Coming weeks to decide the fates of DID, JDJ-6 and Indian Idol Junior

June 1 saw the launch of three of the biggest reality shows in India - Dance India Dance Super Moms, Jhalak Dikhhla Jaa-6 and Indian Idol Junior on Zee TV, Colors and Sony Entertainment Television (SET), respectively.

While Jhalak Dikhhla Jaa continues with its proposition of a celebrity dancing reality show, wherein each contesting pair has one choreographer and one celebrity, DID and Indian Idol are attempting something new this season.

As per TAM data (HSM, C&S, 4+, including LC1 markets) provided by a subscriber, DID Super Moms, that ran for almost 90 minutes on Saturday (9-10.30 pm) rated 3 TVRs and helped the channel grab around 9 gross rating points (GRPs) in the week ended June 1.

Dance India Dance as a property is considered to be the biggest home-grown reality show format in India, the Grand Finale of which has even notched up to 8 TVRs last year (DID Li'l Masters-2). Meanwhile DID Li'l Masters-2 had opened with a 5.8 TVRs and rated 3.5+ TVRs on an average throughout. Such is the popularity and loyalty of the format, ratings of which suffered this time because of intense competition on the slot. However, it still managed to get the highest opening ratings amongst the non-fiction shows running currently, including Star Plus' Dancing Superstars that debuted with a TVR of 2.5 on April 27 but fell down from 2.2 TVR in Week 21 to 1.5 TVR in Week 22. JDJ and Indian Idol opened with 2.4 TVRs and 1.8 TVRs, respectively.

Ajay Bhalwankar, programming head, Zee TV, says, "DID is the biggest dancing property and the opening of DID Super Mom shows people are supporting the talent. I am sure the ratings of the show will improve in times to come."

Colors, meanwhile, aired the JDJ-6 premiere night episode for almost two-and-a-half hours from 9 pm. The show that carries a huge celebrity value and had Ranbir Kapoor as a celebrity guest on the show, contributed around 12 GRPs to the channel's overall collection in Week 22 of TAM. This is JDJ's second season on Colors as the four earlier seasons (2006, 2007, 2009 and 2010) were aired on Sony. The show, judged by Madhuri Dixit, Remo D'Souza and Karan Johar (who are also the judges this year), had launched with 3.1 TVRs on June 16 last year.

Raj Nayak, CEO, Colors feels the launch episode of JDJ could have done better. "We were expecting the show to deliver 3+TVR, but given that there were many launches and also specials on other channels which fragmented the audience, we are happy with the opening episode numbers. We sincerely believe that the second episode onwards, the show will perform much better. JDJ is a show that keeps growing on the audience and gets better with each episode as the quality of dancing also gets better. I would say a big congratulation to our creative and production team who have done a fabulous job in putting together a great show."

Indian Idol has taken up the Saturday-Sunday time slot this time, as compared to Friday-Saturday last year. While the property is a premium singing reality show, it has lost viewership over time. The show, which had adults as contestants last year, launched with 2.1 TVRs on June, 2 in 2012. Considering the content on rival channels and addition of LC1 markets, Sony opened Indian Idol junior with 1.8 TVRs despite getting a unique audience base for 30 minutes as it airs from 8.30-10 pm while the other shows start at 9 pm.

Anita Kotwani, principle partner, client leadership, Mindshare, feels that Indian Idol Junior is in audition stage and will build over time. "There will be traction on viewership as shows like Indian Idol usually unveil some outstanding talent."

Nikhil Madhok, vice-president, marketing, Star Plus believes that right now, it's a wait and watch situation as to which of the four shows will perform the best. Quite positive about India's Dancing Superstars, Madhok says, "The launch episodes of reality shows generally rate more than the other episodes of the seasons. There are times when channels go break less for an hour or air the episode for longer duration which they don't otherwise. We are confident about our show and believe that it is unique and appeals to a broader audience. Once the launch ratings stabilise, we will know which property is doing well."

Adding about the other shows, Kotwani explains, "DID's legacy would have ensured that viewers come in to watch and hence the ratings look good. However, initial reaction after seeing the show is not at par to the other DID offerings. With all shows conflicting on the timings, there is bound to be fragmentation of audiences where there will be an upswing for some and a sliding of viewership for some."

Meanwhile Navin Khemka, senior vice-president, ZenithOptimedia believes that the audience prefers more mature content. "The ratings have clearly shown that the audiences' preference is more towards mature content than kids'. While Jhalak Dikhhla Jaa has a star value attached, DID is a more established property. Indian Idol will take some time to pick up though. The other reason for Indian Idol's lower ratings is that TAM has started reporting about the LC1 markets. While Sony is considered to be a more urban channel and is watched more in metros like Mumbai, Delhi, Zee TV because of its legacy and Colors for its shows like Balika Vadhu are being watched in smaller cities."