MUMBAI: How important is the opening day for a television soap? Needless to say that the initial pull decides the fortunes of a film in the box office, but is it the same in the case of a serial? Zee TV, at least, seems to have put its faith on the-first-day-first-show syndrome.
 
When the channel launches its brand new serial Saath Phere on 17 October, the first episode of the soap will have a single commercial. Or, to put it in the real ad sales terms, the daily soap will have 29 minutes of content and only one minute of commercial break.
 
This is the first time that Zee TV is attempting something on these lines to stem the migration of viewers during the commercial breaks. Zee Cinema has already tested the formula successfully with its 'Rok Sako Toh Rok Lo' series. When queried if Zee TV would plant the single break innovation in all its shows, Zee TV business head Puneet Goenka said it depended on the success of the Saath Phere experiment. "This is an experiment and the aim is to strengthen viewership. If the innovation meets its purpose, we would definitely explore it further," Goenka says.

Zee TV marketing head Tarun Mehra explains the strategy, "We are launching a big ticket show and the purpose of this innovation is to strengthen the viewership. At the same time, we ensure that the Zee TV viewer doesn't go elsewhere. We want to generate maximum viewership interest with the first episode."
 
Mehra adds that Saath Phere spots have been sold at Zee TV's premium rates. The reason: the serial replaces Zee's successful soap Kareena Kareena in the 9:30 pm slot.

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