Star power loses punch

To illustrate his point further,Anupam cites Aap Ki Kacheri and Sach Ka Samna as examples of good content leading over celebrity. “Both were hardcore reality shows with new characters,new stories and episodic drama that were extremely relatable. They didn’t depend on celebrities to sustain the viewer’s interest,” he explains. According to a serial marketing professional from Sony,a few years ago there was less concern about ratings because of fewer channels and shows. “Today not only there are more channels but several celebrity shows and multiple options,” he adds. In his view,celebrities create initial buzz. “It works more like celebrity endorsement. They create a high level of interest,which is reflected in initial numbers,” he defends.

Nikhil Madhok,Imagine’s head of marketing and communication,is also of the view that primarily it’s not the celebrity but the format that decides success and failure. “Take Bingo for instance. The format seems to have let down the host and viewers,” he points out. Nikhil further observes that the days of high ratings and celebrities ensuring success are gone. A few years ago,celebrity shows were a big draw because of the novelty factor. “Today they are all over the place,screaming and shouting for attention,” he says,adding,“Today a TVR of 3 is good enough while 1.5 is average.”

However,Ashish Golwalkar,Zee’s head of non-fiction,has a different view. He elaborates,“Celebrities add value to a show but their star appeal works only if it fits well into the show’s theme. We could have taken any big star for Dance India Dance but we opted for Mithun (Chakraborty) because he is perceived to be Hindi cinema’s first true dancing star.” He further says that stars don’t do shows on the basis of theme and content. “They only lend their celebrity status but channels need to use them prudently,” he cautions.

In Anupam’s opinion it’s wrong to look at celebrity reality shows in isolation. “They provide variety and hence have to be part of every channel’s portfolio. Some shows will work while others may not. Time spent is an issue but they reach out to higher number of viewers. Besides,they help in sampling of other shows,” he defends. Nikhil says celebrity reality shows create buzz and break the clutter. “More than ratings,they are good marketing tools. While celebrities drive reach,the format decides viewership,” he adds.

That probably explains why channels continue to be bullish on celebrity shows. Though their number has come down lately,programming and marketing professionals are optimistic about their performance,given their reach which is almost on par with fiction. It is anybody’s guess whether ratings will improve since viewers tend to spend less time on reality TV as compared to fiction,but celebrity reality shows are here to stay. Coming weeks will see the launch of Zara Nachke Dikha on Star Plus and Desi Girl on Imagine.

Anupam is confident about Zara Nachke Dikha creating bigger impact. “It’s not about celebrities alone but a gender war. The concept is exciting and this time it’s being done on a bigger scale,” he claims. Nikhil too is optimistic about Desi Girl standing out in the clutter. “It’s first of its kind show set in a village with eight city girls living like villagers and adapting to a completely different and unfamiliar environment,” he says.