ITV

Tag: Crime Patrol

  • Set Asia HD now available to Flow subscribers in Trinidad

    Set Asia HD now available to Flow subscribers in Trinidad

    MUMBAI: Sony Pictures Networks, North America is pleased to announce that on 1 March 2016- Set Asia HD, its flagship general entertainment channel, will be available to all subscribers of Flow in Trinidad in the basic digital package -channel# 87 and Advance Video Service package (AVS)-Channel# 209.

    Until the launch of Set Asia HD on 1 April 2016, Flow subscribers can watch Set Asia SD on Basic Digital Package-Channel# 87 and Advance Video Service package (AVS)-Channel# 209.

    Viewers can enjoy their favorite Set Asia programming such as Mahabali Hanuman, Pyaar Ko Ho Jaane Do, Power Couple, CID, Crime Patrol, Ek Duje Ke Vaaste, Suryaputra Karn, the biggest World Television Premiere blockbuster movies and more.

    Set Max, India’s premier Hindi Movies channel- will launch on Basic Digital and Advance Video Service (AVS) packages of Flow Trinidad on 1 March 2016.

    Max is synonymous with the biggest and best of Hindi Movies on television. The channel houses one of the largest libraries of the best old and new Hindi blockbusters and presents many exclusive film related programs.

    SVP International business head of North America Jaideep Janakiram said “Sony Pictures Networks (SPN) always strives to provide high quality and varied content that the entire family can enjoy. Launching Set Asia HD & Sony Max on Basic Digital and AVS packages is a big step in providing premium content to all Flow-Trinidad subscribers. SPN will continue to keep its’ viewers in the entertainment forefront.”

    Flow Trinidad director of marketing Cindy Ann Gatt expressed her delight in being able to launch the two channels and stated, “We are very pleased that we can offer even more Indian programming to our customers who continue to demand more and better quality content. This agreement with Sony Pictures Network helps us to expand our offerings as we continue to work to provide the best in entertainment to our customers”.

    Flow customers have access to more than 300 video and audio channels‚ by far the most comprehensive television service in Trinidad. Flow offers a robust digital TV product that includes video on demand, the largest offering of HD channels, Cloudvideo recorders and digital music services in addition to economical digital landline telephony service. In addition, Flow offers residential broadband internet packages ranging from an entry-level service of 3 Mbps up to a blazing 240 Mbps.

     

  • Crime Patrol maker looks forward to more online content

    Crime Patrol maker looks forward to more online content

    MUMBAI: Shlok Entertainment, headed by the makers of Crime Patrol, Subbu and Neeraj Naik, had launched an intense suspense thriller titled The Razor’s Edge on Youtube some time back.

    Talking about the film, Shlok Entertainment director and producer Subbu said, “With the evolution of the internet, we broke the norms with this film and released it on the internet as we feel that it is the right medium for our target audience. A digital release will allow the viewers to enjoy this film in their own space.”

    He further added, “Now twitter gives you an option to watch a one minute snippets whether it’s news or anything else. A majority of the audience watch television episodes on YouTube. A few years ago, Tata Sky started the trend where, with the help of a DTH recorder one could record and watch a favourite show at a convenient time. Now YouTube has taken it to the next level. Most of the channels have started their own web platforms and are uploading their content to tap into online audience.”

    The Razor’s Edge was released on 23 October, 2015, and received 5,342 views so far. “The response has been decent. I would not say that the response was very good but we are happy with it. It will take time to get the eyeballs but soon will meet our target,” Subbu said.

    The film attempts to expose the trials and tribulations of the film industry while keeping the audience at the edge of their seats. It follows the journey of the protagonist, Sameer played by Pankaj Singh, who like any newcomer, finds no takers for his script. Moreover he lacks backing. His fortune takes a turn when he befriends Tanya played by Shweta Gulati. All doors mysteriously open up for him.

    Suddenly Sameer has a line of producers knocking on his door to work with him. Things looksbright for Sameer until Tanya becomes the prime suspect of all the gruesome murders of the producers who refused to work with him.

    When asked why he chose to go digital with the film Subbu said, “The idea was to make a suspense thriller because we have been doing shows in that genre for a long time now. With a shorter thriller film it was a good opportunity to foray into digital. Digital is the next big thing with growing viewership and advertising revenue therefore we wanted to explore the platform with this film.”

    The production house is looking forward to create more content for online platform. The plan is to come up with new films with an interval of two to three months for online viewership. The team is already working on the couple of ideas.

