GECs

Adding an Islamic shade to the Colors’ canvas

Published

12 years ago

December 28, 2013

MUMBAI: It was in the early nineties that a show like Gul Gulshan Gulfaam on Doordarshan captured the life of the Muslim community. It was probably for the first time in India that a show gave the masses at large an opportunity to take a sneak peek in to the life of the Islamic households in the country. Set in Kashmir, it was about the tribulations of the Kashmiris surviving on the business of houseboats in the Dal Lake.

Much later, at the end of the same decade, Heena and Shaheen, both of which aired on Sony Entertainment Television, captured the life Muslim women, their struggles and a lot more, giving the audience another chance to look at the life of a Muslim household closely. Around the same time, came Tanha – a show with the collaboration between India and Pakistan. It was not just set in a Muslim milieu but also became popular for its insightful portrayal of the community and the characters, not just in India and Pakistan but also in the entire subcontinent. Zaaraaired on Sahara One in 2006 was another show capturing the essence of the culture.

More recently, a serial on Star Plus – Sajda Tere Pyaar Mein that ran for few months in 2012 featured the life of a Muslim woman whose patriotic credentials were questioned; and Qubool Hai on Zee TV captures the contemporary Muslim household with the unfolding of an interesting love story. Interestingly, Qubool Hai has become one of the most popular shows in the Hindi GEC space. Its ratings are almost close to 5862TVTs (as per Tam ratings for week 49).

And when a concept has become so popular, it isn’t a surprise to see something very similar (as far as the set up is concerned) inspiring others. Close on the heels of Zee TV, now, Colors is set to air its new show Beintehaa – a first for the channel focusing on the pan-Muslim milieu with a story of two similar and headstrong individuals Aaliya and Zain, who are tied in a volatile relationship.

The show would be aired at the prime-time slot – 9 pm every Monday to Friday from 30 December. A replacement for Bigg Boss, the show is being promoted heavily across platforms as the channel is keeping its hopes high on this one. Colors weekday fiction head Prashant Bhatt says that the narrative style of the show and its backdrop is going to be its USP, which would not just pull the regular TV viewers but will also draw the younger audience from the age group of 14 above.

“The story telling has a simple, yet intriguing style with a contemporary set up and that’s going to be the pull,” says Bhatt.

If we look at all the shows made with a Muslim backdrop in the past, we would realise that each of them have been really popular during the time they were aired. Yet, unlike other Indian cultures, from Punjabi and Gujarati to Bihari, Harayanvi, Rajasthani and Marathi, on which many shows have been made till date, there have been very few with a Muslim milieu. An avid TV viewer can easily summon up the number of TV serials based in an Islamic household.During the launch of Beintehaa in Mumbai recently, when asked what has kept TV away from exploring this community, Bhatt revealed that Colors has been looking for such a concept since almost two years now. “We have been waiting for almost two years to get this colour onto the Colors canvas,” he remarks and adds, “We were not getting a story suitable enough to do justice to the culture. Finally the story that Farhan Salaruddin (the producer and writer of the show) brought to us felt as if it was tailormade to display the Muslim culture,” he says.

And the channel didn’t wait for so long because the competitor channel came up with Qubool Hai, neither was it ever in a hurry to start with something similar. “We were not in a race. We wanted to come up with something that does complete justice as well as is developed well,” he says.

And if we go by the expert views the idea of featuring this Islamic culture is on its way to becoming a trend. Veteran TV writer Gajra Kottary credited for pathbreaking shows like Balika Vadhu says that many people haven’t tried their hand at capturing this backdrop because of the stigma associated with it. “Another thing that may have kept many away is the fear of not pulling the masses. But it may become a trend as it would give the makers as well as viewers an opportunity to explore something really new,” she says.

Even Salaruddin, who has earlier co-produced the show Bind Banunga Ghodi Chadunga thinks the same. According to him, since his show is very contemporary and resonates with the present day’s lifestyle of youngsters it is going to be liked by masses across religion. “It isn’t isolated to showing the Islamic culture. It explores the overall life of two Muslim youngsters, from their difficulties to their dilemmas,” he says and adds that the show will work for its content.

Media veteran Divya Radhakrishnan reflects the same views. “The Muslim backdrop is just a creative setting. It will give the creatives a chance to explore new avenues. But any show doesn’t work because of the backdrop, rather it works because of the content,” she says.

Salaruddin is also happy to get the primetime slot which will give his story more visibility. The presence of other strong shows doesn’t bother him much. “The other shows were new at one point of time too. With time, we will make our place,” he says.

While the entire Colors team is betting big on the content, we also hope that like earlier TV shows in the same backdrop, this one will work well too.

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GECs

Sun TV posts steady revenue, profit dips amid rising costs

Published

7 days ago

February 7, 2026

indiantelevision.com Team

CHENNAI: It appears there is still plenty of Sun to go around in the Indian broadcasting landscape, even if a few clouds have drifted across the financial horizon. Sun TV Network Limited, the Chennai-based behemoth that dominates airwaves across seven languages, has tuned into a steady frequency for the quarter ending 31 December 2025. While the numbers show a resilient revenue stream, the company’s latest broadcast reveals a few static-filled spots in its profit margins.

