POWER CUTS AFFECT THE TV SERIALS VIEWING

The TAM ratings of various Tamil TV serials being broadcast in the morning hours, when the power cut is at the pinnacle, has dropped considerably. The people of Tamil Nadu face the power cut for the last several months, at last have decided to switch off their idiot boxes but with much reluctancy. However, those who watch the prime-time TV serials did not give up watching those serials, since, the power cut has not been playing in these crucial hours..

According to the latest overall TAM ratings for the Week 43 to Week 44, Sun TV, Kalaignar TV, Jaya TV and Raj TV channels have registered a marginal improvement over the previous Week's.

Industry watchers, however, confirmed that day time viewing of serials has been affected. Although prime time viewership, between 6 pm and 10 pm, has remained unaffected, with serials like Arasi and Kolangal registering an increase in ratings, those aired in the mornings such as Vasantham and Athipookal on Sun TV have seen a dip in their ratings in Week 44 compared to the earlier Week's.

Programmes like Super Singer continue to be unaffected as well, but media watchers conceded that there was an imbalance in the viewing pattern, not out of audience choice but due to the power cuts.

"Many of our TRPs have fallen in the last few weeks and we are answerable to the advertisement agencies. It has never happened before in the television industry, and corporates have started tightening their belts, with contracts that should have been signed with advertisers not happening." said Radhika Sarath Kumar of Radaan Media.

However, with more people tuning into television as an option to going out, the industry is happy to churn out content. "Production is not hit, only our margins are," said Pushpa Kandaswamy, producer of serials such as Comedy Colony on Jaya TV.