Wednesday,
May
30,
2007
Advertisements
play
a
major
role
in
deciding
the
financial
future
and
progress
of
a
particular
satellite
channel.
But
shouldn't
there
be
a
certain
airtime
limit
fixed
for
it?
Don't
we
sometime
wonder
whether
we
are
seeing
ads
within
our
favourite
soap
or
soap
within
ads?
"I
don't
think
so.
I
think
it's
very
evenly
balanced.
We
take
conscious
effort
to
make
sure
that
the
ads
are
limited," says
Sandiip
Sickand,
Senior
Creative
Director,
Sony
Entertainment
Television.
Veteran
director
Ajai
Sinha
who
has
made
soaps
like
'Astitva
-
ek
prem
Kahani',
sees
nothing
wrong
in
this
television
phenomenon.
"If
you
are
doing
a
business,
you
have
to
keep
an
eye
on
the
economy.
Even
you
write
an
article
because
you
get
the
money.
If
there's
a
demand
for
a
particular
show,
why
won't
anyone
cash
on
it",
says
Ajai
Sinha.
Veteran
director-producer
Ravi
Rai
seems
to
have
the
most
logical
explanation.
"In
today's
time,
everything
boils
down
to
money.
Ads
are
important
for
the
channels'
revenues.
But
the
important
thing
is
the
placing
of
the
ads
which
has
to
be
allocated
properly",
quotes
Ravi
Rai.
But
due
to
a
channel's
economical
needs,
aren't
we
doing
injustice
with
the
audience's
right
to
watch
entertainment?
After
all,
nobody
likes
to
have
a
long
frustrated
break
when
something
dramatic
is
going
to
happen
in
his
or
her
favorite
character's
life.
"During
an
exciting
one-day
game,
viewers
do
get
frustrated
due
to
an
ad
break
but
I
don't
think
the
same
goes
for
serials.
Ads
revenue
is
definitely
very
important.
And
moreover
if
your
hook
before
the
break
is
good,
the
audience
would
definitely
come
back",
explains
Sandiip
Sickand.
Ajai
Sinha
too
has
seems
to
have
a
quite
a
diplomatic
answer.
"That's
a
business
technique.
If
you
interrupt
a
dramatic
happening,
the
audiences
would
be
glued
to
the
television
set
to
watch
it
further
and
in
the
process
watch
the
ads
for
which
the
ad
companies
pay," says
Ajai
Sinha.
"Good
catch
point
raises
the
curiosity
of
the
viewer.
If
it's
there,
the
audiences
would
wait
within
the
break
in
anticipation
of
the
climax
of
a
particular
dramatic
scene",
says
Ravi
Rai.
This
is
one
point
where
everyone
seems
to
agree.
But
in
today's
world
every
audience
has
a
remote
in
his
hand
to
surf
different
channels
while
the
ads
are
being
played.
What
if
while
doing
so
he
gets
involved
in
watching
a
more
interesting
soap
on
a
different
channel
and
loses
interest
in
the
soap
he
was
viewing
before.
Doesn't
the
TRP
get
affected
by
this?
"Here
you
are
right.
Everybody
is
feeling
this
in
a
channel.
That's
the
reason
why
in
today's
world
the
television
channels
have
become
much
more
competitive",
admits
Sandiip
Sickand
honestly.
Ravi
Rai
too
believes
that
sometimes
you
tend
to
lose
your
viewers.
"Yeah,
I
believe
it
does
happen.
But
in
the
end
somebody's
loss
is
another's
gain",
quotes
Ravi
Rai.
Ajai
Sinha
too
doesn't
enjoy
the
interruption
that
a
break
creates.
"See,
if
the
TRPs
are
high
that
means
you
get
more
money
on
each
ad
aired.
If,
the
audiences
are
really
interested
in
a
particular
show,
then
he
would
definitely
get
back
to
watch
it
even
if
he
or
she
is
surfing
channels.
And
again
it
varies
from
person
to
person.
I
myself
keep
the
volume
mute
when
the
ads
are
being
played
between
the
break",
says
Ajai
Sinha.
Guess
it
boils
down
to
ads
being
a
necessary
evil,
something
which
our
TV
shows
just
can't
do
without.