“Ten years ago, Yeh Rishta Kya Kehlata Hai used to garner TRPs of 9-10. Now, it’s a big [achievement] even if you touch 2-3,” says Hindi and Marathi TV serial producer Rajan Shahi, who is known for the show that has been airing on Star Plus since 2009, as well as hits like Anupamaa (Hindi, 2020) and Aai Kuthe Kay Karte (Marathi, 2019)
Saurabh Tewari, writer and producer of Hindi shows like Sherdil Shergill on Colors TV and Lakhan Leela Bhargav (LLB) on JioCinema, points out that Anupamaa used to get urban TRP, or target rating points, of 4+ in 2020 when it was launched. He adds, “Now, it is at 2.8 even though it continues to be the top show. The volume of consumption (on TV) has come down.”
OTT content and its convenience of non-linear viewing, digital short videos, and social media are pulling audience's attention in different directions. And the ratings of TV serials—the backbone of general entertainment channels (GECs)—are plunging. No wonder, Anupamaa has its own OTT series - Anupamaa: Namaste America on Disney Hotstar
Eight years ago, 80 per cent of shows used to complete a year, say producers. Several, like Kumkum Bhagya and Pavitra Rishta, ran for over 1,000 episodes, while Yeh Rishta Kya Kehlata Hai has been on air for more than 10 years now, minting money for both the producer and the TV network. “Now 60- 70 per cent of Hindi shows don’t make it past the one-year mark, and many get shut down in four to five months,” says Shahi, Founder of Director’s Kut Productions
Check out the size of the Indian advertising industry, production costs for serials in Hindi and other regional languages, and other business metrics, as per industry estimates
In the South, where India’s second- and third-most thriving TV soap industries of Tamil and Telugu are housed, the scenario is slightly different. Shows continue to garner double-digit primetime TRPs. “The southern markets (Tamil Nadu, Andhra Pradesh and Telangana, Karnataka, and Kerala) have a higher TV penetration of around 95 per cent compared to states such as Uttar Pradesh, Bihar and Madhya Pradesh, where it is only about 42 per cent,” says media and entertainment industry expert Rajib Basu
Serials get Rs 2-3 lakh to shoot an episode in Marathi, Tamil and Telugu. In Hindi, however, the budgets are Rs 7-10 lakh an episode, going up to Rs 20-30 lakh even 10 years ago
Now, seasoned producers, too, are flocking to web content. In Hindi, producers point to ‘TV+’ content such as Gullak (SonyLIV), which are 25-50-100-episode shows made on a budget of Rs 30-50 lakh an episode for OTT platforms. They are the middle ground between a typical TV serial and expensive web originals like Farzi or Family Man that are shot on budgets of Rs 3-3.5 crore per episode (excluding actor fee)
Among Hindi TV shows there has been a big decline in the TRP of the highest-rated show. A similar trend can be seen in Tamil TV serials, too, though in Telugu the TRP of the top show has remained almost the same
From Naagin 3, Yeh Rishta Kya Kehlata Hai, Kundali Bhagya in Hindi, Sun TV’s Naayagi in Tamil, Star Maa’s Karthika Deepam in Telugu to Zee Marathi’s Mazhya Navryachi Bayko and Zee Bangla’s Krishnakoli, check out serials with highest TRP in Sept 2018
From Anupamaa, Teri Meri Dooriyan, Yeh Hai Chahatein in Hindi, Sun TV’s Kayal in Tamil to Star Maa’s Brahma Mudi in Telugu, Zee Marathi’s Mazhya Navryachi Bayko and Zee Bangla’s Krishnakoli, check out serials with highest TRP in Sept 2023