There’s war on the dance floor

The dance floor has become a war zone on television these days.

Dance shows ‘Nach Baliye 2’ (on STAR One) and ‘Jhalak Dikhla Ja’ (on Sony) were rolled out with much fanfare some time ago. But if one goes by the opening TVRs provided by TAM, then one of them is perhaps missing a step or two.

STAR One’s ‘Nach Baliye 2’ (‘NB2’) got a grand opening as compared to ‘Jhalak Dikhla Ja’ (JDJ), even though it aired about three weeks later. The opening TVR garnered by ‘JDJ’ was 2.86, while ‘NB2’ got a rating of 4.86. The highest TVR that ‘JDJ’ managed was 2.95 in its second week, while ‘NB2’ got its highest TVR on the opening day itself. The performance round of ‘JDJ’ airs every Thursday at 10pm, while that of ‘NB2’ airs at 8.30pm on Mondays. Both shows have a ‘voting special’ series; ‘NB2’ has a ‘reality series’ as well.

Apparently, the concept of a celebrity paired with a choreographer as seen in ‘JDJ’ is not impressing the viewers as much as was hoped. Anita Nayyar, managing director, North India and Pakistan, Starcom, feels strongly that the absence of an emotional connect could be pulling the TVRs down for ‘JDJ’. “The pairs in ‘Nach Baliye’ are real life couples and it is far more interesting for viewers to watch their chemistry unfold on screen, unlike in ‘Jhalak Dikhla Ja’, where the pairs are created,” she asserts.

The popularity quotient of the celebrities is also far higher in ‘NB2’ than in ‘JDJ’. “The known faces on ‘NB2’ outshine those in ‘JDJ’, where celebrities belong to various fields, but fail to ignite a sense of bonding in the viewers,” Nayyar adds.

According to media planners, STAR One, which initiated the celebrity dance show concept, has carved itself the image of the ‘original’ programme and, therefore, enjoys higher acceptance with the viewers. From the format of ‘NB2’ to the charisma of the judges, everything seems to be in its favour.

Kajal Malik, regional director, OMS, is of the opinion that what perhaps poses as roadblocks in the success of ‘JDJ’ are the not-so-relatable themes it comes up with in each episode. “For instance,” she says, “salsa as a theme is not very popular among the Indian masses, whereas a comic or folk theme is, and that is practised by ‘NB2’.”

However, other media planners such as Hiren Pandit, general manager, MindShare, say they would like to wait and watch. “The fun at ‘JDJ’ is yet to begin,” he says, implying that as the show progresses, it will prove to be more interesting. Though he agrees that it hasn’t got the initial response unlike ‘NB2’, he would rather not write it off just yet.

For the record, ‘Jhalak Dikhla Ja’ is an adaptation of a format owned by the BBC called ‘Dancing with the Stars’.

© 2006 agencyfaqs!