MUMBAI: Star Plus has rejuvenated the 9-10 pm slot. Just when its four one-hour weeklies were slipping in ratings, the channel launched two dailies to draw in younger and newer audiences. The result: an expansion in viewership in that time band.

Indiantelevision.com takes a look at the journey of the two shows, Kkavyanjali (after a four-month run) and Miilee (a month and half since launch).

The Kkavyanjali plot:

Kkavyanjali has had the biggest launch ever on a satellite channel with a debut rating of 13.91 in the C&S 4+ HSM, according to TAM data. And in the first week, it became the fourth most-watched show (behind "golden oldies" Kyunki..., Kahaani... and Kasauti...) and the ninth position in terms of ratings.

Although Kkavyanjali could not sustain such high ratings, it has maintained its position as the fifth most popular show with an average 9 - 9.2 TVR in the 9:30 - 10 pm slot. Looking at the slot delivery from week 11 to week 19, the noticeable trend is that the slot share has gradually increased since week 15.

Star's Kkavyanjali trend:

Kavyanjali in essence has managed to increases the slot TVRfrom 7.9 TVR (wk 12 - wk 15) to 8.6 TVR (wk 16 - 19).

The Miilee plot:

Miilee, in contrast, had a lower debut rating with a 11 TVR in the 9-9.30 pm slot. But it has sustained an average TVR of 9.3 in its launch week in the HSM C&S 4+ TG, according to TAM data. The average TVRs in the fifth week grew to 10.3.

Examining the pre Miilee phase, relative slot shares of the show (week 10 - week 14) stood at 67, 69, 66, 65 and 64 per cent respectively. Post Miilee ( week 15 - week 19), slot shares went up to 70, 68, 72, 71 and 72 per cent respectively.

Miilee managed to weaken rival Sony's Kkusum & Zee's Astitva. While Star Plus in the 9-9:30 pm slot after the launch of Miilee grew to an average TVR of 9.6 ( week 15 - week 19) from 8.9 TVR (week 10 - week 14), Kkusum in the same blocks slipped from 3.4 to 3 TVR. Zee lost as well, dipping from 1.2 to 1 TVR.

Drawing in new audiences

What is actually more significant though, is that the spike in ratings and slot share has come not so much from rival channels as from new audiences. Star Plus creative director Shailja Kejriwal says Marathi audiences from channels like DD Sahyadri, ETV and Zee Marathi have hooked on to the shows.

"Marathi audiences are more progressive in their viewing patterns and Miilee as a concept is more rooted to reality and real life situations vis-?-vis the rest which have a special appeal among these viewers," she adds.

Kkavyanjali, on the other hand, has the female protagonist who is a Maharastrian in the story. This, Kejriwal states, brings in an automatic affinity with the Marathi community.

Other audiences who have come in are that of the younger TG (4 - 14). Kausautii.. which runs from 8 - 8:30 pm, has a very high viewership base in this segment, but Star Plus couldn't hold on to these audiences with its hourly weeklies in the 9-10 pm slot. Miilee, which adorns a fresh young look, has managed to retain this audience base which had been earlier flirting with other channels, says Kejriwal.

Bringing in Marathi and younger audiences was very much a part of the game plan at the Star stable. "Indian audiences love high paced dramas. Non-fiction programming can never be a part of the Indian staple diet," says Kejriwal.