Rahul Mahajan's marriage attracts 1.42 crore viewers

Rahul Mahajan, who became a familiar name in Indian households with his antics on reality show, Bigg Boss on Colors, may not have exactly set television ratings on fire; but has definitely helped Imagine get a head start.

The final episode, which saw Rahul Mahajan end his bride hunt and tie the knot with Dimpy Ganguly, had more than 1.42 crore viewers (C&S, 4+, NWE) tuning in on March 6, Saturday, as per aMap. The show recorded an average TVR of 4 and ran for three hours and 15 minutes.

Rahul Dulhaniya Le Jayega was the most watched property on television in that time band. Zee TV managed to garner a TVR of 2.1 cumulatively with its shows, Yahan Mein Ghar Ghar Kheli and Dance India Dance. Colors' shows, National Bingo Night and Uttaran fetched the channel a TVR of 1.4 during the same time band.

Because of the controversy in the previous season, about the actual wedding, or the absence thereof, between Rakhi Sawant and the chosen bridegroom, there was disappointment among the viewers. This time however, the channel had assured the viewers, through its promotions, that it would be different. "The reality element of the show has diminished and viewers are clearly watching it because of the 'masala' factor," observes Atrayee Chakraborty, director, planning sciences, Lintas Media Group.

Rakhi Ka Swayamvar, which was telecast in the middle of last year, propelled Imagine's GRPs and became the highest grosser on the channel. The finale of the show recorded an average TVR of 6.3. It even beat shows such as Sach Ka Saamna and Dance India Dance last year.

Nikhil Madhok, vice-president, marketing, communication and brand management, Imagine, believes that the concept has generated massive buzz. Because the novelty factor was lower this time, the channel had a different programming strategy.

Unlike the last season, the show was aired six times a week instead of five times; besides, there were repeat telecasts. "We had the main telecast at 8 pm for the smaller towns and a repeat at 11 pm for the metro audiences. This dual slotting helped us achieve high cumulative viewership, more than what we got for the first season," Madhok claims.

The viewership analysis by aMap shows that after its launch, the show failed to retain interest. It picked up in between, only to dip again, but gathered interest towards the end. The show garnered a TVR of 2.4 on the launch date. On the final day, it fetched Imagine 40 GRPs, double that of launch day.

Having tasted success second time round, the channel is tempted to have a third season of the show.