    Speaking about the revenue model he explained, “Currently the concept is not the revenue generating because the digital platform still commands lesser share of advertisement as compared to television. Moreover we lack sponsorship. From a revenue perspective, it looks difficult right now as lots of people are a part of it and many big companies have been associated with a huge library of content with them.  So the subscription model works for them. But for smaller entities like us, it may be revenue generating when sponsors come in, because at the end of the day advertising works on viewership. We are hoping more for sponsors to come in as we garner more views on the videos.”

    Recently we have seen many OTT players bringing back the discontinued shows on their digital platform. “I see a lot of that happening right now. Netflix has pioneered this trend of moving content from television and putting it on digital. There are a lot of companies that wanted to make content for digital. Today’s younger generation doesn’t watch television which is why the digital space is growing. They prefer to watch series online and some of them don’t have television sets at home. Social media’s growth has also promoted the online content,” he said.

  • Sony shuffles shows; ‘Crime Patrol’ to air 7 days a week at 10.30 pm

    Sony shuffles shows; ‘Crime Patrol’ to air 7 days a week at 10.30 pm

    MUMBAI: In a bid to cash in on its long running crime show, Sony Entertainment Television will soon be shuffling its programming. Crime Patrol, which was earlier aired on Fridays and Saturdays at 11 pm, will now be aired seven days a week in the 10.30 pm slot.

     

    Come 26 October, the show, which has been running for 12 years now, will be taking over the 10.30 pm time slot replacing the current show Balaji Telefilms’ Itna Karo Na Mujhe Pyar, which will move to 6.30 pm.

     

    Crime Patrol was the first of its kind in the genre and till today has retained its authenticity in depiction of crime. While some cases made audience question their belief in humanity, they were successful in creating a powerful impact on the viewers and raising their awareness. The show has garnered much appreciation from viewers for its incessant efforts of presenting the various evils that hamper our society. 

     

    A source close to the development informs Indiantelevision.com, “The channel has made this shift looking at the increasing popularity of the show. Moreover, with Crime Patrol completing 12 years, the show will come up with fresh content.”

     

    Itna Karo Na Mujhe Pyar, which stars Ronit Roy and Pallavi Kulkarni, will now be aired from Monday to Friday at 6.30 pm.

     

    Across other Hindi GECs, Itna Karo Na Mujhe Pyaar in 6:30 pm slot is pitched against Colors’ prime time show Ishq Ka Rang Safed and is aired from 6 – 7 pm. On the other hand, Zee TV airs Sarojini at 6:30 pm, Life OK airs Best of Savdhaan India: India Fights Back’s one hour repeat telecast at 6 pm; Star Plus airs Suhani Si Ek Ladki  at 6:30 pm and &TV airs Begusarai.

     

    On the other hand, Crime Patrol at 10:30 pm will be pitted against Colors’ much talked and hyped reality show Bigg Boss 9 Double Troubleat 10:30 pm (Mon-Fri), Comedy Nights Bachao on Saturday (10-11 pm) and Comedy Nights With Kapil on Sundays (10-11 pm); Zee TV’sLajwanti at 10:30 pm on weekdays and Fear File on weekends; Life OK’s Savdhaan India: India Fights Back  (Mon-Sun), Star Plus’ Tere Sheher Mein (Mon-Sat) and Best of Sumit Sambhal Lega (Sunday); &TV’s Bhabhi Ji Ghar Pe Hai (Mon-Sun) and Sab TV’s Yam Hai Hum (Mon-Fri), Baalveer (Saturday) and Tarak Mehta Ka Ulta Chasma (Sunday) in the same time band.

  • ‘Bhanwar’: Sony revives its tried and tested label in the crime genre

    ‘Bhanwar’: Sony revives its tried and tested label in the crime genre

    MUMBAI: It’s survival of the fittest in a highly-competitive TV world. One needs to keep re-inventing oneself and that’s exactly what works wonders in the end. Likewise, Sony Entertainment Television (SET), has gone back to its tried and tested formula gory crime!

     

    The crime genre has until now, been the bread and butter for the channel.  Programmes like C.I.D, Crime Patrol and at times, Adaalat have gripped audiences and thus, Sony has unanimously got a thumbs-up for its non-fiction, criminal offerings.

     

    SET literally takes the viewer through a virtual reality show. It gives them a gripping courtroom drama series, an enthralling and emotional journey, engaging their consciences in matters of right and wrong, and the ultimate balance of justice.

