Reality shows What Reality TV shows can be classified as a genre of TV shows presenting unscripted humorous dramatic or purportedly unscripted and upstaged matter in front of the audience. These reality TV shows usually feature ordinary people in unordinary situations. These reality shows also show celebrities that act as an aid in raising the TRPs of the shows. For many years, the television industry favored scripted television programs over the unpredictable and potentially litigious reality show form.
A television reality show features talent culled from the ranks of ‘ ordinary’ people, not professionally trained actors. Subjects of a reality show may be given some rudimentary directions off-screen, but the point is to allow the performers to act and react as normally as possible. A reality show is not to be confused with a documentary, in which the subjects are asked to ignore the cameras and behave naturally. TrPs TV industry is capital-intensive and needs money over a period of time to break even. Besides so many players in the field can only mean a race for the TRPs and eking out the extra revenue.
In such a scenario, the channels will do what is required to get the TRPs as quickly as possible. Therefore, they will go for themes that will capture mass appeal. Hence, TV is full of reality shows and saas-bahu serials. The audience will lap up to anything that captures their imagination. Most of the reality shows have different formats, new to the audience; hence they become instant hit with the people. Although, we don’t need so many of them as people sometimes forget that they are just a show and get too involved in them.
It’s a good platform for budding talent More than running out of ideas, I think it’s more to do with the realization that reality TV sells. Sometimes it is easier for channels to take an existing one, maybe make a few amends, rather than create new ones. I think each reality show focuses on a particular target audience and is made accordingly. They are treated as entertainment shows except of course the competitive shows, where common man is involved, for example the singing competitions.
The increase in reality shows on TV is not needed but the producers are doing it for increased TRP, some people have probably benefited from the competitive shows due to the contestants talents but as a viewer, it would make no difference to my life if they were completely wiped out either. The shows like splits villa and roadies create unnecessary violence and indulge in loads of skin show just to attract the attention of the youth. Are there many number of reality shows telecasted? People used to love watching reality shows, but now some surveys have proved that they are bored of them.
All of them have similar format, nothing is new or exciting. Almost all of the reality shows are made from the Western concept and all those who have seen the original shows feel that the Indian versions are not compatible enough. For eg there are too many numbers of Singings and dance reality shows being telecasted which makes it boring for the audience to see the same type of shows on every channel. Don’t think the Indian audience wants to see any more of these reality shows, they too are never ending, every year they come out with a new series which is no different from the previous one.
I think we should put a break on these reality shows. Celeb speak on reality shows When reality shows started in India, the concept was new to the audience. Everyone was enthusiastic about watching them. But now every channel has a reality show. A new concept is required as people are now fed up with the same dancing and singing shows. Some of the upcoming reality shows have bold concepts and I am not sure how well will it work with the Indian audience. I personally don’t like watching reality shows. There is nothing new in them anymore.
It was fun and exciting in the beginning but now it’s become boring and repetitive. –Prachi Desai. Winner, Jhalak Dikhlaja ’08 Youngsters are aware ofthe reality shows shown inthe West but the older generation are not. Therefore it is entertaining for them. Reality shows are different from the regular saas-bahu fiasco. Also most of the reality shows have a celebrity participant or judge. Thus everyone enjoys watching them perform. Indian producers can be creative and come up with different concepts but very few want to take the risk.
It’s a safer option to work on a concept that has been successful in the West. I don’t find anything wrong with them unless they don’t hurt anyone’s sentiments. –Sanjeeda Shaikh. Winner, Nach Baliye ’08 There are number of channelscompeting with each other for TRPs. Therefore, instead of creating something new they try to use the same format which has done well in other countries. The craze of reality shows in India started with Kaun Banega Crorepati and over the past few years we have seen many reality shows on different channels capturing talent.
Today people want to see real people who have real talent rather than watch celebrities. For instance, between Dance India Dance and Jhalak Dikhlaja, people prefer watching a common man rather than a celebrity. –Shaan. Host, Sa re ga ma Today there are many dancing shows on TV which are doing well. Reality programmes are popular because they connect to the people on the show. On small screen, TRPs determine the kind of programmes that goes on air. It’s easy to use an old tested formula, thus Indian producers adopt them, hoping they will be a hit on Indian TV too.
Whereas, to start a new programme producers will have to do a thorough research which is timeconsuming. Other countries are able to start a new venture because they have sumptuous budget. –Tapur Chatterjee. Participant, Jhalak Dikhlaja ’08 Do the Indian reality show Originality? The international formats are tried and tested in the adaptation procedure in the Indian reality shows. Indian experts say that it isn’t the lack of original ideas but the success of the international shows and the provision of convenient reference point which forces the Indian producers to adapt these formats.
Namit Sharma of Wizcraft Television agrees. “ International formats come with a certain learning like target audience for the show, time required to produce it, per episode cost, etc. And once you have these things in place, you don’t have to start from scratch…I think buying a format gives you that strength,” said Sharma, the business head and chief creative director of the production house. Wizcraft has produced home-grown shows like “ Entertainment Ke Liye Kuch Bhi Karega” and “ Nach Baliye”. The disadvantage with home-grown formats is that they don’t come with any reference point and it’s like shooting in the dark – you have to go with your instinct completely,” said Sharma. Of the latest two reality shows, “ Sach Ka Saamna” hosted by actor Rajeev Khandelwal on STAR Plus has been adapted from “ Moment Of Truth” while Sony TV’s “ Iss Jungle Se Mujhe Bachao”, which shows several celebrities camping in a jungle, is the Indian version of “ I’m A Celebrity…Get Me Out Of Here”. Besides these two, the small screen has seen a slew of programmes inspired by western entertainment formats.
