Advertisers take a reality check on viewership over KBC, Big Boss

As marketers take stock of audience engagement and reach on prime time television, two reality shows are pointing them in two very different directions

As the year draws to a close and advertisers reassess the impact of television vs digital and reality television vs fiction, the fate of two reality shows, Kaun Banega Crorepati and Bigg Boss at the ratings table are sending out mixed signals. The runaway success of the nine-seasons-old Kaun Banega Crorepati (KBC) that was in the top five most viewed programmes all through the months it aired, convinced many that reality shows had not lost their hold over the audience. However, the subsequent relatively tepid performance of Bigg Boss (eleventh season) thus far, is painting a different picture.

A month