     

    Christened – Bhanwar – Kalyug Ki Hairatangez Kahaniyaa, its provocative stories will compel our society to sit up and take cognizance of the fact, that for every crime committed under the Indian Penal Code, there is an equally harsh justice system meted out.

     

    You may recall, in the late 1990s, Sony had launched a series with an identical name that dealt with landmark judgements from the Indian judicial system. Produced by TV18, the show was so popular that it enjoyed re-runs on SAB and Fox History to boot. Its audiences were treated royally for over two years on Sony, and its episodes were remarkably directed by Sanjay Ray Chaudhari.

     

    It’s back with a bang with a fresh menu of juicy, judicial cases. Come 10 January, 2015, the two veterans of TV production, Contiloe Entertainment’s Abhimanyu Singh and Sunshine Rise Productions’ Anshuman Kishore Singh, will present true-to-life stories of human excesses, which depict volatile social relationships of today.

     

    SET chief creative director, Ajay Bhalwankar, believes that the name of this series is defined by the twists and turns of true events, which often shows that ‘truth is stranger than fiction.’ “Presented in a unique style, the show promises to raise the benchmark of crime shows on Indian television.”

     

    He feels, “The channel has invested a lot of time in researching and digging out real-life stories that take place in a courtroom. It took three months for the channel to pick up the best stories, which were then executed in a fictional manner.”

     

    With this new property, the channel now has a complete portfolio focusing only on crime properties on weekends, starting with Adaalat at 8 pm, Bhanwar in close succession at 9 pm, followed by C.I.D and Crime Patrol at 10 pm and 11 pm respectively. “Sony has been a pioneer in crime genre. We have made a lot of sense and the outcome has turned out very well. We are confident that audiences will relate to this kind of drama that occurs in a courtroom,” asserts Bhalwankar.

     

    “I think this is a good move that the channel has made. In a way, they want audiences to stay tuned to the channel and sample the content one after the other. C.I.D and Crime Patrol both have been consistently delivering decent numbers and Bhanwar will follow suit and jump on the bandwagon, considering its different content. But on the other hand, experimentations have happened on the channel, but viewers haven’t really accepted it; I hope this one pays off for Sony,” says a media planner.

     

    The one-hour courtroom drama TV series is going to face tough competition from Bigg Boss eight on Colors, Sa Re Ga Ma Pa L’il Champs five on Zee TV, Diya aur Baati Hum and Yeh Rishta Kya Kehlata Hai (Saturday) and Airlines (Sunday) on Star Plus, Supercops vs Supervillains… Shapath on Life OK and The Great Indian Family Drama on Sab.

  • ‘Code Red’, a darker shade of humanity

    ‘Code Red’, a darker shade of humanity

    MUMBAI: A crime thriller has always been sold like hotcakes. And it stands true to television as well. The genre has been a potboiler for the general entertainment space for a long time now.

    While serials like Byomkesh Bakshi (1993), Karamchand (1980s) and Tehkikat (1994) on Doordarshan laid the ground for fictional crime shows, a more advanced form appeared in the reproduction of real life crime incidents in shows like India’s Most Wanted (Zee TV, 1999) and Crime Patrol (Sony, 2003).

    Along with a plethora of fictional crime series, a dramatised real life crime depiction has also gained traction over the years; CID’s run on Sony for 17 years justifies the popularity of the genre.

    Following the trend set by the Hindi general entertainment channels (GECs), youth channels too took the same route. Channel V got Gumraah to focus on youth-based crime incidents in 2012.

    The only channel which hadn’t dabbled in the genre was Colors. Realising the importance, after six years of existence, it is finally launching a finite reality series christened Code Red with a tagline ‘Andhere me Umeed Ki Ek Nayi Kiran’.

    The first promo hit the television screens on 13 December and showed popular actress Sakshi Tanwar advising people to raise voice rather than suffer in silence.

    The show will focus on social issues like suicide and crime against women and children. Sources close to the development say, “The motto of the show is to spread awareness and bring to forefront the crime against women and children in the society.”

    Though the channel tags it as not a crime series, sources say that it will give a broader outlook that would deal with crime and its different components. “It is going to be a very different show than what viewers have seen on television till now. It is a reality show where every episode is going to give out a message of not giving up and to fight back,” says a source from the channel.

    The show is a joint venture of Fremantle India, Optimystix and Shlok Entertainment, a production house helmed by three eminent people – directors of Crime Patrol, Subramanian S Iyer and Neeraj Naik along with prominent actor and anchor Anup Soni.

