TV vs IPL: Small screen braces for the big competition

IPL is back, and so is the threat for the small screen, with the industry experts spending extra time and effort to get ready with all the tricks to keep the viewers hooked, and not steer towards the cricket world, from introducing new twists to planning new entries to pushing the launch of new shows.

“IPL will affect every show. When it comes to our show, Bhabi Ji Ghar Par Hai!, we have introduced a special fishing village sequence to keep the viewers hooked. The main challenge is that there are repeat runs for TV shows, but match people enjoy the live coverage with the thrill of every ball and wicket. Nothing can beat that. People often think that they will watch the TV show either on OTT or repeat run,” says producer Binaifer Kohli, adding, “A lot of channels have deferred the launch of shows as sampling would not be proper, and the TRPs would be low”.

According to reports, the initial IPL TV viewership has shown an increase, with the broadcaster getting a total of 8.7 billion minutes of consumption in TV for the opening match on March 31. As per BARC India data, it is 47 per cent more than last year and the highest ever, other than IPL editions played in Covid-19 years.

Anupamaa actor Sudhanshu Panday reveals, “We have to pull up our socks because the competition is real. We really have to be on our own toes till IPL is on, and still there will be a hit”.

Actor Shrenu Parikh, who is seen in Maitree, admits, “IPL definitely has a lot of viewership so yes we do have competition in that period for sure”.

Breaking down the ways the makers opt to grab eyeballs, Raaz Mahal actor Ridhiema Tiwari says, “Creative teams experiment during IPL for the sake of TRPs. They indulge in all the possible plots and twists that can revive the TRPs. And sometimes the twists involve the protagonist dying to pull back viewership too. It has worked for some but for many others it’s not done much . In fact, right now, they are refraining from lavish sequences, introduction of new characters in the storyline and show launches are big NO. They now know that it’s impossible to reach out to audiences in the same way as IPL”.

It was reported that IPL on Star Sports delivered 14 crore viewers on opening day with peak concurrency of 5.6 crore. Reliance-owned Jio Cinema, had claimed a peak concurrency of 1.6 crore and 6 crore viewers overall for the first match of IPL this season.

The pressure to keep up the TRPs ripple down to actors as well, as pointed out by Karan Vohra, who is seen in TV show Imlie.

“IPL is the most distressing phase in the TV industry. Even before it starts, the anxiety comes, where the makers think of introducing high points, major sequences, new sequences. The threat is there, and these high points as well as the twists does take toll on the actor as we also have to be on our toes and mentally get ready for any sequences,” he adds.

In fact, the industry insiders often look at the past to study the graph and plan their strategy, with Kohli mentioning, “The first week the IPL craze is super high, and then it becomes normal in the second week, but it depends on the matches. That being said, we need to keep pumping up the excitement factor”.

However, Anupamaa producer Rajan Shahi is confident with the entry of cricket in the OTT world, the pressure will be less. “We know it is tough competition and we can’t be lax. But that being said, we have such high rating shows, we can’t just introduce any sequence to get eyeballs. The content should not be compromised.That being said we can’t be complacent”.

To this, Tere Ishq Mein Ghayal producer Yash Patnaik adds, “If you look at IPL, earlier the entire family had one screen but with the digital screen we have multiple screens. Television audiences are mostly females and IPL has mostly male viewers and if you look at the size of the audience, the fiction audience is much bigger. During this time, it is more about dramas and how you unfold certain tracks and what kind of characters enter, interesting casting. Those are the regular tropes of usage.For IPL the audience is more divided now as they watch on digital than on television”.

Giving another view, JD Majethia, producer of Wagle Ki Duniya – Nayi Peedhi Naye Kissey, asserts that this time, with IPLP also heading to an OTT platform where people can watch it free, they hope for some respite from the competition.

“We added the line in our show also that TV for wife, and OTT for husband as a mark of the change. Now, we are waiting for the data of the first week to come in to see if the change has helped in the TRPs or now, and then we will work on the strategy,” Majethia mentions.