GECs

‘Crime Patrol’ completes 12 years

Published

11 years ago

March 13, 2015

MUMBAI: While criminal cases have always been a societal problem, it has always been a fascination for crime writers to include it as a narrative for television audiences. One such long running and popular entity has been Crime Patrol. In today’s day and age, when some shows are pulled off air in no-time due to no-show, Crime Patrol, which is telecast on Sony Entertainment Television (SET), has completed a run of 12 long years.

The show was launched on 9 May, 2003 in the 10:30 pm slot on Friday.

Speaking about the show, Sony chief creative director Ajay Bhalwankar says that being a quality product, Crime Patrol has been a matter of pride from the channel’s programming point. Equating Crime Patrol to the North Star in the constellation, Bhalwankar says, “From a house wife living in Meerut to Shobha De, it reaches across a spectrum of audience. Crime works well on Sony.”

While crime stories are sometimes glorified by adding sensational flavours to the plot, the reality documentary’s writer and director Subramanian Iyer begs to differ. According to Iyer, the viewer decides if the matter on the show is sensitive or not. “The theme of the property is to tell viewers how one can remain safe without sensationalising the story and adhering to the facts,” informs Iyer.

Anoop Soni, who hosts the show, adds, “There’s no intention to pick out a particular case angle and sensationalise it. We bring out the smaller and finer details missed out in mainstream news.”

When queried whether the show glamorises crime incidents in the country, Iyer denies and puts forth two fronts. “Firstly, crime rates saw an increase in the country even when the Ramayana was telecast on public broadcaster Doordarshan. And secondly, cases are picked in a manner that affect the common man of India and poses questions that cannot be asked upfront otherwise,” he says.

Soni, on the other hand, informs that the various cases selected for the show, bring out three critical aspects. “Firstly, we showcase what happened at the core of the story. Secondly, we focus on why such an offence was committed and thirdly, how can such situations controlled from being repeated in the future,” he informs.

The research team of the show’s various episodes are spread throughout the country, right from Jammu and Kashmir to Kanyakumari, according to Iyer. In remote villages stringers are employed regularly to fill in details on various cases. While episodes of normal shows have scripts consisting of 28-30 scripts, one single episode of Crime Patrol can have 2,000 to 3,000 pages of script. Members of the research team also attend court proceedings to understand the nitty-gritty of the cases. However, the team behind the show sometimes need to restrict themselves due to the legal bindings in certain cases.

While Crime Patrol is telecast thrice a week on Fridays, Saturdays and Sundays at 10.30 pm, the channel had previously decided to increase the telecast days. However, the idea was dropped as the process of conceptualising to shooting one single episode was a time taking one and could sometimes take even as long as six months.

Highlighting Crime Patrol’s success, Bhalwankar says that police departments of various states have approached the channel for DVDs of the shows as they feel the show has done justice in compiling the narrative of a case. “The Maharashtra Police has taken 150 such DVDs so far. These are used during the training of police officers,” adds Bhalwankar.

Channel officials believe that the show has, in a way, become a social platform of sorts. “This is so because, besides highlighting a case for the audiences, episodes of Crime Patrol have also provided important NGO numbers and contact details as well as creating platforms where donations were required to aid the victims,” Bhalwankar says.

Sony, in the coming months, is also set for a revamp in terms of programming where it seeks to strengthen its prime time slot during the weekday programming. Talking about the same Bhalwankar informs that four new large-scale shows are being brought on board. These include Dil Ki Baatein Dil Hi Jaane starring Ram Kapoor, two mythological shows – Hanuman and Karna and a yet to be titled show starring Rajeev Khandelwal, which will be centred around the famous Newsroom series.

Related Topics:Ajay Bhalwankar Sony Entertainment Television

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GECs

Sun TV posts steady revenue, profit dips amid rising costs

Published

1 week 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.