Where’s Our Oprah?

Star Plus used the same tactic to climb to the top slot in 2000 when it brought Amitabh Bachchan to the small screen to host India’s first game show Kaun Banega Crorepati (KBC). A big star on the small screen was a compelling combination and the rest is history.

KBC’s viewers were tactically shepherded to new shows such as Kyunki Saas Bhi Kabhi Bahu Thi and Kahani Ghar Ghar Ki. These shows dominated Indian prime-time for more than seven years as no rival show could quash their first-mover advantage. Colors also tapped Bollywood magic when it entered an already crowded market of 11 players in 2008. Its flagship show Khatron Ke Khiladi (KKK) had actor Akshay Kumar as its host and it also snapped up the reality show on TV,Bigg Boss,from rival Sony Entertainment Television (SET),and launched it with Shilpa Shetty as its host. While the channel executives argue that its shows such as Balika Vadhu had a large viewership,they agree that it was thanks to KKK and Bigg Boss.

The channel has since been consistent in using star power to consolidate its viewership share. While film stars keep appearing in its various soaps and dramas,KKK and Bigg Boss have become annual properties hosted by top actors. The recently concluded third season of KKK,for instance,was hosted by Priyanka Chopra whereas Bigg Boss,currently on air,has Salman Khan as its host.

Likewise,when Sony Entertainment Television,the channel that was once among the top three players in the Hindi entertainment genre,decided to make a bid again for its lost territory,it took a safe bet on Bachchan and bought the rights to KBC 4. The show is currently on and the channel’s business head Ajit Thakur says: “Amitabh Bachchan is a sure-shot bet. We have got a superb response from viewers.”

Indian television has more than four decades’ history behind it. It was in the Eighties that Doordarshan beamed programmes such as Hum Log and Ramayan that caught the nation’s fancy. Two decades ago,cable and satellite television entered people’s living rooms and has since put out a non-stop show of family dramas and soaps. But the industry doesn’t have its own pin-ups yet who can lead battles for viewership or woo advertisers. “Let’s admit it: Bollywood sells,” says Thakur.

In markets such as the US,the TV industry has its own stars,some of whom,such as Oprah Winfrey or Jerry Seinfeld,are bigger than their big screen counterparts. Indian channels,despite their huge success with family dramas and soaps,do not have heroes yet.

Industry players argue that is because the viewership in India is extremely diverse and it has got further segmented because of an unusually large number of players. “In such a scenario,having content and heroes with mass appeal is a daunting task,” says Thakur. Bollywood with its mass appeal,therefore,becomes a safe bet.

Bollywood stars,meanwhile,aren’t complaining. The small screen has not only given them a powerful platform to reach out to their fans but has also presented a rewarding professional opportunity. While smaller actors get paid anywhere between Rs 30 lakh and Rs 50 lakh,big stars such as Amitabh Bachchan and Salman Khan,according to people from the broadcast industry,take home around Rs 2 crore per episode. That’s no mean amount given that every reality show has 13 to 15 episodes.