'Satyamev Jayate' should have high impact and talkability, say media experts

What are the implications of slotting Satyamev Jayate at 11.00 am on Sunday, Firstpost asked media planning experts Sam Balsara, chairman and managing director, Madison World and Shubha George, managing director, MEC South Asia “STAR is attempting to open up a new slot rather than competing for a share of existing pie,” says George, one of whose clients is advertising on the program, on Doordarshan. Balsara’s Madison, while being guarded about how he sees the programme doing, is confident enough to recommend to his clients that they advertise on the programme. “Several Madison clients are on the show. This is not an entertaining show but an infotainment show and, therefore, its TRP ratings across 13 episodes could be limited. The show’s initial episodes should have high ratings but may be difficult to sustain. The show should have high impact and talkability and clients who are on the show are aware of it. STAR has slotted it on Sunday morning so as not to affect its gross weekly ratings, I guess. The show should help awaken the conscience of India,” says Balsara. [caption id=“attachment_299557” align=“alignright” width=“380” caption=“Aamir Khan’s show ‘Satyamev Jayate’ goes on air tomorrow. Firstpost/ Raju Shelar”]  [/caption]George, too, is guarded about the delivery. “My view is there will be some curiosity because of Aamir and the secrecy around the content, but in TV, unlike films, it is not about the opening but about the sustainability of the viewership week after week. I think they have taken on two mammoth challenges - getting people to tune in at a time that they normally don’t and watching content which is probably less masala than regular TV fare,” she says. George is thoughtful about the choice of time-slot. “It is a risk and from an advertiser point of view – for those that are risk averse, it is an easy choice to sit out as the time slot means that it is not fragmenting in a major way any existing viewership. At worst, by staying out, there is an opportunity loss but no threat of existing campaigns missing their mark,” she says.