MAM
Dharmendra provides best opening for India’s Got Talent
MUMBAI: The third season of Colors’ talent reality show, India’s Got Talent, has surpassed the opening day performance of all other non-fiction launches in 2011.
In this fresh edition, Colors has roped in Bollywood actor Dharmendra as a jury member to share the panel with Sonali Bendre and Kirron Kher.
India‘s Got Talent‘s opening day (29 July) average rating was 3.91 TVR while it peaked at 5.4 TVR. As per data provided by Colors, the show has surpassed the debut of Star Plus’ biggest dance reality show Just Dance, which scored a TVR of 3.7 TVR, to become the top opening scorer.
Among the other top-rated reality shows in the year were Guinness World Records – Ab india Todega, which opened with a 3.3 TVR, followed by Khataron ke Khiladi – 4 (both Colors) with 3.0 TVR. Zee TV’s Saregamapa Li’l Champs had opened with a 2.7 TVR.
Incidentally, with each successive season, India’s Got Talent as a property is getting bigger. The first season of the show opened to a 2.4 TVR while the second season saw a debut day rating of 3.1 TVR. In the first season, Bendre and Kher were joined by Shekhar Kapoor as the third judge, while in the second season Sajid Khan had replaced Kapoor.
Colors said that the reach of the show as well as the time spent on watching it is increasing with the successive seasons. In the first season, the show had a 9.8 per cent reach for the first week, which went up to 12.4 in season two and 13.3 in the current season. Overall time spent also went up from 15 minutes in season one to 17 minutes in second season and 21 minutes in the current season.
Meanwhile, Star Plus continues to rule the Hindi general entertainment channel (GEC) space. Powered by the telecast of the IIFA awards ceremony, which clocked a 4.3 TVR, the channel added 29 GRPs (gross rating points) and closed the week with 345 GRPs (316 GRPs in the previous week).
Colors could not up its ratings despite India’s Got Talent’s strong opening and flagship fiction show Balika Vadhu occupying the top slot among the Hindi GECs (6.1 TVR). The channel clocked 266 GRPs in the week compared to 267 in the preceding week, according to TAM data for the week ended 30 July for the Hindi speaking markets,
Zee TV maintained its third position but shed 12 GRPs to close the week under review with 208 GRPs. Sony Entertainment Television saw a marginal drop in ratings and closed at No. 4 with 190 GRPs (193 GRPs in previous week).
Sab stayed steady with 125 GRPs (last week 124). Imagine TV, which launched the Rakhi Sawant-hosted new reality show Gajab Desh Ki Ajab Kahaaniyaan, saw a five GRP climb to close at 71 for the week. Star One got just 37 GRPs while Sahara One trailed behind with 30 GRPs.
Brands
Neeraj Jha named head of sports business – India and South Asia at Warner Bros. Discovery
From Eurosport to WBD, Jha charts a new course for sports in India and South Asia
GURUGRAM: Neeraj Jha has been appointed head of sports business for India and South Asia at Warner Bros. Discovery, marking an exciting new chapter in a career that has long been at the crossroads of sports, media, and live entertainment.
Jha’s journey in the world of broadcast and sports media spans over two decades, from producing live shows at Ten Sports to shaping content strategy at Zee, IMG, and Eurosport. Most recently, he served as director of content, programming and acquisition at Warner Bros. Discovery, where he drove year-on-year Ebitda growth and steered the network’s programming, satellite planning, and on-air promotions. His expertise ranges from content acquisition and marketing to broadcast operations and strategic partnerships.
Colleagues praise Jha for thinking outside the box. “When constraints are immense, he delivers results no matter what,” one senior executive remarked, highlighting his knack for sourcing compelling content and intellectual property for the South Asian market.
Beyond the boardroom, Jha co-founded SEEtalks, a live event series designed to inspire audiences with compelling stories, reflecting his passion for storytelling and community engagement.
From launching daily sports news shows to localising global content like WWE Wrestling for Indian audiences, Jha’s career has been a blend of creativity and operational excellence. As he steps into this new role, the sports broadcasting landscape in India and South Asia is set for a fresh and dynamic chapter.
