Is television’s Rupali Ganguly overtaking Salman Khan, Smriti Irani, and Amitabh Bachchan in popularity?

Remember the time, back in 2020, when the world seemed bleak and all activities came to a halt. That was the rising point for OTT. When the world sprang to normalcy and OTT platforms, dissected into many offerings giving choices to the viewers like never before, the primary concern was the future of television.

While Indian serials, which were airing, continued work post the pandemic and started picking up traction, heavyweight names also started looking to explore their luck on OTT. However, almost five years later, where the distinction between media has narrowed and actors casually cross over between media, the question still stands - Is it the end of television serials? 

Is television beating the digitally-forward OTT platforms?

Putting an end to all the rumours, questions, and concerns is the BARC viewership survey, which points out the highest viewed content across multiple platforms. Interestingly, it was not the bass-voiced ‘ Deviyon Aur Sajjano’ Amitabh Bachchan in the popular Kaun Banega Crorepati Season 17; nor was the ever charming and elegant Jai Shri Krishna of Smriti Irani who reprised her role as Tulsi in Kyunki Saas Bhi Kabhi Bahu Thi reboot.

Even the extreme fights, melodrama, hard tasks, or controversial Weekend Ka Vaar with Salaman Khan for Bigg Boss 19 failed to tick the highest viewership box. In fact, it was Anupamaa, helmed by Rupali Ganguly, which still leads the way on television with a rating of 2.4, making it accessible to over 3 million + viewers. 

This raises several questions. Is the demand for television coming back again? Are people developing OTT fatigue? Are big names, even from Bollywood, no longer able to draw the attention of the viewers? Are controversies and fights of reality shows failing over pure content in television drama?

Interestingly, even Yeh Rishta Kya Kehlata Hai, which has been one of the longest-running television shows for over a decade and several cast and track changes, has been able to score  2 in the rate box, right behind Anupamaa. In the third place lies another long-running comedy, Tarak Mehta Ka Ooltah Chashmah, with a 1.9 rating. 

What is interesting is that most of the shows today have dual outlets of viewership. This includes the episodes being telecast on television channels and streamed over OTT. Even though a reality show may fare better on OTT with a bigger budget and big-name participants, the television viewership is still at a loss in front of the OG television drama. Does this mean that the audience chooses their desired platform for each content? Is television getting a new lease of life? Is content still the king? And what happens to the tussle between OTT and television? Only in the days to come would one find out, but till now, one can safely say that television is here to stay, and it's not such an idiot after all! 

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