KBC6 opens with 6.1 TVR

Nevertheless, even in its latest season, there is an important observation to make. Unlike the opening episode on September 7, the second episode of KBC saw a dip on Saturday (September 8), registering a TVR of 5.3; and this was primarily because the show was contending against DID Dance Ke Superkids and Jhalak Dikhla Ja.

Kaun Banega Crorepati's desire to celebrate the power of knowledge through the extended weekend on Sony seems to have paid off well, at least in its opening week.

According to the TAM data provided by various media agencies, the Indian version of the Amitabh Bachchan-helmed Who Wants To Be A Millionaire, now in its sixth season, opened with 6.1 TVRs on Friday, September 7 (C&S 4+, HSM). Now, compare it to the opening score of its previous season, when the ratings stood at 5.24 TVR.

The sixth season score is, however, not the highest opening for the show on Sony. In 2010, when Sony had decided to serve the Indy-tadka of the international format on the MSM platter and simultaneously mark the return of Bachchan on the hot seat, the opening episode of the property had scored 6.2 TVRs. It is, but, important to note here that unlike the latest edition, KBC4 (the first season of KBC on Sony) was a weekly that ran only for one hour on the channel. The latest season, meanwhile, occupies the 8.30-10 pm band from Friday through Sunday.

Nevertheless, even in its latest season, there is an important observation to make. Unlike the opening episode on September 7, the second episode of KBC saw a dip on Saturday (September 8), registering a TVR of 5.3; and this was primarily because the show was contending against DID Dance Ke Superkids (4.1 TVR on Saturday, September 8, 9-10.30 pm) and Jhalak Dikhla Ja (3.5 TVR on Saturday, September 8, 9-10.30 pm).

For the record, KBC, first aired in 2000 to deliver an opening TVR of 11.13 on Star Plus, averaged at 14.38 TVR. This was host Amitabh Bachchan's first appearance on Indian television.

In August 2005, the show returned after a four-year hiatus, and was renamed Kaun Banega Crorepati Dwitiya (or KBC2), in which the final prize amount was doubled to Rs 2 crore. The show had an even bigger opening than the first -- debuting with 18.52 TVR.

STAR roped in Shah Rukh Khan to host the third season of the show that launched in January 2007. Khan was at the peak of his career then and was considered an ideal replacement for Amitabh Bachchan as the host of the show. But, all the hysteria receded soon after it failed to receive good reviews from audiences. The show opened with a rating of 11.26 TVR, and averaged at 5.86 TVR.