For the quarter in question, Sun TV’s total income climbed by approximately 3.31 per cent, reaching Rs 958.39 crores compared to Rs 927.66 crores in the same period last year. Revenue from operations also saw a healthy bump, rising 4.32 per cent to Rs 827.87 crores.

The real star of the show, however, was domestic subscription revenue, which surged by 8.86 per cent to Rs 472.99 crores. This growth highlights the enduring appetite for Sun’s diverse content, which spans everything from daily soaps in Tamil and Telugu to its burgeoning OTT platform, Sun NXT.

Despite the revenue growth, the picture quality of the profits was slightly blurred by rising costs. Eitda for the quarter stood at Rs 409.79 crores, a dip from the Rs 432.14 crores recorded in the corresponding 2024 quarter.

The profit after tax followed a similar downward trend, settling at Rs 316.44 crores against the previous year’s Rs 347.17 crores. Advertisers also seemed to have switched channels slightly, with advertisement revenues sliding to Rs 291.94 crores from Rs 332.17 crores.

Sun TV isn’t just playing on home turf; its sporting ambitions are becoming increasingly global. The network now owns three major cricket franchises: SunRisers Hyderabad in the IPL, SunRisers Eastern Cape in SA20, and SunRisers Leeds Limited in The Hundred (UK).

The foray into British cricket saw the company acquire a 100 per cent stake in Northern Superchargers Limited (now SunRisers Leeds) for approximately £100 million. While these franchises brought in Rs 14.61 crores this quarter, they also incurred corresponding costs of Rs 19.89 crores. Over the nine-month period, however, the cricket business is a major player, contributing Rs 487.64 crores in income.

The company’s bottom line took a minor hit from exceptional items, including a Rs 4.23 crore charge related to India’s new Labour Codes, which consolidated 29 existing labour laws. Additionally, the consolidated results reflect the amalgamation of Kal Radio Limited with Udaya FM, a move that became effective in May 2025 and required a restatement of previous figures.

To keep investors from reaching for the remote, the Board has declared an interim dividend of 50 per cent, that’s Rs 2.50 per equity share. This comes on top of earlier dividends of 100 per cent (Rs 5.00) and 75 per cent (Rs 3.75) declared in August and November 2025, respectively.

With a massive cash reserve and a dominant position in the South Indian market, Sun TV continues to shine, even if the current quarter required a bit of fine-tuning. For now, shareholders can sit back, relax, and enjoy the show.

GECs

SPNI hires Pradeep M with responsibility for standards and practices in the south

Published

2 weeks ago

February 3, 2026

indiantelevision.com Team

MUMBAI: Sony Pictures Networks India has hired Pradeep M to handle standards and practices for its southern market, bolstering its compliance bench as content rules tighten across platforms.

Pradeep, who has nearly 13 years in the entertainment media industry, takes on responsibility for content standards in a region that is both linguistically diverse and regulatorily sensitive. His brief spans television, OTT, sports and digital platforms.

He specialises in content review and compliance across shows, commercials, on-air promotions and international feeds, ensuring alignment with broadcast, OTT and advertising codes. He has also handled brand approvals and sponsorship integrations for heavily regulated categories—including online gaming, cryptocurrency, NFTs and lottery brands—offering guidance shaped by fast-evolving rules.

Before Sony, Pradeep worked at Jiostar as assistant manager for content regulation from November 2024 to January 2026. Earlier, he spent nearly seven years at Viacom18 Media, rising from senior executive to assistant manager in content regulation between 2018 and 2024. There he served as a key compliance touchpoint for the network.

His career began on the creative side. Between 2013 and 2018, he worked as executive producer on feature films and television shows, gaining hands-on exposure to production. He also had a stint as a non-fiction show director at Star TV Network in 2017. That mix of creative and regulatory experience gives him a dual lens—how content is made and how it must be managed.

As regulators, platforms and advertisers all tighten the screws, broadcasters are investing more in gatekeepers who can keep creativity within the lines. Sony’s latest hire shows where the industry is heading: in the streaming age, compliance is content’s quiet co-star.

GECs

Colors Gujarati rolls out two new shows from 2nd February

Published

2 weeks ago

February 2, 2026

indiantelevision.com Team

MUMBAI: Colors Gujarati has unveiled two new prime-time shows as part of its push to strengthen culturally rooted storytelling for regional audiences. The channel will premiere the devotional saga Gangasati–Paanbai at 7.30 pm, followed by the romantic family drama Manmelo at 9.30 pm from February 2.

Inspired by Gujarat’s spiritual and literary heritage, Gangasati–Paanbai: Shyam Dhun No Navo Adhyay draws from the timeless bhajans and poetry of saint-poetesses Gangasati and Paanbai, weaving devotion and human values into a contemporary narrative aimed at younger viewers.

In contrast, Manmelo explores love and responsibility across social divides, tracing the lives of three middle-class sisters whose relationships with three affluent brothers reshape their futures. The show delves into ambition, emotional conflict and the realities of married life, offering a layered family drama.

A Colors Gujarati spokesperson said the new launches reflect the channel’s commitment to authentic Gujarati entertainment that blends cultural values with modern storytelling.