    Launched as a daily format, it will air for six days a week. The three production houses will helm two episodes each every week.

    Penned for a limited number of episodes, it is set to launch in January 2015.

     

  • Sony’s ‘Encounter’ with Manoj Bajpayee

    Sony’s ‘Encounter’ with Manoj Bajpayee

    MUMBAI: For Endemol India that has established itself as a leader in the reality TV space and has expanded into other strands of content, it has been a roller coaster ride.

    Although crime shows on TV are common with almost every channel, but the way Sony Entertainment Television (SET) has accepted this genre, nobody has, believe the experts of the industry.

    Crime always sells and it is this genre that has worked for the channel which is currently languishing among the bottom three GECs, according to the weekly TAM TV ratings.

    CID and Crime Patrol has been airing for years and it won’t be wrong to say that the shows belong to the crime space.  To get back its long lost position in the ratings chart, SET is set to launch Encounter on 11 April. Produced by Endemol India, the show will be hosted by Manoj Bajpayee.

    Encounter, as the name suggests, is an account of the dangerous encounters between cops and gangsters. It will bring alive the stories behind the famous encounters of the police and the underworld in India starting from the early nineties. Inspired by real-life incidents, the show aims at redefining the proverbial action series on television.

    The promos of the show that is to air 36 episodes have already hit the television screens and will be telecast every Friday to Sunday at 9 pm. It will replace the channel’s dance reality property Boogie Woogie that is shown on Saturday and Sunday while it will also take away a day’s telecast of Nandini (aired at 9 pm) and Jee Le Zara (aired at 9.30 pm) that airs on Fridays. Sources indicate that the latter will be shutting its shop very soon due to poor ratings.

    Gaurav Seth

    SET senior vice president, head-marketing Gaurav Seth believes that crime shows are the channel’s strength. “There are a lot of crime shows on television but we believe that such shows are our strength. People talk to us in big numbers, watch the crime genre and believe that we do it well. Whether its CID or Crime Patrol, these are the shows which have cult following over a period of time because people think that this is something Sony does best. We want to continue that trend.”

    Spelling out the reason of getting Bajpayee on board Seth avers, “He is going to play a very interesting role of narrating the stories from the inside. He has got most implacable credentials when it comes to this genre and has also played humorous characters that have actually stood out in Indian cinema.”

    SET has rolled out an aggressive marketing campaign for this show. There will be more than 20-25 channels telecasting the promos of Encounter. For the channel that has already bought 8,000 spots, television is going to play a lead medium for communication. The promotional TVC featuring Bajpayee will also be promoted on other mediums like radio, print, digital media, games and apps.

    Ajay Bhalwankar, who has recently joined SET as its chief creative director, believes that the show is going to be a blockbuster. He reveals: “It is going to be very different show and not on the lines of Crime Patrol as people are comparing it with. These are all different cop stories and are not wholly focused on the criminals. You will find a lot of difference from other crime properties which are airing on television today.”

    Ajay Bhalwankar

    A source closely connected with Endemol revealed that the planning for the show started three months ago. “When we started off, we wanted to do a real encounter series, real cases with real people. But it was just not possible. It also needed to have a fictional twist because getting the police on-board was a difficult task. So we decided to make it a fiction series because the channel believes in crime-related shows and that is its audience.”

    The same source further goes on to add: “We shot a small pilot with an actual encounter specialist A Khan and the channel liked the concept so much that they immediately picked it up. The pilot would be of one episode.”

    Moreover, compared to Sony’s other crime properties like CID and Crime Patrol, the production cost of Encounter is much higher per episode. As of now three episodes have been canned and are ready to go on-air.

    Media professionals feel that the channel should concentrate more on its line-up of fiction rather than giving viewers weekend dose of entertainment. “The show is going to compete with one of the best shows other channels have in that time slot. Since Sony already has strong crime properties that are doing well for them, there was no need to create another one. They should come up with innovative content for its daily soaps which are struggling to find its place in the ratings chart,” reasons a prominent media planner who did not wish to be named.

    Encounter is going to compete with Pavitra Rishta (Fri) and DID Lil Masters (Sat-Sun) on Zee TV, Beintehaa (Fri) and Khatron Ke Khiladi five (Sat-Sun) on Colors, Diya Aur Baati Hum on Star Plus (Fri-Sat) and Mad In India (Sun) and Chidiya Ghar on Sab.

    Seth is not worried about the competition. “We are extremely hyper and aggressive about everything that we are doing. Since it’s a very competitive slot, we have to believe in our content. And to ensure that people latch on to this content, we have a very interesting promotional campaign going on and we are very excited about it,” he signs off.

