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Special Feature: Five top TV shows in India not doing well in UK

The success of television shows can differ per market, with some working in one country as oppose to another. BizAsiaLive.com takes a closer look at shows that are topping ratings in India but are declared flops in the UK.

Naagin 4 (Colors)
Whenever ‘Naagin’ returns for a new season run on Colors, it is guaranteed the top position. Currently, the show sits at No.1 as India’s leading Hindi entertainment show in the Urban region (Week 1 of 2020). The show over the years has continued to prosper in India but the story couldn’t be any different in the UK market. Despite sitting in the coveted 20:00 weekend slot, ‘Naagin 4’ has proven to be one of the least watched shows across all Asian TV networks at the weekend. The show faces stiff competition from ‘Indian Idol 11’ (Sony TV) and ‘Dance+ 5’ (Star Plus) during the same time slot. In UK data for Saturday 11th and Sunday 12th January 2020, ‘Naagin 4’ could only muster in 5,000 and 10,000 viewers respectively.

Yeh Rishta Kya Kehlata Hai (Star Plus)
Star Plus’ longest running fiction continues to surprise in India ratings. ‘Yeh Rishta Kya Kehlata Hai’ has consistently been one of the most watched shows in India but its success in the UK has been somewhat mixed. The Rajan Shahi production has done well over the years in the UK but recently, viewers are not connecting so well with the amount of break-ups and make-ups the show’s leads have gone through. With a wedding looming on the show, it is hoping that the ratings again go through the roof and give the show a higher position it deserves. Currently, ‘Yeh Rishta Kya Kehlata Hai’ sits with an audience hovering around the 20,000 mark, that’s around three/four times less than the UK’s most watched show.

Kundali Bhagya (ZEE TV)
ZEE TV’s channel driver ‘Kundali Bhagya’ has since its launch been one of the most watched shows, topping charts in India as the leading Hindi fiction in the Urban region. Due to ZEE TV’s waning popularity in the UK market, a lot of its shows have struggled here. ‘Kundali Bhagya’, which deserves some recognition for the success it has had over the years in India, has met with cold vibes from UK viewers. The show’s audience hovers around the 1,000 mark – but sometimes fails to register a big enough audience, resulting in a zero display on the chart.

Kumkum Bhagya (ZEE TV)
Similarly, ZEE TV’s longest running show ‘Kumkum Bhagya’ and the sister show of ‘Kundali Bhagya’ has not met with the same response in the UK as it has in India. In India, ‘Kumkum Bhagya’ is placed behind ‘Kundali Bhagya’ as the channel’s biggest show. In the UK, the show often struggles to register a big enough audience to feature in the channel’s ratings. It currently hovers around with an audience of 1,000 viewers. ‘Kumkum Bhagya’ sits in the 20:30 slot in the UK, which faces stiff competition from ‘Kullfi Kumarr Bajewala’ (Star Plus) and ‘Patiala Babes’ (Sony TV).

Tujhse Hai Raabta (ZEE TV)
Another popular show on ZEE TV, which has unable to garner the attraction it gets in India. ‘Tujhse Hai Raabta’ is one of the most watched shows on ZEE TV India and while its launch in the UK showed some signs of success initially, it was short-lived. Since then, ‘Tujhse Hai Raabta’ has regularly attracted a zero rating in the 20:00 UK slot. The show faces strong opposition from Star Plus’ ‘Kahaan Hum Kahaan Tum’ and ‘Shakti’ on Colors in the same time slot.