Seasoned TV serial producers flock to web content

At their peak, before the binge-watching era, primetime TV serials had audiences in a spell for years on end, even if the plot barely moved. But OTT (over the top) content and its convenience of non-linear viewing, digital short videos, and social media are pulling audience attention in different directions. And the ratings of TV serials—the backbone of general entertainment channels (GECs)—are plunging.

Ten years ago, Yeh Rishta Kya Kehlata Hai used to garner TRPs of 9-10. Now, it’s a big [achievement] even if you touch 2-3,” says Hindi and Marathi TV serial producer Rajan Shahi, who is known for the show that has been airing on Star Plus since 2009, as well as hits like Anupamaa (Hindi, 2020) and Aai Kuthe Kay Karte (Marathi, 2019).

Some producers, at least in the regional language space, are already talking of a big shift in ad spend towards OTT and social media. And the dip in TRPs has forced producers to tweak their format to appeal to audiences across platforms in what is being dubbed the ‘TV+’ model.

In Hindi, producers point to ‘TV+’ content such as Gullak (SonyLIV), which are 25-50-100-episode shows made on a budget of Rs 30-50 lakh an episode for OTT platforms. They are the middle ground between a typical TV serial and expensive web originals like Farzi or Family Man that are shot on budgets of Rs 3–3.5 crore per episode (excluding actor fee).

Saurabh Tewari, writer and producer of Hindi shows like Sherdil Shergill on Colors TV and Lakhan Leela Bhargav (LLB) on JioCinema, says it is better to go in for these short-format shows rather than sign up for a 260-episode serial and risk losing money if it shuts down within 100 episodes. “Besides, the volume of business is the same whether you do 20 episodes on a budget of Rs 35 lakh per episode or 100 episodes on a budget of Rs 7 lakh per episode.”

S. Ramamurthy’s Vision Time India has been a leading producer of south Indian serials for over two decades. One of his shows, Kayal (2021) on Sun TV, has been the top-rated show in Tamil with a TRP of 11-12 on primetime since it began airing. In contrast, his show Thangam, which aired between 2009 and 2013, maintained a TRP of 33. “Earlier, afternoon serials used to manage a TRP of 11-12. Now, primetime serials garner only 11-12, while afternoon shows get 5,” he says. “Shows used to easily run for 8-10 years earlier. These days, a good show lasts 500 episodes (two years).” Ramamurthy says his firm is working on eight TV serials now, compared to 14 a decade ago.

Leading Telugu serial producer Shobu Yarlagadda, famous for producing the Baahubali films, is the Co-Founder and CEO of Arka Media Works. The firm is focussing more on web shows, with four to five in various stages of development, while its serial count has dipped. “Serials barely turn in profits. For us, it just breaks even and meets certain parts of our office expenses.”

But OTT platforms haven’t cracked the profitability code just yet. Producers say it takes years for a show to get mooted on a top OTT platform. Shahi says the visibility of failure is higher on TV. “In digital, you make entire seasons. You find out only when the show doesn’t get renewed for a second season that the first one did not work, maybe.” Even as the TV versus OTT content debate rages on, producers say primetime TV serials are a diminishing phenomenon. Yarlagadda sees them making way for more non-fiction programming such as reality-, talk-, and game shows. “But the peak of the TV era is behind us.” Business Today