SaharaOne: Miles still to go

Although the channel has been tom-tomming the recent success of ‘Woh Rehne Waali Mehlon Ki’, media planners feel the channel has a long way to go still before it creates an impact

General entertainment channel SaharaOne is on a high these days, especially because its show, ‘Woh Rehne Waali Mehlon Ki’, is exhibiting a steady viewership growth.

As per TAM Media Research (C&S, 4+, HSM), on August 30, the channel reached an all-time high TVR of 3.39. The corresponding TVR for female viewers was higher still at 4.33.

These high TVR numbers have even helped the channel beat its closest rival, Zee. During the time slot (9-9.30pm), SaharaOne managed an average channel share of 22.2 per cent in the week starting August 28. It wasn’t too far behind the number two general entertainment channel, Sony, which got a share of 22.7 per cent. The market leader, STAR Plus, however, continued to be way ahead with a channel share of 48.1 per cent.

There is no doubt that the daily soap, ‘Woh Rehne Waali…’, has given a much-needed and long-awaited boost to the channel. But does this indicate that SaharaOne could now be a close contender for third position among the general entertainment channels, a slot now occupied by Zee?

Kajal Malik, regional director, Optimum Media Solutions (OMS), says, “This is certainly a healthy trend for SaharaOne, but one has to wait and watch whether it becomes a one-programme wonder or has the capacity to spruce up the entire channel.”

She adds, “Till date, the channel has been banking mainly on celebrities such as Karisma Kapoor, Sridevi, Raveena Tandon or even Hema Malini. However, all these initiatives have failed to yield any positive results. But with ‘Woh Rehne Waali…’, the channel seems to betting on strong content, which is again a positive sign.”

Debraj Tripathy, general manager, Maxus, Delhi, feels the channel still has a long way to go before it can pose strong competition to Zee. He says, “As a channel, SaharaOne has definitely shown some improvement, but it still has a long distance to cover to reach the number three slot among the general entertainment channels.”

“Doing well in a particular time slot does not ensure success for the entire channel,” he adds.

Tripathy offers a piece of advice. He says that for the channel to do well, it needs to further strengthen its programming and broaden its focus across all markets.

However, there is a section of media planners which feels that if the show continues to deliver high TVR numbers, it will increase the interest of the advertisers in the channel.

As Anita Nayyar, managing director, north, Starcom India, says, “If the show manages to keep a high TVR rating for a few more weeks, one can say that SaharaOne has finally got a driver show.”

She adds, “But as advertisers prefer a package instead of one particular show, we would like to club with the new show, ‘Kohinoor’. The show is being promoted very aggressively, which is not a common trend at SaharaOne.”

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