TV still going strong

Today is a red-letter day in desi TV, for we are now getting a clearer picture of where we stand after a three-month COVID hiatus. There was great fear of the tube losing audiences to the new web medium. OTT bosses also pulled all stops to take advantage of zero fresh content on traditional platforms, i.e. big and small screen. TV channels and production houses have had to fight against all the odds first to get restart permissions and then film in a secure environment. Despite all efforts, few actors did catch the bug halting shoots for short periods. Many actors have even refused to shoot citing health fears. Huge loses due to no show for three months have seen channels slash budgets, forcing the makers to pass on the damage downstream to actors and unit hands. A lead friend says, first, she would charge 50K per day now, but now is not getting more than 20K for new outings. So let's see how the thing stands this first Thur morning, TV equivalent to board exams. More significant rating offerings like Choti Sarrdaarni and Bhagyas (spin-off series) have taken a toll, e.g. Kundali Bhagya which was clocking around 3.5 TVR before the lockdown has fallen to 2.2. Similarly, the above Colors show is now down to 1.7, a loss of near one full point (2.7 before). The shows below Two TVR thresholds ie Barrister Babu(Colors) and Kasautii Zindagii Kay (Star Plus) have more or less held their ground. Yeh Hai Chahatein though has dropped 0.5 ( to 1.4), even other average fares like Qubaan Hua( Zee) have shed the same number to end this week at 1TVR. Some of the lower rating presentation like Madam Sir has not lost any value. Coming to new series, while Anupama has opened well, Ishq Mein Marjawan 2 has a very steep climb ahead. So moral of the story, while there has been some loss of audience the chasm is not very vast, so good content can see the tube get back to former glory. Naysayers who were predicting the demise of what they call the Idiot Box will have to eat their words. PS. Will do a separate story on non-fiction genre once more reality shows numbers come in.