Indian Idol 4 opens with 3.91, SET at number 4 now

Indian Idol 4, Sony Entertainment Television's (SET's) prize horse now turns as power house as it brings the channel back on the track. Expectations were high that the show would help SET regain its number four slot among the general entertainment channels (GECs), which indeed has with this exciting property. Indian Idol 4, began on September 19, and SET India, in its bid to generate curiosity for the show, has allocated a budget in the range of Rs 8-10 crore to embark on a marketing blitzkrieg. The officials at the channel believe that Indian Idol connects better with the youth than any other music reality show presently on air. Though the show, which opened with a TVR of 3.91 on September 19, certainly helped the channel increase its share in the time slot, it couldn't catapult SET out of the strong number three slot fully. It appears that the original show on the block has managed to pull in viewers on the sheer basis of affinity amongst its followers and the buzz created by the promotional activities undertaken by SET. As per TAM Media Research (C&S, 4+, HSM) for Week 38, the show managed a TVR of 4.17 with the second episode on September 20, and its channel share in the 9-10 pm slot went up from 12.22 per cent in the previous week to 14.16 per cent in latest week among GECs. Danish Khan, assistant vice-president, marketing, SET India, says, "The strong opening numbers for Indian Idol 4 is an emphatic endorsement to the young India positioning of the show and is a testament to the cult following the show enjoys. It also re-enforces the point that Indian Idol has managed to capture the dreams and aspirations of youth in India like no other show."