The Salman Khan magic is not working yet for ‘Dus Ka Dum’. Even though the superstar is at his entertaining best as host of the show, the third season of ‘Dus Ka Dum’ has opened with a rather dismal rating of 1.1, reaching 2.6 million viewers. This pales compared to the ratings of his last season of ‘Bigg Boss’ which had opened with a rating of 2.5, reaching 6.3 million viewers.

What’s worrying for the channel on which it airs is that other shows on the same 8.30 pm slot are doing considerably better. For instance, ‘Dus Ka Dum 3’ competitor ‘Taarak Mehta Ka Ooltah Chasmah’ had averaged at 2 that week, managing 1.92 on Monday and Tuesday, when Salman’s show aired. Faring even better is ‘Kullfi Kumarr Bajewala’ with ratings of 2.3.

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Unfortunately for all concerned, ‘Dus Ka Dum 3’ has not lived up to the hype. Despite the show returning after a 9-year gap, interest is weak. Now it is time for damage control. Sources point out that the time slot of the show is far from perfect. ‘Dus Ka Dum’ airs at 8.30 pm, which is a perplexing choice considering the channel’s ever-popular ‘Kaun Banega Crorepati’ will start at 9 pm!

The choice of days, namely Monday and Tuesday is also coming in for criticism. The start of the week simply cannot compare with a weekend slot which would bring in maximum eyeballs. The format of the show is also found lacking, as, despite the entertaining presence of host Salman, the energy levels of the show, in general, are low. Thus it is simply not engaging enough.

Changes may soon be in the offing as the channel’s core team will deliberate measures to improve ratings. New elements might be added to increase interest value, and the show might also be aired four times a week to increase its recall value. Hopefully, this will add some much-needed ‘dum’!