The channel's foray into reality television programming has got a huge boost with Indian Idol.
It finished the first week with an average television rating of 5.1 in the Hindi speaking market (CS 4+ yrs) while for the CS 15-24 yrs, the programme ended with a rating of 7.24.
This is higher than Zee's reality show 'Cinestar ki Khoj' which has registered a rating of 2.15 and 2.22 respectively in the same segment.
Sunil Lulla, executive vice president, SET said, "Our time period between 8 to 10.30 pm is well set with a judicious mix of popular programmes. We have some new programmes lined up for the viewers for the 10.30 pm slot which will only renew our commitment to bringing quality entertainment to the masses. The serials in the 8 to10.30 pm slot are 'Jassi Jaisi Koi Nahin', 'Kkusum' and 'Yeh Meri Life Hai' among others."
Though channel executives refuse to name the new programmes, they agree that the focus on reality television will not whither.
According to Lulla, dance and music have enough scope to have more programmes in a similar format. Experiences abroad have shown that programmes on the Indian Idol format have led to increased viewership over successive years.
Indian Idol is based on the popular format American Idol, which in turn was inspired by UK's Pop Idol. The programme is a contest for the best singer.
The reality show captures all the emotion, excitement and drama that contestants experience while competing for the title of an Idol.
Although there have been some murmurs of dissent for the way judges handle the contestants, the channel justifies the attitude which is essential for filtering the participants.
From next week, the show becomes interactive with viewers voting for their favourite singer. The show began telecasting from October 28.
