Today, the scenario is not the same as reality shows and soaps are the order of the day. Every time you turn on any channel, there is repeat telecast of some sluggish reality show or soap.
There are many people who avidly watch these shows. Even if these are telecast twice or thrice a day, they don’t mind watching them.
“My mom is a regular viewer of a serial. Whenever she is unable to watch it for some reason, she manages to keep track through repeat telecasts,” says Shilpa Nagaraj, a degree student.
She watches many reality shows herself and finds no harm in viewing the repeat telecast of these shows.
“I used to watch ‘MTV Roadies’ and Kaun Banega Crorepati as they were really fun to watch. All my family members used to sit together to watch KBC. Now also we don’t mind catching all the fun and action once again when there is a repeat telecast of it,” she adds. Thanks to repeat telecasts, there is no variety in weekend TV programmes, feels Sahana Prasad, a BBM student.
“Over the years, I feel, there is no reality in reality shows as participants speak, act and weep according to a script. It is quite irritating to see these dramatic shows throughout the day. These days, all the channels reproduce the whole week’s episodes during weekends,” she says.
Shashirekha, a housewife, feels reality shows are losing their meaning.
“Reality show was a nice concept when it first started and impressed most of the audience. But as we cannot eat the same dish everyday no matter how delicious it may be, no one can watch the same thing over and over again. These shows become worse when they begin making different seasons,” she says. She feels most of the shows have the same set of judges and hosts putting same challenges with the same criteria of choosing and eliminating participants.
Jagadish Dombe, a BPO employee, observes that even some news channels telecast programmes based on daily soaps and reality shows for hours.
“Reality shows work more for audiences than for the participants. Reality shows have been a great platform for forgotten actresses to make a comeback. These ladies are seen judging reality shows, which is not even their forte,” he concludes.