These include “ India’s Got Talent”, an adaptation of “ Britain’s Got Talent”, while the idea for “ Rakhi Ka Swayamvar” has been taken from “ The Bachelorette”. Similarly, “ Dus Ka Dum”, which saw Bollywood star Salman Khan play host, was a copy of “ Power of 10” and “ Sarkaar Ki Duniya” was modelled on “ Survivor”. Sharma feels the demand for varied content has forced producers to adopt more and more global formats. “ The audience wants to see something different. In the last two years, we have doled out too many song, dance and celebrity-based shows.
So it’s time to change the paradigm. I think the overall mood in the business is to do something fresh and exciting that engages and excites the audience,” he said. But adapting international gameshows started right in the 1990s. In 1992, Roshan Abbas hosted the programme “ Wheel of Fortune”, modelled on an eponymous American game show. However, the trend of adopting global formats intensified after the success of “ Kaun Banega Crorepati” (KBC). The 2000 show, which was hosted by Bollywood megastar Amitabh Bachchan, was based on American show “ Who Wants To Be A Millionaire”.
Its third instalment had superstar Shah Rukh Khan sitting in the host’s seat. Though some original shows like “ Saanp Seedi”, “ Sa Re Ga Ma Pa”, “ Antakshari”, “ Tol Mol Ke Bol” and “ Boogie Woogie” did surface on the small screen before 2000, but post- “ Kaun Banega Crorepati” producers started lapping up foreign entertainment programmes. Some of the other shows that made their way to Indian television post-KBC are “ Indian Idol” (“ American Idol”), “ Jhalak Dikkhla Jaa” (“ Dancing With The Stars”), “ Kya Aap Paanchvi Paas Se Tez Hain” (“ Are You Smarter Than A Fifth Grader”) and “ Bigg Boss” (“ Big Brother”).
Although producers are lapping up foreign formats, Basu points out that they usually don’t buy the rights to adapt them. “ There are not many Indian broadcasters who actually license international formats. Rip-offs with a few tweaks are more the norm and so it is difficult for licensors to sue (the channels),” said Basu. Reality shows : aburden for children who are to be blamed? There are many reality shows made for children where children participate and it provides a platform for their budding carrier. At some place down the line the children have been found to be pressurized by the competition which they have to face.
The most highlighted case was the case of Shinjini Sengupta. A 16-year-old girl, suffered paralytic attack after she allegedly received admonition for her poor performance in a E-TV Bangla reality. Her parents have said that the judges of the reality show reacted very rudely to her poor performance and she couldn’t stand the psychological pressure of being eliminated from the semi final round. But the judges who have been the target of the parents ire, now in turn have pointed a figure at Shinjini s parents for playing with the life of the poor girl.
It’s a shame to see children of younger age getting pressurized due to utter competition and the outcome leads to attacks and diseases at a very early age. Hence the reality shows should be designed in such a way that it should not pressurize the young children and should be easy going. Market Analysis Summary Reality showa will direct its efforts to the production of family-oriented television programming and live events, procuring sponsorships, television advertising, and merchandising deals all designed to firmly carve our niche as a competitive player in the industry, both domestically and worldwide.
Reality management believes its decisions to use established name talent in a family- oriented format will ensure maximum mass appeal, maximum ratings, and maximum profits, all designed to firmly entrench it into a solid position within the industry. Reality Shows are the hottest entertainment available on television and at live events throughout the country. TV Guide estimates that 35 million people watch reality shows from the starting from MTV Roadies to Indian Idol to Big Brother and many more.
With the proper financial backing to sustain the production and distribution of Reality television programming, it is a well-founded conclusion, based on our market research, that a competitive market position within the industry is a realistic and achievable goal for us. Competition and Strategies of reality tv shows The reality show market at present is full with many players. As mentioned before there are players like MTV Roadies, Indian Idol etc. which compete each other to win a major portion of the market share.
So to compete with the established players it is essential for us to select the right marketing mix to excel in this competition. As per the promotion of the reality shows the research done shows that a majority of the existing players advertise either on Television or does it in some road shows. So as per our show we will not only cover the trends followed by the existing players but also extensive newspaper coverage to penetrate the general masses. This will ensure that we get more TRPs as we will get a greater number of viewers. Thus our promotion plans will ensure that we get a very competitive edge in the field of reality shows.
Similarly the distribution system is an important factor that will give us an edge in this field. Our Reality shows are seeking variety and new experiences. Distribution is thus clearly important, but so is atmosphere and distinctiveness. Our marketing challenge is thus to stand out from our competitors, not only as the “ new” reality show, but as one that offers consistently high quality entertainment and a unique show pattern. Maintaining our edge will depend partly on marketing ourselves to the global viewers along with the national viewers
