The Failure of Zee's Sawaal Dus Crore Ka

However, the channel failed to become as popular as the channels offering programs in Hindi. Star realized that it was handicapped by its image of being a foreign channel catering only to the cosmopolitan English speaking population. To increase its presence in the Indian market Star began a daily two-hour Hindi program band. Star Plus' move to 'go Indian' met with a mixed response from the viewers. While fans of the earlier programming mix lashed out strongly against the channel, the media described this as Star's desperate attempt to garner viewership. Though initially the move was criticized, Star Plus' smart and consumer oriented programming (a mix of soaps and Bollywood based programs) won over the viewers...

To lure back the audience lost due to the KBC effect, Zee launched its Malamaal interactive contest. However, the promotion did not do the trick for Zee, and the KBC menace continued to eat into its TRP ratings and ad revenues. It was at this time that Zee TV decided that it had to come out with a program, which could match KBC. Thus was born Sawal Dus Crore Ka (SDCK). Zee seemed to have hit the wrong note from the very beginning, when it decided to make SDCK a replica of KBC with Anupam Kher and Manisha Koirala as anchors. To lure away KBC viewers, Zee decided to feed on their greed by offering prize money of Rs 100 million to the winner, as against KBC's Rs 10 million, giving the show a tremendous response initially...