MAM
Swayamvar 3 ends on a high with 5.1 TVR
MUMBAI: Imagine TV‘s flagship reality series, Swayamvar, has not lost its charm yet. Even if the third season of the show, Ratan ka Rishta, could not match Rakhi Sawant‘s oomph factor or Rahul Mahajan‘s on-screen marriage, it did fairly well and lifted the channel to over 100 GRPs (gross rating points).
In fact, the show even did better than Imagine TV‘s high budget Zor Ka Zhataka – Total Wipeout, where the channel had invested in Shah Rukh Khan to get him as host.
The three-hour finale of Ratan Ka Rishta on 3 July got a TVR of 5.1, according to Tam data. Even the two-hour Sangeet ceremony episode on 2 July had managed to clock a TVR of 2.8. The ‘Mehendi‘ episode on 1 July got a TVR of 2.3.
Though Ratan Rajput‘s wedding managed to match the performance of Rahul Mahajan‘s finale, it couldn‘t match up to Rakhi‘s Swayamvar. Rakhi‘s finale (Faisale Ki Raat) had touched a whopping 8.4 TVR, that too when the bombshell had not married on the screen.
Imagine TV, however, could not change its position in the GEC pecking order and remained behind Sab with 104 GRPs. In the week before, the channel had sprung up to 107 GRPs.
Meanwhile, the Hindi general entertainment channel (GEC) genre has seen a marginal dip in the overall GRPs (gross rating points) during the week ended 9 July. However, the order of the GECs has remained unchanged.
As per TAM data for week 28 (C&S 4+, HSM), Sony Entertainment Television (Set) was the only Hindi GEC which gained during the week. On the back of its fiction show Bade Acche Lagte Hain, the channel added 11 GRPs and closed with 184 GRPs under its kitty as compared to 173 GRPs in the prior week. The show reached a peak TVR of 3.8. However, it still remained at No. 4, below Zee TV.
Zee TV, which recently donned a new look, has lost 12 GRPs in the week. However, it maintained its fourth position in the GEC chart and closed with 205 GRPs. In the previous week, the channel had shed 11 GRPs.
Overall, the GEC segment has shrunk 26 GRPs in the week. For the week ended 2 July, the total GRPs of the Hindi GEC genre stood at 1309 compared to 1283 in the week under review.
Meanwhile, genre leader Star Plus and No. 2 Colors maintained their positions, even though their GRPs dipped marginally. Star Plus closed the week with 309 GRPs (from 311) and Colors with 252 GRPs (253 GRPs in the last week).
Sab remained at its place with 131 GRPs (from 134 last week). Meanwhile, Star One and Sahara One pocketed 36 and 30 GRPs respectively.
Brands
33 per cent of women believe the salary scale is rigged: Naukri report
Voices @ Work study finds rising calls for equal pay audits and lingering bias
MUMBAI: Progress may be visible in India’s workplaces, but many women still feel the need to tread carefully. A new report by Naukri reveals that one in two women hesitate to disclose marriage or maternity plans during job interviews, worried that such information could influence hiring decisions.
The findings come from the second edition of Naukri’s annual Voices @ Work International Women’s Day report, titled “What Women Professionals Want.” Drawing insights from more than 50,000 women across over 50 industries, the survey sheds light on evolving workplace aspirations alongside the biases that continue to hold women back.
One of the report’s most striking insights is the growing demand for equal pay audits. The share of women calling for regular pay parity checks has climbed to 27 per cent this year, up from 19 per cent a year ago. The demand now stands alongside menstrual leave as the most sought after workplace policy.
Interestingly, the call for pay transparency grows louder higher up the income ladder. Nearly half of women earning between Rs 50 lakh and Rs 1 crore annually say equal pay audits are a priority, suggesting that pay gaps become more visible as women move up the career ladder.
At the same time, confidence and ambition appear to be rising. About 83 per cent of women say they feel encouraged to pursue leadership roles, a significant jump from 66 per cent last year. Cities in southern India appear particularly supportive, with Hyderabad leading the way as 86 per cent of respondents there reported encouragement to step into leadership positions. The education sector recorded the highest sense of encouragement at 87 per cent.
Yet the report also highlights a growing trust deficit around pay equity. Nearly one in three women, or 33 per cent, say they do not believe men and women are paid equally at their workplace. That figure has risen from 25 per cent last year, pointing to widening perceptions of disparity as careers progress.
Bias in hiring and promotions continues to be the biggest hurdle. About 42 per cent of respondents say workplace bias is the main challenge for women from diverse backgrounds. The concern is consistent across major metros, with Chennai and Delhi NCR reporting similar levels.
Reluctance to discuss personal milestones during hiring processes is also widespread. While 34 per cent overall said they hesitate to share marriage or maternity plans in interviews, the anxiety increases with experience. Among professionals with 10 to 15 years of work experience, the figure rises to 40 per cent.
Info Edge group CMO Sumeet Singh, said the data reflects both progress and unfinished work. “Behind every data point in this report is a woman who is ambitious. The fact that 83 per cent feel encouraged to lead is something to celebrate. However, the fact that one in two still hide their marriage or maternity plans in interviews tells us the work is far from done. As India’s leading career platform, it felt not just important but necessary for us to shine a light on these gaps through the second edition of our report,” he said.
The report suggests that while ambition among women professionals is growing, structural changes around pay transparency, fair hiring and supportive policies will be key if workplaces hope to keep pace.
