MUMBAI: Riding on the back of several close encounters and an engaging month long marketing campaign, the ratings for the sixth edition of the Indian Premier League (IPL) on Max and Six have held steady.

According to Tam data provided by the broadcaster, the first five matches and the Opening Ceremony got an average TVR of 3.8 for CS 4+ TG All India market. It has managed a reach of 100 million.

Last time the first six matches and the Opening Ceremony got an average TVR of 3.9 but the reach was 78 million. The story is similar in the Hindi Speaking Markets (HSM) where the average rating this time is 4 compared to 4.1 last year.

Data provided by the broadcaster also shows that the Mumbai Indians matches are followed the most. The closely fought match between Royal Challengers Bangalore and Mumbai Indians got a TVR of 4.9, the highest so far for any match.

The Mumbai Indians versus Chennai Super Kings match got a TVR of 4.5. The first match last year which featured these two teams had crossed a TVR of 5 with a 5.5 TVR. Following the trend seen in previous years the early evening match had a lower rating.

The match between the Rajasthan Royals and Delhi Daredevils at 4 pm this time had a rating of 2.1. The Opening Ceremony?s viewership which featured the likes of Pitbull improved with a rating of 1.8 compared to 1.2 last year.

Multi Screen Media (MSM) president network sales, licensing and telephony Rohit Gupta said that the ratings were a combination of different factors. "Despite Tam?s panel expansion the event has done well. There is more buzz this time. The matches are closely fought. The stadiums are packed. On the ad inventory front we are more or less sold out. We have got 11 sponsors."

He adds that the IPL has hit Hindi GECs. "If you see the ratings of other channels like Zee, Colors, and Star have been hit. ?Dabangg? would have contributed 28-30 GRPs for Star. If you take that away then Star has taken a big hit."

Vivaki Exchange CEO Mona Jain said that the event has stabilised. "There is a lot of paraphernalia happening around it. It is getting into the primetime viewing of homes. People want to be clued into the hot topic of the day which is the IPL. Also cricket has gotten a fresh lease of life after India beat Australia."

Max EVP and Business Head Neeraj Vyas reveals that not only has the reach of the property gone up, the time spent has also remained steady at 24-25 minutes. The reach, particularly, has been encouraging as the tournament happened in the backdrop of 38 cities going digital in Phase II, adds Vyas.

MSM has already sold 90 per cent of its inventory for tournament with 11 sponsors on-board which include Pepsi and Vodafone as co-presenting sponsors with Tata Photon, Samsung Mobile, Panasonic, Havells, Usha Appliances, Karbonn Tablets, Godrej, and Parle as associate sponsors.

MUMBAI: Zee TV has launched a new weekend non-fiction show titled India?s Best Dramebaaz, a 13-week reality series that will air every Saturday-Sunday at 9 pm starting 23 February.

The show produced by Essel Group?s in-house production arm Essel Vision will help Zee TV to take on competitors in weekend prime-time slot post the conclusion of its singing reality show Sa Re Ga Ma Pa on 27 January.

The talent hunt show being totted as a national platform for India?s budding acting talent will put children in the age range of 5-12 years through a series of tasks and challenges that will groom them as actors and test their creativity, spontaneity and acting capabilities.

Zeel Head ? Content (Hindi GECs) Ajay Bhalwankar said, ?With India?s Best Dramebaaz, Zee TV is yet again introducing an all-new format in the non-fiction genre. Acting is something each one of us engages in, perhaps, without even realizing it. We all go through life portraying a variety of roles we are called upon to play. Children, without a doubt, are the most natural actors as they are simply not conscious of themselves."

To judge the kids on their histrionic skills, the channel has roped in popular actors Vivek Oberoi, Sonali Bendre and film-maker Anurag Basu. The show also marks Vivek?s debut on television.

Three months back, Zee TV began its countrywide search for the 18 talented kids from across the country.

Zee TV?s talent scouts have conducted auditions in Mumbai, Delhi, Kolkata, Nagpur, Patna, Bhopal, Chandigarh, Jaipur, Ahmedabad, Indore, Lucknow, Ranchi and Dehradun and the short-listed contestants are currently undergoing comprehensive workshops on honing their talent.

MUMBAI: Star Plus, the leading Hindi GEC, is beefing up its weekend primetime where it lags behind rival networks Sony Entertainment Television (Set), Colors and Zee TV.

The channel is launching two one-hour fiction shows at the 8 and 9 pm band from 11 August.

?Teri Meri Love Stories? will occupy the 9 pm slot on Saturdays and Sundays, a time zone where Star Plus was airing repeats. It will compete with reality shows like ?Jhalak Dikhhla Jaa? (Colors), ?DID lil Masters? (Zee TV) and ?Indian Idol? (Set).

?Arjun? will replace ?Gumrah?, a Channel [V] property, to air at 8 pm. It will have to encounter Set?s crime-based property ?Adalat? that airs from 7.30-8.30 pm. Colors, on the other hand, telecasts special episodes of one of its fiction shows every Saturday. Meanwhile, Zee TV airs repeats at this slot.

?Teri Meri Love Stories? is a collection of "heartfelt" stories of people who surrender to the pressures of life and are letting love fade. Knocking on their inward eye, the realisation that comes with small incidents helps them rekindle love in their lives. Each story shown is a depiction of the re-discovery and re-colouring of fading love or a missed opportunity to find love in the chores of modern day existence.

?Arjun? is an action/crime investigation series that will see the lead character, Arjun, to solve crime-based cases. He, along with the Emergency Task Force Team, will aim to free the world from all crimes.

Produced by Four Lions Productions, Arjun is directed by Gorkhy.

Star Plus GM Nachiket Pantvaidya said, "We hope to get spikes from our weekend properties. We want to make the weekend fiction programmes more of a habit for the viewers. We aim to project ourselves as No. 1 in the weekend with the launch of ?Arjun?, ?Teri Meri Love Stories? and ?Lakhon Mein Ek?."

?Lakhon Mein ek?, which has replaced Aamir Khan?s Satyamev Jayate, features stories of real life people who rose above the ordinary through choices they made. The show features inspiring tales of courage that has the potential to change entrenched mindsets, the channel said.