Fluctuating TRP ratings and a thinning revenue margin for channels have brought the Indian television industry face to face with one of its biggest challenges so far: How to slow-poison the saas-bahu serials.

According to officials working with GEC (General Entertainment Channels), the kitchen politics sagas have become a headache as their TRP ratings are sagging.

"Some channels have stopped accepting big-budget saas-bahu serials because they can no longer afford to buy them from producers. Same is the case with a few reality shows," says an official.Entertainment channels have started stressing on low-budget soaps with "innovative content"..

"It's a vicious circle. The revenues have dried up and so channels cannot afford so many grandiose saga's anymore. Getting innovative content on air has always been a challenge - it has become tougher," says producer Tony Singh

Even top production houses have been forced to review their scripts, including Ekta Kapoor's Balaji Productions. "Ekta has just come back from Pune where she was scripting for her new serial. The TRPs for these grand tales have plummeted sharply in the last few months and its time that they switch to other tales. Even reality shows have started to fall on the charts and, in some cases, don't even account for 10% of the revenues for a channel. It's time for a paradigm shift in content," the official adds.

Competition has become so intense that television industry insiders say that some channels and production houses will have shut shop as all channels have put a cap on how many "costly soaps" they can afford. "Everybody is working towards getting something on air that is cheap and yet can grab eyeballs. Nobody is ready to pay for opulent sets and overpriced stars," adds scriptwriter Gajra Kothari.