Khatron Ke Khiladi a hit with viewers

Has got the highest television rating of 2 per cent among all serials aired on Colors in the first week of launch.

Akshay Kumar seems to have delivered the goods one more time. While most film stars have summarily flopped on television, his brand new reality show on the brand new general entertainment channel, Colors, has recorded respectable viewership for its first week.

Khatron Ke Khiladi (the Hindi version of popular stunt series Fear Factor) has got the highest television rating of 2 per cent among all the serials aired on Colors in the first week of its launch (Monday-Thursday).

The show, in which Akshay Kumar takes 13 actresses and models through high-voltage stints in South Africa, managed to hook the viewers the most – nearly 20 minutes each day of its telecast – among the seven shows aired between 7 pm and 11 pm on Colors, the general entertainment channel launched by Viacom and Network 18.

According to the latest ratings compiled by overnight ratings agency aMap, Khatron Ke Khiladi got a sustained high ratings of over 1.2 per cent all through the first three days of its telecast and peaked at 2 per cent on Thursday in the cable and satellite homes in the north, west and eastern regions of the country.

“We are encouraged by the initial ratings. Obviously, these are early days and we look forward to the continued good performance of Colors,” Colors CEO Rajesh Kamat said, adding: “Khatron Ke Khiladi was promoted as a channel driver and it has lived up to its expectations.”

The channel’s senior executives said that Colors will be able to corner 9-10 per cent share among the general entertainment channels within the initial few weeks of the launch — a huge achievement for any new channel, said experts.

With Khatron Ke Khiladi becoming a hit with viewers, some advertisers have shown keen interest in the channel.

Colors made its debut with 10 advertisers including Idea Cellular, Paras Pharmaceuticals and Nestle, among others.

It expects to get some more leading advertisers soon.

Still, neither Khatron Ke Khiladi nor any of the recently-launched general entertainment channels have managed to match the ratings of Kaun Banega Crorepati (6-8 per cent) that made its debut with Amitabh Bachchan in early-2000, experts said.

“It’s not fair to compare KBC's launch ratings with any of the shows that are being launched now. If Akshay Kumar is delivering ratings of over 1.2 on a sustained basis and the viewers are spending close to 20 minutes on this show, it's a big achievement for any new channel,” a Delhi-based media planner said.

Some rivals said Colors could see a serious dip in viewership once the current edition of Khatron Ke Khiladi draws to a close. However, it’s not just Akshay Kumar's magic on which Colors has pinned all its hopes. The channel plans to replace Khatron Ke Khiladi with Shipa Shetty's Big Boss, season two.

But will it be wise to replace a show so quickly? “It’s true that we have made our plans for the second phase launch of shows, but will we go in for a season two of Akshay Kumar's show? It’s too early for me to comment," Kamat said.

Meanwhile, Akshay Kumar, Indian cinema’s most bankable actor amongst the current lot, can add another feather to his cap – a successful television anchor. Are Salman Khan, Shah Rukh Khan, Hrithik Roshan and Ajay Devgan listening?