t is regressive. It promotes gender stereotypes. It projects women in poor light. Everybody likes it. The first three statements are the sum of what a majority of the people who don�t watch it will tell you about Kyunki Saas Bhi Kabhi Bahu Thi (KSBKBT). The last is what data from TAM Media Research, the outfit that tracks television audiences in India, says about the longest running family soap on STAR Plus � and on C&S; television. The Balaji Telefilms-produced serial completed 1,000 episodes this month. The average television rating point (TRP) for the show has been upwards of 10 all this while. It has consistently been at the No 1 slot in the TAM Top 100 weekly ratings for the last four years, barring a few slips when an odd India-Pakistan match or an indefatigable stable mate dislodged it from its position. Its popularity can be gauged from the fact that Smriti Irani, who plays the lead character Tulsi, has become a household name today.

To get an indication of what the kerfuffle means for STAR, try this. The effective ad rates (not card rates) on KSBKBT (prime time) are Rs 6 lakh per 30 seconds, that is, Rs 2 lakh per 10 seconds. (At its peak, cricket sold for Rs 5 lakh per 10 seconds on Ten Sports during India�s tour of Pakistan last year.) Compare this to other popular STAR Plus shows such as Kumkum and Bhabhi in the afternoon time band: a 30-second spot on these two is priced at Rs 3 lakh (that is, Rs 1 lakh per 10 seconds). The rate on the recently concluded talent hunt show Indian Idol, that gave Sony a big lift in terms of channel share, was Rs 1.5 lakh per 10 seconds (according to media planners the effective rate might be lower since Sony sells airtime not on a programme-by-programme basis like STAR Plus but as a package), while ZEE�s popular Astitva goes at Rs 1.1 lakh, for 10 seconds.... more