Channel [V]’s recent relaunch in India was notable for more than just its new strapline, ‘Bloody cool’. The channel has decided to scale back on music and ramp up its reality show content. Viewers can look forward to the likes of [V] Exhausted, [V] Dare to Date, [V] Kidnap and Campus Blog, as the Star TV-owned station looks to cash in on India’s hottest TV trend.
Reality TV has taken India by storm. Channel V is not the only channel interested in it; media firm Miditech is going one step further and will launch Real Television Network - as the name suggests, its focus will be reality shows.
The format can change the fortunes of an existing channel or make the name of a new entrant. Colours was launched last year with two hit reality shows, and is now the most popular general entertainment channel in India in terms of viewer ratings.
Ashish Bhasin, CEO of Carat Southeast Asia, believes these shows tap into a “voyeuristic tendency” in Indian culture. “The debate now is whether they have gone too far.”
Bhasin is referring to shows like Sach Ka Saamna, where contestants have had to discuss subjects like extramarital affairs and premarital sex. Talking about taboo subjects seems to have helped the ratings of the show, which debuted on Star India in July. Star India’s television rating points (TRP) score for this slot has increased from 0.4 to 4.3 since its launch.
High TRPs translate into increased ad dollars for channels. Rohit Gupta, president of network sales at Sony Entertainment Channel, says: “It’s a win-win from everyone’s perspective. For broadcasters the high ratings are good. For brands there are good opportunities to integrate in the show. Brands are ready to pay a premium for advertising in these shows.”
According to Gupta, spot advertising in reality shows could cost 30 to 40 per cent more than routine shows. Reports in India suggest that a 10-second spot for a reality show costs US$2,400 to $2,700, almost double that of the cost of spots during soap operas ($1,200 to $1,400 for the same duration spot).
He also thinks that brands can be integrated well in the format if done intelligently. Indian telco Airtel, he says, set up an ‘express yourself booth’ within Indian Idol.
“Reality shows in India have utilised product placement and product integration very well,” agrees Hans Mathew, partner of client leadership at Mindshare. “Unlike in the West, Indian laws support this kind of integration.”
Telcos, such as Ideas and Airtel, and auto brands have been especially active in this space. Bajaj Auto is sponsoring Bajaj Stunt Mania, a biking stunt reality show on MTV. TVS Motors has been sponsoring a music-related reality series Antakshari on Zee TV. Hindustan Motors launched The Great Driving Challenge.
But as the content of reality TV series becomes more extreme, the natural fit with brands may decline. Bhasin says that the unscripted and unpredictable nature of reality programmes can discourage brands. “Brands have to be careful in entering this space as a negative in-programme association can throw things out of control.”
Santosh Desai, CEO of Future Brands, agrees. “Involvement could turn negative if things take an unexpected turn,” he says. “Only brands that are intrinisic to a certain format should get into a show - for instance, Mountain Dew might work well for an endurance type show.”
The other danger is overkill. One source points out that Star’s reality content has increased almost fourfold in recent months. “From contributing 10 per cent of general entertainment channels’ total programming, reality formats are now contributing about 25 to 30 per cent,” he says.
So will Channel [V] benefit from its strategy of using reality as a comeback vehicle. It plans to devote 60 per cent of its airtime to reality formats. But Mathew argues that reality shows by themselves will not guarantee viewers. “Channel [V] is trying to counter MTV, which has launched a large number of shows this year and has been doing consistently well in the genre,” he says. “The question for Channel [V] is whether it can come up with something hot and spicy like MTV and do it consistently.”
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This article was originally published in 27 August 2009 issue of Media.
