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THE FAILURE
OF ZEE'S SAWAAL DUS CRORE KA
Case Code- BSTR004
Publication Date -2001
FLOP SHOW
THE STAR OFFENSIVE-KBC
When Star Plus was launched, it offered drama, comedy, talk shows, documentaries
and mystery movies solely in English. However, the channel failed to become as
popular as the channels offering programs in Hindi. Star realized that it was
handicapped by its image of being a foreign channel catering only to the
cosmopolitan English speaking population.
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To increase its presence in the Indian market Star began a daily two-hour
Hindi program band. Star Plus' move to 'go Indian' met with a mixed response
from the viewers. While fans of the earlier programming mix lashed out
strongly against the channel, the media described this as Star's desperate
attempt to garner viewership. Though initially the move was criticized, Star
Plus' smart and consumer oriented programming (a mix of soaps and Bollywood
based programs) won over the viewers. Soon, Star Plus and Zee TV emerged as
the hottest contenders for the Indian satellite television market leadership.
Rivalry between the two channels on the TRP and ad revenue fronts became a
routine feature in the media. Zee TV's programs consistently fared well in the
TRP ratings war. According to Indian Market Research Bureau (IMRB) Peoplemeter
ratings, in August 1998, even Star's popular programs such as The News, Tu Tu
Main Main and Saans had taken a beating from Zee's top 10 programs like Amanat
and Hum Paanch.
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Star Plus sought the help of research agency MARG to improve its TRP ratings.
MARG stressed on a new brand positioning for the channel to garner more
viewership. On MARG's advice, Star Plus launched the biggest game show in Indian
television history 'Kaun Banega Crorepati' (KBC)7 . It was hosted by none other
than Bollywood superstar Amitabh Bachchan.
Overnight, KBC pushed Star Plus into the leadership position. Channel audience
share peaked to a high of 8.7% during the eight weeks beginning July 2nd 2000,
compared with Sony TV's 7.2% and Zee TV's 6.8%. By September 2000, the channel
had 12 of its shows on the top 50 charts. In the top 20 program list, Star Plus
had 8 programs, versus Zee's 9 and Sony's 3, as compared to the pre-KBC figures
of 12 shows for Zee, 5 for Sony and just 3 for Star Plus. From November 2000,
Star managed to occupy 12 top slots in the TRP ratings. Post KBC, the image of
Star Plus as foreign channel changed considerably with viewers switching in
hordes to the channel.
Riding high on the success of KBC, Star Plus launched follow-up programs for KBC
to sustain viewer interest in the channel. The prime time slot was changed from
9-10 to 9-11 with two family dramas8 being aired right after KBC. This succeeded
in retaining the viewership of the channel.
Putting KBC in the prime time slot (9-10 p.m.) paid off for the channel, largely
at the expense of Zee TV's prime time slots. Sony also suffered to an extent and
had to revamp its prime time serial slots, but it was Zee, which faced the
maximum erosion in its primetime viewership ratings.
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THE ZEE DEFENSIVE - SDCK
REALITY BITES
[7] A game show offering prize money of Rs 10 million to participants
successfully answering a set of 15
general knowledge questions. The participants were
given three lifelines (help options) and were allowed to
withdraw from the game once the lifelines were
exhausted.
[8] The shows 'Kahani Ghar Ghar Ki' and 'Kyunki Saas Bhi Kabhi Bahu Thi'
went on to very popular with the
latter's TRPs surpassing even KBC.
2001, ICMR (IBS Center for Management Research).All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be
reproduced, stored in a retrieval system, used in a spreadsheet, or transmitted
in any form or by any means - electronic or mechanical, without permission.
To order copies, call +91- 8417- 236667 or write to ICMR,
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Andhra Pradesh, INDIA.
Ph: +91- 8417- 236667,
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E-mail: info@icmrindia.org
Website: www.icmrindia.org
This case study is intended to be used as a basis for class discussion rather
than to illustrate either effective or ineffective handling of a management
situation. This case was compiled from published sources.
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