Updated: Viewers Vote For Sach Ka Saamna; Politicians Seek To Ban It

Star Plus’ show Sach Ka Saamna, the Indian version of polygraph test-based reality format The Moment Of Truth, was a hot topic of discussion today in the Rajya Sabha, the upper house of Indian Parliament. Samajwadi Party MP Kamal Akthar raised the matter in Rajya Sabha today, alleging that “obscene questions” were being asked about contestants’ personal life in front of their family members. He said the show was against the “Indian culture”. Prithviraj Chavan, minister of state for Parliamentary affairs, said the government was ready for a discussion on the subject. This will likely come up on a later date, setting of a fresh round of debate about government intervention in media. All Indian channels are bound by a programming and advertising code, which are both open to harsh and lenient interpretations (obscenity can mean different things to different people, afterall) . If political pressure builds on the subject, the ministry of I&B might be forced to invoke relevant sections against the show. One can only hope that better sense prevails. Here’s the transcript of the day’s relevant proceedings in the Rajya Sabha.

It must be noted that the Greek version of the same show was banned in that country last month.

Last week, Janata Dal United president Sharad Yadav had demanded that Colors’ soap Balika Vadhu should be banned as it violated the constitution. Indian politicians seem to be watching too much television.

Ratings

Sach Ka Saamna (SKS), which must succeed if Star Plus has to regain its leadership position from Colors, opened with an impressive average TVR (television viewership rating) of 4.3 and the highest rating of 4.59, according to data from audience measurement firm TAM Media Research. The show debuted at No.4 in the top 10 shows. In comparison, Sony’s Iss Jungle Se Mujhe Bachao (I’m A Celebrity; Get Me Out Of Here) clocked an average TVR of 2 and Colors’ India’s Got Talent garnered 2.9. NDTV Imagine’s Rakhi Ka Swayamvar got an average TVR of 3.1.

Despite the good opening of SKS, Star Plus trailed Colors this week with 293 GRPs. Colors leads with 308 and Zee is at No.3 with 266 GRPs. (Click on the image to watch a slideshow of detailed numbers.)

ET Now

ET Now seems to be overcoming teething troubles and has grown impressively to gain a 10% marketshare (all India) this week. That’s nearly half of NDTV Profit, which had a 21% market share for the week ended 18 July. ET Now’s growth is particularly interesting given the ongoing earnings season. The channel has done even better in the metros, with a 15% marketshare this week, up steadily from a 7% share two weeks ago. In the metro segment, it has narrowed the gap with NDTV Profit, which has a 22% market share and has left behind UTVi, which clocked a 5% marketshare this week.