...the treatment is still beautiful and unique...and a large amount of the credit goes to gautam and jennifer who are pulling off such amazing chemistry and scenes maybe literally on the fly...and of course the director who is capturing the scenes and still making them look fresh and unique...
So fingers crossed...and planning to enjoy the ride...
p.s. why do my posts turn out like essays? ...will work on it,,,humor me once again..
.
Hotdogg, I hope you don't mind.
Tum Se Tum Tak
Sampoorna
Jhanak
Shiv Shakti
