Media planners bet on KBC2’s enduring magic

That the second edition of Kaun Banega Crorepati garnered a TVR of 19.8 on the opening day was not a surprise for many.

Reason? Media planners had always expressed their faith on the success of this show. As Basabdutta Chowdhuri, COO, Madison Media Plus, says, “From the very beginning, we were expecting a good double digit TVR for KBC2.”

Even the Tamil version of the show on Vijay TV managed TVRs of 4.1 and 7.6 on the first (August 5) and second day (August 6), respectively (C&S, 4+, SEC ABC).

Media planners, in the same breath, point out that it will not be possible for the show to consistently retain such high TVRs. According to them, in the coming weeks, the viewership of the show may go down. But even then, the show will stabilise at a point, which will be well beyond the reach of many popular shows on other general entertainment channels.

Chowdhuri of Madison Media Plus says, “The show certainly has the support of a very strong content. For the first one month, I expect the television ratings to be in the range of 12 and 15, which is still very high as per normal weekend standards.”

She feels the television ratings of KBC2 can gain further momentum, when more participants start wining big prize monies.

Concurs Anita Nayyar, managing director - North, Starcom India. She says, “The first edition of KBC, as we all know, was a huge success. With the increasing charisma of Amitabh Bachchan, we are sure about the success of KBC2 as well. However, it's certain that eventually, the ratings will come down from the point it achieved on the opening day. However, it will stabilize at around 10-12 TVR, or even more. Getting high TVRs in the opening week and then stabilizing at a slightly lower TVR is a common trend as we have seen it happening with even Kyunkis and Kahanis.”

She explains, “In addition, there has been a great change in the viewership trends, since the time KBC was launched in 2000. Fragmentation among the viewers has happened as there are too many options for viewers now. This is also why the channel is making great efforts to maintain the interest level by bringing in star guests and other surprises.”

Sandeep Tarkas, chief executive, Media Direction, says, “It is certainly a great start. But the ratings are likely go down. There was euphoria around the show, when it was launched last time in 2000. This time, the format of the show is known, and the element of surprise is missing. Except for the look and feel of the anchor – which is different from the last KBC – nothing much has changed in the show.”

“The channel, I guess, will have to bring in celebrities as guests and also have more special episodes to sustain high ratings,” he adds.

Meanwhile, the show has reached a few more landmarks. Around 21.5 million viewers from all cross sections of India had tuned in for the debut show. The show also saw a rise in male, youth, and kids viewers, who are not very regular television viewers.

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