EXCLUSIVE: India looks like it has a new reality TV hit on its hands.
The debut of Rise and Fall, Amazon MX Player‘s remake of the Studio Lambert format that played on Channel 4 in the UK, secured an average streaming audience in week one of 3.8 million and a second week average that rose to 4.9 million, according to ratings analyst Ormax Media.
The first week ratings, covering September 1-the 7), put it second behind India’s biggest reality show, JioHotstar’s Bigg Boss (the local version of Big Brother), which is on its nineteenth season and took an average of 7.8 million. It was ahead of Netflix’s Wednesday Season 2 (2.4 million) and The Great Indian Kapil Show Season 3 (1.7 million), and meant it was the top original series of the week.
In week two, Rise and Fall was ahead of SonyLIV’s Kaun Banega Crorepati (Who Wants to be a Millionaire) Season 17 (2.8 million) and The Great Indian Kapil Show (1.7 million).
MX Player noted the show, which Banijay India makes, has also driven more than 500 million social media views, and was “fast shaping into the cultural moment of the year in the OTT system.”
The show sees 15 celebrity contestants from the worlds of Bollywood, music, sports, entrepreneurship, and social media put through a social experiment over 42 days in which one group of contestants takes part in challenges in the basement of a high-rise, while another group at the top dictates events, with players frequently eliminated and some moving up and down the building as they chase a cash prize. by Ashneer Grover hosts the Indian version, and Omung Kuma handled the set design. Cast includes Noorin Sha exit the competition, while the remaining contestants — Arbaaz Patel, Aarush Bhola, Aahana Kumra, Aditya Narayan, Arjun Bijlani, Dhanashree Verma, Kubra Sait, Kiku Sharda, Anaya Banger, Nayandeep Rakshit, Bali and Akriti Negi.
“With Rise And Fall, Amazon MX Player is redefining reality television for India,” said Karan Bedi, Director & Head – Amazon MX Player. “We went back to the basics of what audiences want and enjoy – not just spectacle and drama, but strategy, leadership, and emotion. By reimagining a global format through an Indian lens, we’re bringing viewers a bold, refreshing and powerful narrative that resonates deeply with today’s audiences.”
The original Rise and Fall ran on Channel 4 for a season, but was cancelled after middling ratings failed to live up to significant hype and a high production tariff. All3Media sells the format internationally. The India version streams for free on Amazon MX Player daily before airing on Sony Entertainment Television in the evening.
Amazon’s ad-supported streaming service had around 250 million unique users when it merged with Amazon MiniTV last year. It offers local shows such as Ek Badnaam Aashram, Campus Diaries, Jamnapaar, Half CA and Bhaukaal, and acquired series dubbed in Hindi, Tamil and Telugu under a MX Vdesi vertical. These include My Girlfriend Is An Alien, Golden Boy, Demon Slayer and Lovely Runner.
