"Kalki 2898 AD" is the film that was a stupendous hit and made huge collections worldwide, earning acclaim on all fronts.
However, the film didn’t perform well in one particular area- satellite TV. The reason isn't the film itself, but rather the declining traction of satellite TV channels.
The audience watching satellite channels has been shrinking year by year.
A majority of the population now depends on YouTube for content consumption. Even the content from satellite news channels is being accessed primarily through YouTube.
As for movies, audiences prefer OTT platforms and other digital sources. Most cable TV connections have been discontinued.
For instance, even Salaar was an utter flop when it aired on TV, recording the lowest TRP ratings.
Coming back to Kalki, it achieved a TRP of 5.26 when it was premiered worldwide on Zee Telugu for Sankranthi. Typically, Sankranthi is a favorable time for content on all platforms to gain impressive traction.
Until films like Ala Vaikunthapurramuloo, Pushpa: The Rise, and Sarileru Neekevvaru, TRP ratings were relatively strong.
In comparison, Kalki's TRP can be considered disastrous. Ala Vaikunthapurramuloo set a record TRP of 29.4, while Sarileru Neekevvaru achieved 23.4.
However, here's an important observation- films targeted at family audiences tend to perform slightly better on satellite TV. Examples include Guntur Kaaram and Hanuman.
On the other hand, Prabhas' recent films seem to cater primarily to mass and youth audiences rather than families. This shift in target demographics is another reason for the low TRP ratings of both Salaar and Kalki.