Zee shows fail to star

Mumbai: The Intam viewership data continues to make Zee sad. In the latest weeks data, none of the Zees programmes featured in top 50, and the newly launched, much-advertised celebrity show, Jeena Isi Ka Naam Hain, has debuted at the 78th position, with a TRP rating of 1.9.

The show featured Shah Rukh Khan, a popular Hindi actor, and in our view was well produced. Given this we expected a better ranking, says a disenchanted Zee official.

The reason for Zees poor ratings can perhaps be found in one senior media buyers comment at a recent meeting: Zee is not currently a popular hangout, and even good shows can go unnoticed. It will take a lot more than a few good shows to woo the viewers attracted to Star [the popular hangout].

The second episode of the same show was aired last week, and was punctuated with the first live telecast of an online lottery draw. TRP ratings for the next few episodes will serve as a referendum for the new show, as well as for Zees attempts to leverage the expected popularity of online lottery.

In our view, the draw certainly lacks visual appeal, but the argument goes that those who bet will have to watch. Zee used its ad time during the show extensively to promote programming changes and new shows on the network, says an analyst. Overall, Star strengthened its No 1 position in the latest week. And in the recent times, Sony has been making gains at the expense of Zee, widening the chasm further.

It is often argued that the credibility of TRPs has taken a beating, and therefore the rankings do not matter much. But CEOs of top media-buying agencies suggest the viewership data continues to be the key underlying currency for media-buying decisions, and poor ratings directly translate into lower ad revenues.

The Zee management is trying to get back its lost viewers. And with not a single show in the top 50, things can only improve for Zee.