STAR Plus hits jackpot with Kahin To Hoga

STAR Plus has been always known for its 3 Ks – Kyunki..., Kahani... and Kasauti... The success of Kahin To Hoga has added the fourth K in the STAR crown.

Kahin To Hoga was launched in September 2003 and since then, it has been successful in garnering a substantial viewership. Between January and November 2004, the channel got an average TVR of 8.8 in the last 48 weeks (TAM Media Research, CS 4+, Hindi speaking markets).

During the same period and viewership-base, Kyunki... got an average TVR of 15.1, while Kasauti... and Kahani... got an average TVR of 14.1 and 13.8, respectively.

LS Krishnan of BroadMind, a division of Group M, says, "Getting a TVR of 8 at 11 pm is no mean achievement. It actually indicates a better viewership as the overall viewership during this time slot goes down as compared to the 9 pm slot.”

Ajay Vidyasagar, senior vice-president, content and communication, STAR India, says, "Even some of the best shows on competing channels do not get such high TVRs. Had Kahin To Hoga been on any other channel, it could have easily been the driver show for the channel.”

According to Krishnan, unlike other channels, where viewership is driven by particular serials, STAR Plus pushes its own shows. As a result, there is a greater opportunity of sampling, compared to other channels.”

Concurs Kajal Thakur, director, OMS. She says, "The success of Kahin To Hoga is also contributed by STAR Plus' charisma. It's a high-reach platform and a new show is aggressively promoted to draw viewership.”

But not every one is appreciative about the performance of Kahin To Hoga. A media planner points out that the performance of the show is linked to the fact that it doesn't have any competition in the 11 pm time slot. Shailja Kejriwal, creative director, STAR Plus, has an answer to this. She says, "Our detractors have passed similar comments about shows such as Kyunki... and Kahani... But in spite of rival channels introducing new shows in these time slots, STAR Plus has maintained a consistent viewership.”

While a major chunk of Kyunki's viewership comprises older women audience, Kahani... caters to middle aged women. But unlike Kahani... and Kyunki..., Kahin To Hoga has a higher viewership among young women in the age group of 15-24. On the basis of TAM figures, the channel claims that the serial has an average TVR of 13 (C&S females, 15-24 years, January-November, Hindi speaking markets) which is the highest across all age groups.

Kejriwal explains, "Kahin to Hoga is a typical Mills & Boon love story with a bolder concept than Kahani... and Kyunki... which catches the fancy of young women and girls.”

Another factor that has contributed to high viewership among young women is the popular Rajeev Khandelwal, who plays the male lead, Sujal. The channel dubs him as the 'Shahrukh Khan of small screen'. Despite Khandelwal's popularity, the channel categorically states actors are dispensable commodities. Kejriwal says, "Even in the past we have had lead characters moving out of the show. But that hasn't really affected the viewership of any of our shows. The same holds true for Rajeev.” It is rumoured that Khandelwal is due to exit the serial.

A Mumbai-based media planner says, "If the channel is able to replace Khandelwal with an actor of equal prowess, or there is a twist in storyline, the viewership will be least affected. But if the channel fails to do so, the situation might turn out to be very different.”

Thakur of OMS says, "Going by the reputation of STAR Plus and Balaji, they will not only find out the right guy but also promote him so aggressively that the viewers will not miss him.”

What's worth noting is the show is rather popular among the male audience, especially in the age group of 45+. The average TVR in this age group is around 8.9 in the Hindi speaking markets. The average TVR in the 25-34 age group is also as high as 8 in the Hindi speaking markets. Vidyasagar says, "This is probably why we have a few male products being advertised, apart from consumer durables.”

He explains, "Consumer durables is a product category which is no more influenced by only the purchasing decision of male consumers. Today, women consumers have a equal voice in choosing the brand. This might have influenced media planners.”

© 2004 agencyfaqs!