KKK's stunt-glam stirs reality TV biz

By combining two popular elements — stunt and glamour — Viacom 18's Colors has made a blockbuster impact in the reality show stakes, taking the genre to a high that could challenge industry precedents.

By combining two popular elements — stunt and glamour — Viacom 18's Colors has made a blockbuster impact in the reality show stakes, taking the genre to a high that could challenge industry precedents.

HT Image

Bollywood actress Priyanka Chopra-anchored Fear Factor — Khatron Ke Khiladi 3 on September 6, beat its previous season' opening show anchored by Akshay Kumar in viewership ratings by a good 26 per cent on Colors. KKK3 opened to a TVR (TV rating as a percentage of total cable & satellite TV viewership) of 5.5 per cent in the cable & satellite, Hindi markets, beating Akshay Kumar's KKK2 opening of 4.4, Bachchan's Bigg Boss3's (4.6 per cent), Abhishek Bachchan's National Bingo Night's (5.1 per cent) and Shah Rukh Khan's Kya Aap Paanchvi Pass Se Tez Hain (4.6 per cent).

KKK3 also closed with a weekly high average of 4.4 per cent. Colors has beaten its own record, but its ratings seem humbler than Amitabh Bachchan's Kaun Banega Crorepati that had a double-digit opener in 2005 and high single digits in 2000 and 2007. But the numbers are not comparable because TV channels have mushroomed since.

How KBC4, to be launched shortly with Bachchan again by Sony Plus, could provide a true comparison.