  • SET airing month-long Mumbai special on CID, Crime Patrol

    SET airing month-long Mumbai special on CID, Crime Patrol

    MUMBAI: As the undisputed leader in the crime genre, Sony Entertainment Television has kicked-off a one-month special titled Mission Mumbai dedicated to maximum city.

    The series started airing early March and will continue through the month, and sees two of Sony’s longest running crime shows – CID and Crime Patrol – showcasing actual crime in the city.

    Sony has come up with a comprehensive marketing strategy to promote its Mumbai special on CID and Crime Patrol.

    Speaking of CID, the channel has flagged-off a campaign where Mumbaikars can participate in a plethora of fun-filled activities across prominent areas of the city. Twenty-five to 30 localities are on the radar where functions are held every week to felicitate the winners of what Sony calls the ‘Heroes initiative’.

    Sony SVP head marketing Gaurav Seth says they wanted to re-energise Brand CID that has successfully completed 17 years and 1,000 episodes. “Plus, we’ve been noticing that Mumbai, which had become a key market for CID and Crime Patrol over the years, is responding in a lukewarm manner to CID over the past few months. We wanted to bring back the show to this market and make it alive for consumers here once again,” he adds.

    We wanted to re-energise Brand CID – Gaurav Seth

    Sony has ensured that the message of ‘Mission Mumbai’ goes out everywhere, with over 500 outdoor hoardings, bus shelter hoardings, bus panels, platform boards and inside train panels dedicated for the purpose.

    The channel has tied up with 10 to 15 McDonalds’ outlets where kids will participate in a contest by answering why they want to meet the CID protagonists. Writers of the best replies will get to interact with CID actors.

    Further, SET has tied up with Radio Mirchi where the listeners can nominate their near ones or themselves for the ‘Mumbai ke Heroes’ contest. One more initiative on the FM channel called Mumbai bana CID will have radio jockeys quiz Mumbaikars about their city. The one who gives the most correct answers will get to feature in one of the CID episodes.

    What’s more, the channel has collaborated with certain local cable operators to get TV audiences direct transmissions of these one-off events. It is also promoting the Mumbai special on regional news channels to target the local, Marathi-speaking junta with over 1,000 spots.

    Seth claims the response received in the very first week has been fantastic. “Over 2,500 people turned up for the event and over 1,000 people interacted and played games during the three-day pre-promotion phase. We reached over 1,000 households and invited them for the main event,” he says.

    “We are extremely happy, we have always been doing ground out-reach programmes in terms of how people react to our programmes. This gives us a good feeling that the brand is alive and people love the show and the characters and the channel.”

    Buzz is, SET plans on more specials like Mission Gujarat and Mission Delhi but is testing the waters with Mission Mumbai first.

  • Sony kick starts its month-long ‘Mission Mumbai’

    Sony kick starts its month-long ‘Mission Mumbai’

    MUMBAI: The last few years have seen the rise of the crime genre on TV. The number of shows in the genre hasn’t just increased in numbers but also in popularity. Usually featuring the stories from the Indian hinterland or Delhi – the crime capital and the surrounding areas. Not much has been told about the crimes in the city of dreams – Mumbai. However, now Sony Entertainment Television is set to tell the gory stories of Mumbai with a one-month special series – Mission Mumbai.

     

    Mission Mumbai will see the two leading crime shows of the channel – CID and Crime Patrol showcasing the terror, corruption, greed, slavery, molestation, kidnapping prevailing in aamchi Mumbai. ACP Pradyuman and his team and Anoop Soni will depict the tale of horrendous crime stories which have recently taken place in the city.

     

    In CID, ACP and his team will solve a series of mysterious and baffling crime cases of Mumbai – from the locals in the city to the interiors of the bustling city – the team will be seen covering all the lifelines of Mumbai. In fact, to bust the crimes, the CID inspectors will also be seen donning the role of dabbawallas. They will investigate crimes targeting women at the lonely kharghar skywalk to going on a chase across Mumbai in search of clues. The cops would also become passengers on a BEST bus to investigate strange murders on a particular route. The cops also solve a case of missing college girls at kanheri caves, a diamond robbery and a mystery at the worli chawl where the cops go undercover.

     

    In Crime Patrol, two incidents which recently shook the city to the core will be recreated. The first case is about the mysterious disappearance of the small-time theatre actress from Mumbai and the second case focuses on the horrific acid attack which ruined the life of a young girl and took place in Mumbai last year.

