TV channels battle for ratings and revenue
TV channels battle for ratings and revenue
JAKARTA (JP): The country's first commercial station RCTI,
which was introduced 12 years ago on Aug 24, and SCTV, which was
launched a year later, also on Aug. 24, find August the hottest
month of the year.
Competition for prime time programming among Indonesian
commercial TV stations has never been fiercer in this rating-
obsessed industry with the ratings of the top 20 programs rarely
going above 20 percent, thanks to the variety of programs
introduced by the stations recently .
By definition, prime time is the most critical part of the day
for a TV station. "This period offers the largest potential for
viewership and greatest opportunity to compete with other
networks for national viewing supremacy," says Richard Blum and
Richard Lindheim in their book Primetime, Network Television
Programming.
In Indonesia, prime time has been extended from between TVRI's
news at 7.30 p.m. and 9.00 p.m. to between 7.00 p.m. and 10.00
p.m.
With the absence of a ministry of information -- closed by
former president Abdurrahman Wahid in 1998 -- stations have been
fighting tooth and nail for bigger viewership during prime time.
For this year's anniversary, RCTI and SCTV, to win viewers'
hearts, are going head-to-head to air their best shows.
During this period, which began on Aug. 16, SCTV will be
screening 10 blockbuster Hollywood movies, four Mandarin Jet Li
movies and two locally produced comedies in addition to its live
SCTV Awards.
On the other hand, RCTI has a lineup of five Hollywood
blockbusters and five Mandarin theatricals. On the D-day of its
anniversary, RCTI will present a special program called RCTI-ku
RCTI-mu featuring several top local artists. This program will be
aired one hour before SCTV Awards, which will also feature many
popular artists.
The key to a station's success is keeping its content fresh.
Take for example Saturday evenings -- which was recording the
lowest viewership and somewhat neglected by stations for years --
is now a hot pie for every station.
Defying viewers' outcry for taking out English Premier
League's on Saturday night, SCTV has slotted in local series
Kasih and Titip Rindu Buat Ayah instead. Locally produced serials
with complicated plots have proven to have the highest
viewership, which explains why RCTI introduced a new series
Pernikahan Dini for the younger generation in the same slot.
This has put the series and the stations on top position
respectively in its ratings and shares. However, RCTI only
managed to maintain its position for a couple of weeks as
Indosiar's introduction of Indian movies under the Mega Bollywood
banner have taken the lead since then.
And for the first time in Indonesia's television history, an
Indian movie -- Kuch Kuch Hota Hai -- recorded the highest rating
of all the programs. Kuch Kuch Hota Hai achieved a 25 percent
rating and pushed Pernikahan Dini from its number one position
with a 22 percent rating to number 18 with only a 12 percent
rating!
"We found a vacant slot on Saturday evening and we slotted in
the Indian movies under Mega Bollywood and this coincidentally
went head-on with Pernikahan Dini. But we let the viewers have
the final say. It's their right to choose," Indosiar spokesman
Gufroni Sakaril said.
"We treat our viewers as assets as their numbers also decide
the number of commercials," said Muryadi Ikhsan of RCTI Public
Relations department.
"Our strategy is simply to provide the best programs for the
viewers," SCTV spokesman Budi Dharmawan said.
As a commercial station they share a common goal of earning
the most revenue possible. Most advertisers want to reach the
maximum number of viewers for their product.
AC Nielsen's record show that since Indosiar became the number
one station in terms of rating, its revenue grew accordingly.
(See table).
And growing advertising revenue is also enticing new players
to have a bite of it. (Luas Samudera)