Zee TV ousts Star Plus to be No. 2

[VASUDEVA]

MUMBAI: Zee TV has upstaged Star Plus to grab the No. 2 spot, signalling a fluid situation at the top with no fixed leader.

Star Plus, which enjoyed a nine-year reign as the No.1 Hindi general entertainment channel (GEC), has thus conceded ground first to newbie Colors and now to old rival Zee TV.

Riding high on the ratings of the grand finale of its top-rated reality show Dance India Dance (5.5 TVR), which clocked a total of 41 GRPs (gross rating points), Zee managed to surge ahead of Star Plus (240 GRP) with 245 GRPs, according to Tam data for the week ended 30 May.

Star Plus hopes to claw back immediately after the exit of Dance India Dance.

"Leadership is not a weekly game and Star Plus has consistently held the top slot since the last nine years. We have been in the process of refreshing our programming content since the last year with the launch of many new shows. Yeh Rishta and Bidaai on Star Plus are the top shows in the Hindi GEC space and a favourite of the viewers. We will continue to improvise and innovate in this highly competitive industry," says a Star Plus spokesperson.

The results of the weekly ratings battle can be very fickle.What is taking shape is a see-saw battle between Colors, Star Plus and Zee TV.

Admits Zee Entertainment Enterprises Ltd (Zeel) COO national channels and Zee TV business head Nitin Vaidya: "At present there is no clear winner. But we want and will be the number one channel among the GECs. We are on the right track and will be launching new shows very soon. Every show on the channel is different and equal energy is being put into it. We are not a one or two show channel."

As per the latest Tam data for week 22, (HSM, C&S4+), Colors continues to wear the leader's crown for the second consecutive week with 258 GRPs (See table for details).




Meanwhile,Sony Entertainment Television (Set), which completely refurbished its primetime with new shows in the 7-11 pm slot, has pocketed 97 GRPs, up from its previous week's tally of 78 GRPs.

While the second season of 10 Ka Dum opened with a TVR of 2.2, the one-hour talent hunt show Entertainment Ke Liyeh Kuch Bhi Karega (Monday-Friday) aired at 10 pm has captured an average TVR of 1.17.


Says Set India SVP and head of programming Gurdip Bhangoo, "It has been an encouraging week for us and only confirms the fact that we are taking steps in the right direction. Before the new lineup was launched, the 10-11pm slot was garnering nothing more than 0.2 TVRs for us. But now we are seeing a peak TVR of 1.3. Also, the opening of 10 Ka Dum has fared very well, considering the fact that it was up against the grand finale of Dance India Dance."

Not many share Bhangoo's views. "Sony has not been very successful with its fiction shows for quite some time. We will have to wait to know how the new slate fares. It is too early to make any conclusions now," says a media analyst.

Historic costume drama Chittor Ki Rani Padmini Ka Jouhar at 8 pm has, for instance, disappointed with an average TVR of 0.27.

Counters Bhangoo, "Ladies Special has pocketed an average TVR of 0.6 and I am confident that with time the show will pick up quite well as the feedback on the show has been very positive. We are also confident that the others will fare well in due time."

Sony Entertainment Television :

Programme AVG TVR
10 ka dum-2
2.22
Entertainment ke liye kuch bhi
1.17
Bhaskar Bharti
0.86
Dekh India dekh
0.85
Ladies special
0.64
Palampur express
0.45
Chittor Ki Rani Padmini Ka Jouhar
0.27
Another significant development has taken place in the Hindi GEC space. NDTV Imagine has crossed the psychological barrier of 100 GRPs for the first time since its launch on 21 January 2008.

[Jayant]

Some body will hardly watch the shows of 10:00 PM because of T20 World Cup.

[NEPTUNE]

No more star plus.

[NEPTUNE]

From where did you got this news.

[Jayant]

Anyways, thanks for sharing the news.

[mirzarocx]

Star Plus still has a very strong hangover from Ekta kapoor days. You can see it in their programs. They need to do something radical. They will lose badly if they remain stuck in time.