INDIANTELEVISION.com
Indian TV has finally come of age, or so they say. It has become lucrative and more and more young men and women of the country now dream of becoming TV stars instead of movie stars, and the ultimate dream is to get a role in ‘Kyunki Saas…..’ , a soap that is so big that it can accommodate almost half of the Indian population in it’s cast. And capitalizing on the TV bloom in India and nation’s obsession is the website Indiantelevision.com.
For any Indian fan the site on the first look is like a Mixed Grilled Sizzler. Not only is it hot and happening like the sizzler but also you do not know where to start from. The first page is huge and full of thousands of links and the navigation is a nightmare. The amount of information on the site is overwhelming. Once your eyes are adjusted to the overwhelming glare of bright sunlight and your vision stabilizes you start discovering the site bit by bit and of course critically analyzing it as you read.
The TV Awards
Indiatelevsion.com apart from being the first comprehensive portal on TV in India has another unique ‘first’ to it’s name. It is one of the first organizations to launch a ‘TV AWARDS’ ceremony akin to the Emmys. It was a smart move. Not only did it make the site an overnight authority on TV in India but also gave it a lot of free publicity…otherwise you know what happens to these websites, a new idea is launched, a lot of money is wasted in marketing and still no one knows about the website and within time it shuts down. The award ceremony which has become an annual affair is quite unbiased. Tt has still not received the importance and cult status of the Emmys or even the Filmfare awards, it is growing in importance.
TellyChakkar
One of the most interesting, addictive and no doubt frequently visited section on the site is a online TV magazine and gossip column called TellyChakkar. The site (or should I say page) is one of the first exclusive TV magazines and takes inspiration from the numbers of countless movie magazines like Stardust and Filmfare. It contains interviews of TV stars, news, gossip, pictorials and most importantly information on who moved out of which ‘K’ serial and moved into which ‘K’ serial. The site is quite entertaining and even if you donot watch ‘K’ serials it is fun to know about the musical chairs played in the Balaji family. Like in one case so guy who was the original Kkavya in Kkvyanjali (I had not even heard of the serial then, but it was fun to hear about it !) was sacked because he was ill and needed a sick leave and another guy who was to get some role in Kasauti moving fastforward 20 years ahead got the role of Kkavya in Kkvyanjali and the original Kkavya when he got back from his sickleave to find himself dethroned was given the role in Kausati which was orginially meant for the new Kkavya !! (Confused ….. well I was too let’s make it’s as Mr. A, B and C and then new Mr C ….okay forget about it !)
But unlike it’s filmy counterparts this magazine is well researched and the inside information is true all the time. Infact to their credit they published the photo of the new transformed ‘Jassi’ on the sets of her serial long before the audience had even thought that a transformation would occur !!
Box Populi- Subhash Jha
This guy in an in house TV critic and his views are interesting to read. I subscribe to his column every week, he nicely summaries the highlights of the TV shows of the week and comments on them. His views and opinions are consistent and realistic and he is not carried away by the size and value of the production house which is a sign of a good critic. But on the flip side, he sometimes focuses too much on his favorite soaps and programmes especially ’Kofee with Karan’ and a few other interview shows. Rihaee seems to get an honorable mention everytime.
TRP and TAM ratings section
I searched a lot on the internet and this site is the only one which has extensive data on TRP ratings eventhough many claim of doing a weekly survey. The research is coordinated by ORG-MARG one of the leading survey companies in India which adds to their credibility.
The TRP data are quite interesting. They are given in two section, the TOP 10 shows and TOP 100 shows. First of all let me tell you how this data is collected to the best of my knowledge. The survey company takes a sample audience from different areas of the country and different socioeconomic starta. A small instrument is attached to there TV set which collects data about which channel plays on the TV and at which times (ie which serials are being watched). Then this data is collected and analyzed with the regular statistical tools and then presented in a number scale which I have yet to figure out. The TRP data is extremely critical for the Ad companies who display ads on TV and also for the Production houses and TV channels. The higher the TRP more the cost of the ad space.
The Data yields fascinating results. The Top 10 serials are all K serials….it’s a clean sweep ! Here is would like to mention that the ratings are on daily, programme to programme basis and not an average score. What I mean by that is that it’s like Kyunki 11 trp on 8th at number one and Kyunkui 10 Trp on 9th at number two.....see what I mean. Seeing the data you realize how huge these soaps are. The rating are way ahead of any of there competitors. Infact the only show outside the Balaji to break into the top 10 has been ‘Indian Idol’ !
The Top 100 data is conveniently broken down channel wise, but not all channels are mentioned. The Star is again dominated by the K serials and Sony by Jassi and Indian Idol. CID gets a top 10 mention in Sony all the time. But the interesting part is that eventough Jassi is the best Sony show, it stands at about 30th rank overall !!! Even the newer Star shows like Milee gets better TRP than the vetran Jassi ! I wonder how this happens, is it some stastical thing that I don’t understand or is it that Star is still such a dominant force ? The movies shown on TV again get TRP ratings depending on there quality. The ones that have done bad at the box office don’t do well even on TV !
Other Sections
Indiantelevison is not only about the TV viewers but also about those involved with the TV industry. There is a lot of information on technical aspects of TV, jobs in the TV industry and also a section which displays photos of potential TV actors. Also there is detailed news on the latest in the TV industry in and around India . The Zee vs ESPN feud and the CAS controversy were well covered. It has so much data that I am sure Ekta would have the site as her homepage !
Sum it up
To sum it up, Indiantelevision.com is one of the better TV sites in India if not the only one. Apart from the poor navagiation system, it has very little flaws. Kudos to the webmasters of the site….keep up the good job !