Sony claims leadership in early evening slot

General entertainment channel Sony Entertainment Television is claiming its leadership in the 8-8.30 pm time slot. The number two channel has apparently struck the bull's eye with its recently launched love story 'Kaisa Ye Pyar Hain' (KYPH).

As per TAM Media Research (C&S, 4+, Hindi Speaking markets, SEC A-E), in week 19 of 2005, (May 1- May 7), Sony's KYPH has received an average TVR of 3.2, while 'Dekho Magar Pyar Se' on STAR Plus received an average TVR of 2.7, and 'Tumhari Disha' on ZEE got an average TVR of 1.48.

In this week, the highest TVR attained by KYPH was 3.44 on May 2, while 'Dekho Magar Pyar Se' managed the highest TVR of 3.04 on May 3. The highest TVR for 'Tumhari Disha' on ZEE was 1.62 on May 3.

Tushar Shah, vice-president, marketing, Sony Entertainment Television, says, “When we launched KYPH at the 8 pm slot, a few people from the industry were slightly hesitant about its performance as the show was scheduled too early in the evening. On the contrary, we were confident that the 8-8.30 pm time slot had the potential, even if it was considered a difficult time slot. Now, we are glad that our experimentation has paid-off.”

He adds, “Although the battle for the prime time slot continues, one also needs to experiment with other slots – so as to extend the prime time.”

So what has made KYPH score over others in week 19? Incidentally, it was the 'spikes' introduced in the show, which helped it garner more viewership. It was in this week, when the lead character Kripa had a makeover done by Manish Malhotra.

A star-studded concert was also part of the storyline, which saw the participation of Indian Idol participant, Amit Sana and playback singer Madhushree aka Sujata Bhattacharya, who has sung for movies such as 'Yuva' and 'Swadesh'.

Popular television actress Sangita Ghosh of 'Desh Mein Nikla Hoga Chand' fame also performed an item number at the concert. With such variations in the programme, it was bound to garner viewership.

Shah says, “We will continue to introduce several such variations, and twists and turns in the storyline to maintain the interest level in the show. It will be like serving the same pizza with different toppings.” “We are also promoting it very aggressively to build the show as a big property,” he added.

When agencyfaqs! spoke to a few media planners about Sony taking a lead in this time slot, they were of the opinion that it was too early to indicate a trend. As Gopinath Menon, head - media, TBWA India, says, “Generally, one needs to look at the TVRs for 8-10 weeks to indicate a trend. Getting past the competitor in one week hardly makes a difference.” © 2005 agencyfaqs!