Rakhi's Swayamvar tops ratings

The show contributed to the overall ratings of NDTV Imagine by at least 20-25 per cent.

 

The final episode of the reality show Rakhi ka Swayamvar on NDTV Imagine attracted the highest television rating (TVR) of 6.3 from among the final episodes of over a dozen reality shows that went on air in 2009, says the latest viewership data provided by overnight television ratings agency aMap.

 

In the final episode of the 27-part reality show aired on August 2, Bollywood actress Rakhi Sawant got engaged to a Canadian citizen of Indian origin, Elesh Parujanwala, from among 16 suitors. The show contributed to the overall ratings of NDTV Imagine by at least 20-25 per cent, say sources in the media agencies.

 

According to aMap data, the final episode that ran for over two-and-half-hours got a TVR of 6.3, the highest for the show and the highest for the finals of any of the reality shows in this year. The closest to it was a TVR of 6.1 for the final episode of the singing reality show, Saregama 2009, aired on January 24, and the finals of ‘Dance India Dance’ (TVR 6.1), also on Zee TV.

 

Also, the average time spent by viewers on the Rakhi final stood at an all-time high of 59 minutes, says the aMap data. However, the data from TAM Media, the TV ratings agency whose numbers are used by both TV channels and media agencies, is awaited for the latest week.

 

According to NDTV Imagine, Rakhi ka Swayamvar had opened with a TVR of 4.1 (provided by TAM Media), the highest for any reality series aired in the past 15-months.

 

The ratings of Hindi entertainment channels are mapped from viewership patterns of cable homes and from viewers who are more than four years of age, considered the target demographics for the Hindi general entertainment channel, say media agencies.

 

"We are more than satisfied with the show. It has met the objectives with which we had launched it on June 29. It has created a lot of positive buzz for NDTV Imagine and also got high viewership and reach — a key for any Hindi entertainment channel," says Shailja Kejriwal, executive VP, Content, of NDTV Imagine.

 

According to sources in the media agencies, because of Rakhi ka Swayamvar, NDTV Imagine has managed to break the clutter for advertisers. "We are actively looking at future opportunities to buy air-time on Imagine, provided it continues to create buzz for the masses," says a Delhi-based senior media planner who buys air-time on Hindi entertainment channels for several categories like bikes, durables and pacakged food categories.

 

However, during the course of the telecast of Rakhi ka Swayamvar (from June 29 to August 2), several other recently launched reality shows have slipped on ratings, say the numbers provided by aMap. The much-talked of quiz-based reality show, Sach ka Saamna, on STAR Plus, has witnessed a steady decline in its ratings, from as high as 4 TVR in some of the early episodes to around 2.2-2.4 in the last few episodes aired till July 31, says aMap. Similarly, the ratings numbers of Is Jungle Se Mujhe Bachao, currently being aired on Sony TV, have also declined to a TVR of 1, compared to the initial rating of around 2, shows the aMap data.