GECs
‘Porus’ viewership soldiers on
MUMBAI: Sony’s magnum opus Porus has been the talk of the town–first for being the first show wherein the IP is with the creator and later for its not-so-spectacular viewership. In fact, rumour mills were abuzz that the show would struggle to shrug off its sluggish start and build on its viewership. Broadcast Audience Research Council (BARC) data for the show, however, paints a different picture.
According to the data, the ratings (U+R) of the show are significantly higher than the ratings of the channel’s prime time daily soap Rishta Likhenge Hum Naya (Rishta Likhenge) and another prime-time show Vighnaharta Ganesh. While Porus is aired at 8.30 pm, Vighnaharta Ganesh precedes it at 8 pm, whereas Rishta Likhenge is shown at 9 pm on weekdays.
Porus’ launch week bagged it 3.6 million impressions in week 48 of 2017’s BARC data. The second week saw a drop of 0.6 million impressions. After 10 weeks of being on air, the latest ratings of week 5 for 2018 show Porus at a consistent 3.3 million impressions.
On the flip side, the week 48 of Vighnaharta Ganesh garnered 3.4 million impressions and Rishta Likhenge got 1.9 million impressions. There was no impact of Porus on Vighnaharta Ganesh’s ratings that was apparent in week 49, whereas Rishta lost 0.1 million impressions from week 48.
Swastik Productions founder Siddharth Kumar Tewary says, “Porus has been consistent in its ratings since its launch and this was our plan to be consistent in the beginning and then grow slowly. We held on to our ratings from the beginning to now. The first episode was a one-hour content and now we are showing 22 minutes content.” He says that comparing the current 3.3 million figure with the initial 3.6 million one shows that the show has actually grown. “We have made Porus with a huge amount of conviction. People have really appreciated us for keeping the promise of giving them differentiated concept and the way of storytelling,” he adds.
“Porus is a premium product. We have been happy with the viewership we have got and we are expecting it to grow up by 20 percent from February onwards,” said Sony Entertainment Television EVP and business head Danish Khan. During the ten weeks, the highest impressions that Vighnaharta Ganesh holds is 3.8 million impressions, Porus has 3.6 million impressions, and Rishta has 2.1 million impressions.
SonyLiv EVP & digital business head Uday Sodhi says, “Porus is very popular and among the best performing shows like Taarak Mehta, Yeh Un Dinon Ki Baat Hai and Super Dancer on SonyLiv. The scale and impact of the show is amazing. It is perfect for digital audiences and it is able to capture the scale & the size fruitfully. We are seeing significant consumption of the show on SonyLiv. There is a huge jump in the month of January over December. The viewership of Porus has grown 30 per cent in January as compared to December.”
Porus has successfully travelled to Sri Lanka with a new name Digvijaya. The buyer for the 260-episode series is Maharaja Television (MTV) and the show will be dubbed in Sinhala. Earlier, Porus was acquired by Workpoint Entertainment of Thailand for exclusive TV and non-exclusive digital rights.
|
Weeks |
VIGHNAHARTA GANESH |
PORUS |
RISHTA LIKHENGE HUM NAYA |
|
Week 48 |
3.4 million Impressions |
3.6 million Impressions |
1.9 million Impressions |
|
Week 49 |
3.4 million Impressions |
3.0 million Impressions |
1.8 million Impressions |
|
Week 50 |
3.6 million Impressions |
3.3 million Impressions |
1.9 million Impressions |
|
Week 51 |
3.3 million Impressions |
2.8 million Impressions |
1.7 million Impressions |
|
Week 52 |
3.8 million Impressions |
3.1 million Impressions |
1.7 million Impressions |
|
Week 1 |
3.3 million Impressions |
3.1 million Impressions |
1.7 million Impressions |
|
Week 2 |
3.8 million Impressions |
3.4 million Impressions |
2.1 million Impressions |
|
Week 3 |
3.8 million Impressions |
3.2 million Impressions |
1.8 million Impressions |
|
Week 4 |
3.3 million Impressions |
3.0 million Impressions |
1.7 million Impressions |
|
Week 5 |
3.4 million Impressions |
3.3 million Impressions |
1.8 million Impressions |
Also Read :
‘Porus’ launched as ‘Digvijaya’ in Sri Lanka
Thai broadcaster Workpoint acquires TV rights for Porus
‘Porus’ will alter the economics of the ecosystem, says SET’s Danish Khan
GECs
Sebi sends show-cause notice to Zee over fund diversion, company responds
Regulator questions 2018 letter of comfort and governance lapses; company vows robust legal response
MUMBAI: India’s markets watchdog has reignited its long-running scrutiny of Zee Entertainment Enterprises, issuing a sweeping show-cause notice that drags the broadcaster and 84 others into a widening governance storm.
The notice, dated February 12, has been served by the Securities and Exchange Board of India to Zee, chairman emeritus Subhash Chandra and managing director and chief executive Punit Goenka, among others. At its heart: allegations that company funds were indirectly routed to settle liabilities of entities linked to the Essel Group.
The regulator’s probe traces its roots to November 2019, when two independent directors resigned from Zee’s board, flagging concerns over the alleged appropriation of fixed deposits by Yes Bank. The deposits were reportedly adjusted against loans extended to Essel Group entities, triggering questions about related-party dealings and board oversight.
A key flashpoint is a letter of comfort dated September 4, 2018, issued by Subhash Chandra in his dual capacity as chairman of Zee and the Essel Group. The document, linked to credit facilities availed by certain group companies from Yes Bank, was allegedly known only to select members of management and not disclosed to the full board—an omission SEBI believes raises red flags over transparency and governance controls.
Zee has pushed back hard. In a statement, the company said it “strongly refutes” the allegations against it and its board members and will file a detailed response. It expressed confidence that SEBI would conduct a fair review and signalled readiness to pursue all legal remedies to protect shareholder interests.
The notice marks the latest twist in a saga that has shadowed the broadcaster since 2019. What began as boardroom unease has morphed into a full-blown regulatory confrontation. The final reckoning now rests with SEBI—but the reputational stakes for Zee, and the message for India Inc on governance discipline, could scarcely be higher.
