New shows from Hindi GECs fail to click

livemint.com:

The performance of Hindi General Entertainment Channel (GEC) offerings in recent times have witnessed muted response, with a majority of shows folding up within just three to six months, while established titles such as Anupamaa continued to dominate viewership rankings. Media consultancy Ormax said unaided awareness levels of premier Hindi GECs during their launch week have fallen by over 50% in the last decade. Viewers are dissatisfied with the lack of fresh and engaging content, amid the rise of over-the-top (OTT) platforms offering abundant alternatives, it said.

Now users demand more even from traditional television channels, it added. Since 2019, leading broadcasters have launched over 200 shows for the Hindi GEC segment, but less than 25% are on-air. Similarly, ou of the over 130 shows that were launched since 2021, only around 40 are still on-air.

“Television will survive, but creators will have to look at the ideal mix of content that also brings in profits. For example, non-fiction is an extremely important part of the TV experience but broadcasters have to be judicious and see if it can be monetized. Fiction, on the other hand, engages different target groups, across regions and not just for Hindi.

We’ve seen largely successful shows in regional languages," business head for SET, Hindi Movies, Sony SAB and Sony PAL, Neeraj Vyas said. With a post-covid revival in outdoor activities, along with a division in viewership extending across both digital and traditional platforms, the impact has been across all genres of shows, said Vibhu Agarwal, founder of OTT app Atrangii, which also owns TV channels. “Television audiences are largely loyal but the mentality has changed and a lot of shows are doing better as