     

    Mission Mumbai will start from 7 March onwards, 10:00 pm to 11.30 pm on Sony Entertainment Television.

  • highlight Sony Entertainment – Crime Patrol

    highlight Sony Entertainment – Crime Patrol

    UTTAR PRADESH : Aruna Sampath, a political figure in Uttar Pradesh is shot dead while traveling to Lucknow. How was it that she was killed inside a bus shot at yet no one heard any sound any scream? A maze of rivalry revenge and bloodbath was unraveled as the investigations progressed. Power is poison it is said. Power corrupts it is said. Yet the powerful or those with the penchant for power play the game and fall a prey to the game. An entire web of criminal intent; an ambitious woman with a penchant for power Aruna Sampath, and a daughter in law not willing to be subjugated. A chain of criminal conspiracies, a series of crimes. Love turning into despise, despise not willing to subside, a child at the heart of the rivalry, and two men, two loyal men supposedly betraying. A daughter in law Vibha no longer staying with the family.

    Two ex-confidantes Atul Sharma and Aditya Shrivastava no longer in good books of the family. Why did two confidantes turn against Aruna Sampath and how did they gang up with a disgruntled daughter in law? Did the three get together and carry out the killing?

  • Is crime genre the fuel running Sony?

    Is crime genre the fuel running Sony?

    MUMBAI: Once upon a time, it ruled the roost but a look at recent TAM ratings tells another story. Why is it that a pioneer like Sony is currently languishing among the bottom three GECs? According to media experts, the answer lies in the kind of content the channel is airing.

     

    A majority of them feel fiction is critical to a GEC, which is exactly what Sony lacks. “Without focusing on any fiction-based shows, a GEC cannot survive. In other words, daily soap operas are the bread and butter for a GEC,” says a producer who didn’t wish to be named.

     

    Yes, Sony had hit shows like Jassi Jaisi Koi Nahin and Boogie Woogie (reality) but that’s in the past. Over the last couple of years, the channel has failed to gain traction as far as fiction is concerned.

     

    Many may counter this saying Sony has two shows which can beat fiction-based ones by a huge margin: Crime Patrol and CID. The duo is among the channel’s longest running shows. To give statistics, CID garnered 7,048 TVTs in week 40 of TAM TV ratings while Crime Petrol registered 3,882 TVTs.

     

    Says BPN (Brand Programming Network) CEO Suresh Balakrishna: “CID and Crime Petrol have been airing for years and it won’t be wrong to say that the shows own this genre. A viewer expects to see crime shows on Sony, they have owned that genre and nobody has got into the genre the way the channel has.”

     

    Some experts agree that the way Star Plus is known for its fictional shows and Colors for its reality shows, viewers tend to expect crime from Sony. Others feel to focus on one particular genre, say crime, can definitely give the channel the required padding but GECs’ bread and butter is fiction shows.

     

    “I think the biggest problem that Sony is facing is to do with its image. It has never had fiction which has done well whereas non-fiction has worked brilliantly for the channel. Ideally, they should go back to the old model of non-fiction,” suggests a city-based media planner, adding: “It is not suffering as far as distribution is concerned or marketing is. The problem lies in the content. If it changes the content mix, the channel will definitely be able to garner better GVTs. But of course, that would mean investing a lot of time, ideas and energy. But if they invest, then it may work out.”

     

    Focusing on the content, planners state the example of Channel V which changed its strategy from being music to a fiction. Correspondingly, Sab TV till six years back had a mix bag of shows whereas now it is known for its comedy shows.

     

    However, a soap opera director begs to differ: “Sony has done lot of experiments. And I am getting a positive feeling for Desh ki Beti…Nandini and I think it will be able to click with the audience.” Yet, he is quick to point out that the channel hasn’t done anything like Jassi in a long time and even Bade Achche Lagte Hai isn’t working anymore.

     

    Says Sunshine Productions’ Sudhir Sharma: “Sony is known for semi-urban sensibilities shows such as Jassi and Bade Achche Lage Hai and in this space, the channel must explore. It will be good for them.”

     

    The channel is betting big on the recently launched Kaun Banega Crorepati 7 but TAM ratings haven’t been too encouraging. Whether Sony should get its act together on fiction shows or continue to concentrate on non-fiction (crime) is something the channel will have to work out.

     

    In the meantime, the recent revamp and maybe Boogie Woogie, which is returning to the channel after a decade-long gap, may just help Sony get its groove back…