Balaji saas-bahu soaps slip on viewership

The reason for low ratings may be the fatigue factor among the audience and the way the market is structured today

For over seven years, Ekta Kapoor's Balaji Telefilms ruled Indian television and the top 10 rating charts with its saas-bahu sagas. However, the production house's grip on the leadership position appears to be weakening now.

Serials like Kyunki Saas Bhi Kabhi Bahu Thi and Kahaani Ghar Ghar Kii on Star Plus, which once delivered ratings in the range of 12, have dropped to almost half of that.

According to TAM Media Research, Kyunki... delivered a television rating of 4 and 3.8 during the week March 2 to March 8, while Kahaani does not even figure in the top 10 ratings list.

It is not only the shows on Star Plus but also Balaji shows across other Hindi general entertainment channels such as Zee TV, Sony Entertainment Television (SET) and 9X that are losing ratings.

For instance, Kasamh Se on Zee TV in early 2007 delivered ratings in the range of 3.8 to 2.8 (January 7-13, 2007). Currently, the ratings are between 2.8 and 2.4. In case of SET, Balaji produces one show, Kuch iss Tarah, which was launched in November-December 2007 and its average rating is 1.

For 9X it produces two soaps "" a weekly Kya Dil Mai Hai and a daily Kahe Na Kahe "" whose ratings haven't touched 1 yet. However, both for SET and 9X, Balaji serials are the top shows for the channels respectively.

"There is certainly a fall from what Balaji did five years back. However, it has a lot to do with the way the market is structured today. The audience is fragmented and if the old shows have slipped in ratings it is because of the fatigue factor. On the other hand, new shows launched (by Balaji) are facing challenges due to the current scenario. No new show from any production house can deliver a rating as high as 8 and 9," said Tarun Mehra, business head, Zee TV.

Meanwhile, other production companies are closing in on Balaji. Zee's Banoo Main Teri Dulhan produced by Shakuntalam Films clocked 4.7-3.7 TVRs during March 2-8 this year while Creative Eye's Ghar Ki Lakshmi Betiyaan and Maayka, both on Zee, delivered TVRs between 3.4-2.9 and 3.5""3.1, respectively. Sphere Origin's Saat Phere's ratings are in the range of 3.7-3.5.

"No doubt Balaji show's ratings are on a decline but one has to give credit that the production house has been able to maintain its leadership position for years," said Dheeraj Kumar, chairman, Creative Eye.

Shyamashis Bhattacharya, the promoter of Shakuntalam Films and producer of Banoo Main Teri Dulhan, said the reason new production houses were able to get high TVRs was their willingness to experiment. "If Balaji reviews its strategy, it will be able to maintain its position," he added.

R Karthik, CEO, Balaji Telefilms, said the company was aware that it was time to revamp its strategy. "Therefore, we concluded with Kasautii Zindagi Kay. Balaji is considering other genres of programming as well such as reality formats, events and so on. As a result, we have Ticket to Bollywood on 9X."

However, he added that with TAM covering 148 cities now, it was no longer possible to record 12 TVRs for a show. "It is not fair to compare the previous ratings with the current ones because of the change in the measurement system. Even with our shows clocking lower ratings than the previous years, we are still able to hold on to our position," Karthik said.

Balaji over the years has churned over 100 shows and currently produces 11 shows in Hindi and four in the South.