Kapil Sharma's highly anticipated return to TV screens via his new Netflix show “The Great Indian Kapil Show” has seen viewership numbers decline over the past month according to data from the streaming giant.
The talk show format sees Kapil interview celebrity guests over conversations and comedy. The debut episode featuring Ranbir Kapoor attracted strong interest, gaining over 2 million viewing hours within the first week and ranking third globally for Netflix shows.
However, viewership has fallen considerably since according to Netflix's public rankings. While the second episode added an extra 200,000 viewers, total watch time dropped to under 5 million hours and the rank slipped to fifth place.
By the third week, viewing hours fell further to just over 4 million and the rank slid down to seventh. The downward trend continued in the fourth week with hours dipping below 4 million and the rank slipping to eighth place.
This is despite three new episodes being added which could have been watched. The declining interest signals that the hype around Kapil's return may be fading faster than hoped.
Of course, the show remains the top ranked Indian series on Netflix. But the early numbers indicate it has failed to break out internationally as a viral hit like some other Indian content on the platform.
It remains to be seen if Kapil can attract new viewers or stem the losses with stellar guests like upcoming interviewee Aamir Khan. For now, the numbers provide an early reality check on just how difficult sustaining buzz is in the crowded global streaming market.
