Hi friends,
When I was quitting my tv shows, there were enough of detractors laughing at me. But after 'Aamir' worked, they were silenced.—RAJEEV KHANDELWAL'
Urvashi Dholakia on the sets of 'Sach Ka Saamna' |
| Star India bets big on Sach Ka Saamna |
| ASHISH SINHA / New Delhi July 21, 2009, 0:44 IST |
With
at least 50 episodes planned for the first season of reality show Sach
Ka Saamna, the recently launched reality show on Star Plus, Star TV
India is hoping to regain its number-one position among the 12 to 13
Hindi general entertainment channels (GECs). This is because the
average show ratings of its first three episodes (telecast so far) have
made it the second most watched show on the late night time band among
the Hindi GECs, says aMap, an overnight ratings agency that tracks
viewership ratings.The average ratings for Sach Ka Saamna in the 10:30 p m to 11 p m timeband for the three episodes stood at 3.1, higher than the corresponding show on Colors but marginally lower to Zee TV, says the aMap data. The TAM data for the last week is awaited.
Sensing the initial buzz around the show, the broadcaster is said to have delayed launching some of the other reality shows for some time so as to focus on Sach Ka Saamna, say company insiders.
Sach Ka Saamna is also crucial for the fortunes of Star Plus because based on the weekly gross ratings, the channel has been dislodged from its leadership position among the Hindi GECs for three weeks in a row, a first for the broadcaster in almost a decade. Coupled with that, Star India's financial performance for 2008-09 may have also slipped by 8-10 per cent on the advertising revenue side, as an outcome of overall slowdown and intense competition from rival channels like Colors and Zee TV, say industry experts.
"The success of Sach Ka Saamna is crucial for Star India's overall performance, else it will continue to witness an errosion in its weekly ratings amidst the intense competition from rivals like Colors and Zee TV," says an industry expert. Both Colors and Zee TV have been at the top position in the Hindi GECs in the last three weeks, while Star Plus has been at number three and number two position, according to gross ratings data provided by TAM Media, the TV ratings agency.
Commenting on the response the show has generated, Uday Shankar, CEO, Star India said, "Like any new show, we want Sach Ka Saamna to do well. It is an experimental show and it is doing well. We have sold out the airtime on it already." Sach Ka Saamna has got six sponsors including Nokia and Sprite.
However, big advertisers and media planners have adopted a wait-and-watch policy before looking at buying airtime on the show. "It is indeed a bold show for the Indian sensibilities. While spot buys should not be a problem for the advertisers, I have my doubts if large advertisers will look at a sponsorship association with the show," says Santosh Desai, CEO, Future Brands and an expert on advertising, branding issues. Echoes Anita Nayyar, CEO, Havas Media, a large media buying agency, "Spot buys are a function of the reach and popularity of a TV show. But it is a bold show and can attract large viewership for its bold content."
The show based on the quiz format has been controversial in most of the 23 countries in which it has been telecasted. In the show, the contestents are asked 21 varied questions about their personal and professional life. The correct answers are determined by the results of a polygraph test done on the contestants before the show is filmed.
The prize money for correctly answering all the 21 questions is Rs 1 crore. However, in the entire history of the show being aired in 23 countries, no contestnant has won the prize money anywhere.
http://www.business-standard.com/india/news/star-india-bets-bigsach-ka-saamna/364472/
Rajiv and Kambli on the sets of the reality show |
Rajeev Khandelwal is back on television with a bang. He is hosting one of the biggest shows ever on television, 'Sach Ka Saamna'.
The actor initially was not too keen on accepting the offer but discloses that it were the clippings of the original show ('Sach Ka Saamna' is an adaption of an international acclaimed show called 'Moment of Truth') that prompted him to sign on the dotted line.
He had earlier hosted a few episodes of another game show 'Deal Ya No Deal', on Sony which apparently wasn't critically up to the mark. Surprisingly the host is a shy conservationist and it needs persuasive skills to draw him out. The reticent actor talks about his alleged affair with Aamna Shariff, his current love interest and his new avatar (host).
Excerpts:
You never really accepted the truth about your alleged link-up with a popular television actress?
I
never denied anything as there was actually nothing then. I am man
enough to accept and admit my relationship. You must have read recent
reports where I have accepted my relationship.
What prompted you to host this show?
The
concept of the show charmed me and thus I accepted it. Like any other
ambitious guy I would not like to miss anything challenging, exciting
and unusual. I want to make sure that when I look back at my work I
should be proud of my achievements. I want to do shows which are not
just run-of-the-mill kinds.
I wasn't ready to host this show till I
became aware of the concept. Babu (Siddharth Basu) has called me up and
offered me to host a show. My immediate reaction was that I have the
time to do the show. I saw the DVD of the international show and told
myself that if ever I have to host any show then it has to be this. I
feel so proud to be a part of this show.
Were there any contractual limitations from your film producers?
Yes,
there were certain initial hiccups. They didn't want the look of my
second film 'Peter Gaya Kaam Se' to come out. I just requested them to
watch the series of the DVD that Babu has given me. After watching the
CD they gave me the go-ahead to do the show. The look though in the
movie is completely different. Here I am trying to push my locks back
with the help of gel to look decent and composed. Whereas, in the movie
its all the more wild.
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A still from Sach Ka Saamna More Pics |
Now, Shivraj Singh Chouhan opposes 'Sach Ka Saamna' |
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| 2009-07-26 20:31:00 | |||
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