When Star India, one of the biggest broadcasters in the country, announced the launch of KBC-3 on January 22, this year, it did not surprise many. The earlier two versions of the show, anchored by the legendary actor Amitabh Bachchan, were hugely popular, raking in billions for the channel. Hence, the media baron Rupert Murdoch-owned News Corp's Indian subsidiary, which had been losing market share and TAM ratings specially during the prime time slot (between 9-10 p.m.) to rivals Zee and Sony TV, in recent times, once again looked at KBC to revive its sagging fortunes. Now anchored by Bollywood's current superstar Shah Rukh Khan, the broadcaster to a major extent has been able to hit big times once again, despite the new anchor falling short of matching Big B's charisma. And rival channels like Zee and Sony among others too are competing aggressively by launching a host of such shows. Are the reality shows in for big time now in India or are they just a fad?
Shilpa
Shetty, the sultry Bollywood actress, winning the celebrity
Big Brother Show on the UK's Channel 4, has suddenly shifted
the spotlight on a trend that though has been there in India
for some time, did not receive that kind of a fan following
earlier. The racist slurs made against Shetty by her co-actors,
notably Jade Goody, on the show fueled worldwide public anger
and political outrage in India and Britain; according to the
BBC News, the incident attracted more than 30,000 complaints
from viewers. |
