Has reality TV lost its plot in India?
New Delhi: In 2020, two of Indian television’s oldest properties, Kaun Banega Crorepati (KBC) and Bigg Boss, returned to home screens for the first time after the onset of the covid-19 pandemic, complete with downsized crews and isolated bubbles for sets. However, the much-anticipated comeback failed to enthuse media and entertainment industry experts, as the audience gave the reality shows a tepid reception. The inability to grab people by the eyeballs the way they used to earlier saw the television rating points (TRPs) of these shows plunge by at least 50%, according to broadcast network heads.
Both shows had TRPs of less than 1.5 as compared to 2.5-3 the previous year. The reasons for the lukewarm response were many; for one, the Indian Premier League, which had been delayed by the pandemic, grabbed a major chunk of the young, male audience, leading to a loss of eyeballs in prime-time slots for much of the T20 tournament’s two-month duration. Meanwhile, linear television had been gradually losing urban Hindi-speaking audiences who, locked up at home, had discovered the joys and convenience of consuming content online.
Making matters worse, the decline from pre-covid viewership continued into 2021, sinking by 25-40%. Things were slightly better last year, with Bigg Boss (on Colors) seeing TRPs of 1.4-1.5 on weekdays and 1.9 on weekends compared to 0.91 the year before. KBC (on Sony Entertainment Television), also touched the 1.3-1.4 mark versus 0.9 in 2021.
But this was nowhere near enough. Simply put, the reality television show business is struggling and stagnating. Entertainment industry experts point out that flagship properties such as KBC, Indian Idol and Bigg Boss, have been on air for nearly 20 years now, if
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