9-months-old Colors dethrones STAR Plus – the king for 9 years

Within nine months of its launch, Colors has raced 25 GRPs ahead of STAR Plus, which was the No 1 GEC for an unbeaten nine years

Overtaking the long reigning king is no mean feat. Colors, in Week 15 of 2009, has surged ahead of STAR Plus, which has been ruling the general entertainment genre for almost a decade. The channel’s celebration didn’t stop at popping the champagne. The entire team has been partying since last afternoon, commemorating the achievement of this new milestone.

As per TAM’s analysis of Week 15, for C&S, 4+, HSM audiences, Colors raked in 292 GRPs, while STAR Plus garnered 267 – a difference of 25 GRPs. Adding more excitement to the battle, Zee fetched 236 GRPs.

The relative channel shares of Colors and STAR Plus stand at 25 per cent and 22 per cent respectively. STAR Plus’ share in Week 14 was 25 per cent; and it has also lost 40 GRPs compared to last week.

Week 15

In Week 15, Colors aired five movies, some of them with little or no commercial breaks. Singh is Kinng, for instance, was telecast without any commercial breaks. The film, which has made the rounds on other channels as well, fetched a TVR of 2.4 on Colors on Sunday.

Jaane Tu Ya Jaane Na, which was aired for the second time on Colors, got a TVR of 1.3; while Bhoothnath got 1.2. Another movie, Indra The Tiger recorded a TVR of 1. These films were telecast with two to three breaks. On an average, a movie is usually aired with at least six to seven breaks. Colors garnered around 51 GRPs from the movies alone.

Nandini Dias, chief operating officer, Lodestar Universal, says, “A single break or break-free strategy in the long term is not sustainable, while it is a smart strategy. The cost incurred in buying a movie is high, making it imperative to monetize the airing of the movie. While it’s nice for the viewers, does it generate money or is it self-sustainable? I am not sure.”

3 D strategy

For Viacom-18’s GEC, the feat is the result of distinctive programming and some great marketing noise. A few days before the launch of the channel, Rajesh Kamat, CEO of Colors, had said that the channel aims to figure in the top three, within 12 months of launch.

The channel has focussed on the three Ds – distribution, differentiation and disruption. Kamat had said that after the initial samplings, the channel would go pay in about six months. It went pay early this month.

Colors has done quite a few innovations – roping in Akshay Kumar to host Fear Factor and Shilpa Shetty to anchor Bigg Boss season 2, telecasting a child marriage story on prime-time and having a kids’ laughter reality show.

The climb

Within the second week of launch, Colors was No 3. With a 10 per cent relative channel share, it raced past Sony, which had been in the slot for weeks. For the next few weeks, it contended with Sony for the third rank.

In September last year, it threatened Zee’s position – Colors had a 17 per cent share, while Zee had 18 per cent. In the following weeks, Colors reached and stuck to the No 2 rank.

Since November 2008, the GEC started to inch closer to STAR Plus. Since the beginning of 2009, Colors has been a few GRPs away from or almost at par with STAR Plus, until Week 15 dawned.

Its driver shows -- Balika Vadhu, Jai Shri Krishna and Uttaran -- kept the GRPs coming, despite its big- ticket reality shows going off air. Coming up is the second season of Khatron Ke Khiladi.

About the ratings for the latest week, Lynn de Souza, chairperson and CEO, Lintas Media Group, says, “It was expected of Colors to surge ahead of STAR Plus. It was just a matter of time. It has been a steady climb for the GEC since launch.”

De Souza believes that there won’t be a clear leader in the forthcoming weeks; neither can one ascertain when a leader will emerge. “It will keep fluctuating between STAR Plus and Colors,” she says.

Also, with the IPL and election coverage, viewership is expected to be affected.

Ashivini Yardi, programming head, Colors, although ecstatic with the newfound status, says, “We know that it has just been one week and there are several more to go. We have a lot of plans ahead, foremost of which is to extend our weekend and afternoon slots with new programming.”

Currently, the original hours of programming on Colors, which is 22 hours per week, is less than that on any other GEC.

The Others

In Week 15, Zee has maintained its position at No 3 with 236 GRPs and a 19 per cent relative share. NDTV Imagine is at No 4 with 90 GRPs, followed by Sony with 78 GRPs at No 5. STAR One follows with 60 GRPs, while SAB, with 49 GRPs, is at No 7.

Sahara One has managed to rake in 48 GRPs in Week 15, followed by STAR Utsav and DD1, each of which have 26 GRPs. 9X and Real have recorded 23 and 19 GRPs respectively.

On the list of Top 10 programmes on GECs, Bidaai still rules the roost with 7.4 TVR, followed by another STAR Plus show, Yeh Rishta Kya Kehlata Hai, which has garnered a TVR of 7. Balika Vadhu is at No 3, with a TVR of 6. The viewership of this show, which was once at the top, has been declining over the weeks.

Yardi offers an explanation. “I think we overdid the mourning track in the programme, which might have put the viewers off. But we have planned some drama and surprises in the next few weeks and are sure that the TVRs will pick up,” she states.

The other programmes on the Top 10 list are: Chhoti Bahu, Betiyaan and Dance India Dance on Zee; Jai Shri Krishna, Uttaran and Na Aana Is Des Laado on Colors; and Sab Ki Laadli Bebo on STAR Plus.