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Prime Time -- Beware! The viewer wields the remote

Will the Indian audience accept whatever is offered to them by the broadcasters? May be it was the case during the 13-episode monopoly of Doordarshan. But in the changing scenario of satellite channels, the viewer is the king and watches only what suits his own taste. Try to force something down and the ensuing TRP will force the closure of the serial faster than its beginning.

Once, serials like Hum Log, Buniyaad and Nukkad were the hot favourites with the Indian audience. However, the scene changed and it was time for stories like Hasratein, Banegi Apni Baat and Parampara. Serials based on extra-marital relationships and corporate wars ruled the roost after the slow-paced family stories of DD era.

Private channels were flooded with them and the audience lapped up whatever was offered to it. But as soon as they realised their power, they wielded it whenever they got the chance to do so. Nothing was too good for them. Specially with the introduction of the huge number of satellite channels in the field, their choices became much wider and they have so much to pick from. Besides Hindi channels, the viewer can switch over to a regional language as well as a viewer specific channel that offers only one genre of entertainment.

Result - the use of better programming and other gimmicks to lure the audience. Now the scene is where one sees Indian programmes coming a full circle. Amaanat, Heena, Aashirwad, Abhimaan - serials based on family and Indian values catch the fancy of the viewers. Even comedies have to have clean family entertainment like Family No. 1 to really touch the urban and also the rural audience.

The bottom line is that unless you can touch the heart of the viewer and can entertain at the same time with a quality product, you will be a looser, a fact that many channels have learnt at a great cost. Channels that focussed on giving English programming to the youth of the country had to change focus and target the family audience in a country where most of the households have only one television set.

With remote in hand, channel surfing is almost a hobby. If it is not viewer-friendly and cannot cater to specific audience of that particular time of the day, the programme will surely be rejected

Unless, the entire family gives the consensus, the programme will be a lost case however good it is.
Then programmes have to be offered as a package deal. With remote in hand, channel surfing is almost a hobby. If it is not viewer-friendly and cannot cater to specific audience of that particular time of the day, it will surely be rejected. Hence, the programming today is not only creative process but it is also an exercise of wits and a challenge for those involved in its marketing.

Today, due to the stiff competition, stories are slick, fresh faces are used to give a different flavour, the producer spends more money to make better sets and even goes beyond Indian borders to make the serial more lucrative. Many programs are interactive and draw better viewership because it makes the viewer feel part of the entire setup.
In the end, the investments may be more, the programmes more research-based and authentic. But their longevity is still suspect and depends a lot on the whims of the king - the viewer. As for the viewer himself, he has got his cake and he is eating it too. And why not, it is a viewer-driven market and the name of the game is - getting the eye balls.

Pradeep Dixit
Pradeep Dixit is the CEO, ETC Networks Limited