Prime Time Movers & Shakers

The TRP game rules the roost throughout the general entertainment channels. Click on the TV remote and you come across reality shows reigning over the prime time.
Bigg Boss Season 3, Pati Patni Aur Woh and Dance Premier League are just some of the shows currently on air. And those which went off-air recently like Khatron Ke Khiladi Season 2, Entertainment Ke Liye Kuchh Bhi Karega (that saw two seasons without much gap) or Rakhi Ka Swayamwar (soon the season 2 of Swayamwar will follow with Rahul Mahajan) managed to grab many eyeballs and created lot of buzz!
There was a time when these reality shows were slotted during the weekends.Now they are telecast throughout the week. Have reality shows become more popular or it is a strategy to place a better programme in the slot? Ask Sanjay Upadhyay, ex-fiction head of a popular entertainment channel and he says, ���These days when the focus of all channels is on gaining more TRPs, popular reality shows which are higher TRP grossers compared to other shows replace the latter. This way, the reality show lowers the TRPs of the competition.��� Though many reality shows are a TRP stealer, soaps cannot be neglected. Producer JD Majethia says, ���Reality shows work well but for a very short span. If a reality show stretches beyond a point, it tends to lose its fresh appeal. And a work of fiction can go on for years. A soap is a better investment alternative for channels because it is financially more viable.���
From simply indulging in catfights to shedding tears on the small screen, the contestants too have managed to gain popularity. Some viewers find reality shows interesting because of the celebrities. Priyanka Joshi, a student, tells us, ���If I find anything interesting going on based on the promos, I make sure that I watch that episode. Otherwise, I usually watch reality shows during the weekends when a celebrity hosts the show or when a popular contestant is voted out of the show.���