Kkk3 opens better than earlier seasons

The launch episode of Fear Factor Khatron Ke Khiladi Season 3 (Kkk3) on September 6 got a 47 per cent higher TV ratings than the first episode of the show in the previous season.

According to TAM Mid-week data, the launch episode of Kkk3 got a rating of 6.9 against a TVR of 4.7 in the last season. The data represents ratings in the Hindi-speaking market of the three metros — Delhi, Mumbai and Kolkata.

Priyanka Chopra is hosting the show in the current season, while Akshay Kumar had hosted the previous two seasons of the show. TAM Mid-week data also showed the average time spent on watching the show went up to 29 minutes from 27 minutes in the last season. The launch episode in the first season of the show had received a TVR of 2.05, which shows the show had gradually gained more ratings. TVR represents the percentage share of the population that viewed a programme for a stipulated time period.

Good ratings for Kkk3 are important, as it’s the first amongst three other big-budget celebrity shows being aired in October. Approximately Rs 350 crore of advertisers’ money is riding on these four shows. While Colors will have the fourth season of another celebrity reality show, Bigg Boss, hosted by Salman Khan, Sony will have Kaun Banega Crorepati, hosted by Amitabh Bachchan. STAR Plus has also lined up MasterChef India to be hosted by Akshay Kumar in October.

Garnier Men Deodorant is the presenting sponsor of Kkk3. The channel has roped in eight associate sponsors, including Micromax mobile, CEAT, Mahindra Scorpio, Tic Tac, Vodafone, Sony Bravia, Streax and TVS Star City. While presenting sponsors pay between Rs 10-15 crore for celebrity-driven reality shows, associate sponsors shell out around Rs 6-7 crore. Colors is expected to rake in around Rs 55 crore from Kkk3.

With celebrity hosts charging huge fees and a single day of shoot costing over Rs 1 crore for the production houses, these big-budget shows come with their share of high cost factor.