IPL bowls out cine stars on small screen

NEW DELHI: Bollywood star power seems to be no match for cricket. Neither Salman Khan’s new show Dus ka Dum nor Shah Rukh Khan’s Kya Aap Paanchvi Pass Se Tez Hain? has managed to keep up to the just-concluded Indian Premier League’s average TRP of 4.7. Paanchvi Pass is averaging only 2.6 while Dus ka Dum has opened to ratings of 3.35 and 2.7, reveals TAM Peoplemeter System’s data for cable & satellite households across four-years-plus viewers in Hindi-speaking markets.

Both are weekend shows, and both Star Plus and Sony had aggressively sold the programmes to advertisers. The Salman Khan-hosted Dus ka dum, which debuted on June 6, and opened to a TRP of 3.35, was incidentally lower than what Paanchvi Pass had debuted at, according to TAM data.

Media agencies, however, maintain that the scales are tipped in favour of Sony’s Dus ka dum. Said Starcom MediaVest CEO (South Asia): “Comparing cricket with reality shows may not be fair. But for Sony, an opening rating of 3.35 for Dus ka Dum is very healthy, and could be their highest.”

Pointed out Maxus MD Ajit Varghese: “Any reality show that doesn’t average a TRP of 4-6 cannot be called a big hit and justify advertiser money. But Dus ka Dum has novelty value and a consumer connect which could help sustain viewer interest in the weeks to come.”

Paanchvi Pass, which began on April 25, had opened to ratings of 4.61. But over subsequent weekends, Shah Rukh Khan’s show has not managed to even cross the threshold of 4 in the ratings parameter. The show’s ratings have plummeted to as low as 1.32 and advertisers who have invested in the show are learnt to be upset with Star Plus.

Said an advertiser who had invested in Paanchvi pass: “The format of the show is very different from what was originally sold to us. We are quite disappointed and the show is more like a Bollywood star gazing programme rather than a take off on the original ‘Are you smarter than a fifth grader’. Also, they cannot just blame IPL for the low TRPs.”

Big advertisers of Paanchvi Pass include Bharti Airtel, PepsiCo, Havells, LG Electronics, L’Oreal, Parle Products, Tata Sky, Ambuja Cement, Pidilite Industries and General Motors. Star is now betting on Bollywood celebrity-based episodes and re-runs on Sundays in the hope that this would prop up ratings.

Sony, on the other hand, has been quite bullish about promoting Dus ka Dum. The broadcaster had even set aside advertising inventory during the IPL semifinals and finals to air promos of Dus ka Dum.