Premieres of films on TV aren’t novel, but they have begun to bag high TRPs lately, with audiences not wanting to miss the free screenings of a movie they haven’t seen in cinemas. Filmmaker Karan Johar’s Student Of The Year (SOTY), which was screened on Sony on January 26, is the latest to have bagged these bragging rights. The film notched a TRP rating of 4.2, the highest on TV in the last three months.

Karan can’t stop grinning about it. “Earlier, filmmakers were not concerned about what happened to films on TV, but now we pray for box-office success and high TRPs. It’s double the pressure. Today, the premiere of a film on TV is a big deal. Movies get audiences when the entertainment quotient is high. SOTY is a breezy watch with hit music.

It aired at a non-prime time slot so kids could watch it, which made me realise that the teenagers love the three stars in the film.” Incidentally, SOTY got TRP ratings higher than Salman Khan’s 2012 release Ek Tha Tiger (3.3) and even the Kaun Banega Crorepati finale (3).

Hemal Jhaveri, general manager, Star Gold, adds, “Earlier, TV premieres got TRP ratings of 3 to 4. But there are big films which have set records, like Bol Bachchan (2012) got a 4.8 TRP when it aired in October while Makkhi (2012) got 3.5.”

Jhaveri adds that TV premieres of Hindi films give great returns as, “everyone loves a good movie and its repeat value matters”. Jhaveri adds, “Most hit films work, but the same might not be the case for movies that don’t deliver at the box office.”