GECs

Hindi GECs take a beating from IPL

Published

18 years ago

May 2, 2008

The Indian Premier League onslaught is beginning to hurt Hindi general entertainment channels. With an average TVR of 5 (Tam data for week ended 26 April, All India, C&S 4 +), the heat is now on for the GECs to retain its prime time viewership.

Star Plus and Sony have lost a chunk of their audiences, while Zee TV has made up with a focus on afternoon programming. NDTV Imagine is looking more battered at this stage while 9X has marched ahead to occupy the third spot.

Sample this: Kyunki … which was enjoying a TVR of 5.3 in week 15 (week ended 12 April) fell to 4.18 TRP on week ended 26 April (when IPL was on for the whole week).

Kahani… slipped from 4.36 TVR (week 15) to below 3 in week 17. And when Star Plus launched its high voltage Shah Rukh Khan show Kya Aap Paanchvi Pass Se Tez Hain? on 25 April, it fetched a TVR 4.61 which could, perhaps, have soared higher.

Star‘s Bidaai, one of the top five shows in the Hindi GEC, has lost considerable TVRs to fall on 4.41 (week 17) from a high of 5.5 (week 15).

Zee‘s Saath Phere fell from 4.76 (week 15) to 3.96 (week 17) while Kasam Se touched 3.3 (week 17) from 3.92 (week 15).

Zee TV business head Tarun Mehra says, “All the GECs have lost viewers to the IPL matches. However, all the channels were prepared for a general beating on the score card”.

Market leader Star Plus with 345 GRPs in week 15, fell to 297 GRPs in week 16. In week 17, Star Plus managed 300 GRPs (even after the launch of Panchvi…).

Star Plus VP marketing and communication Prem Kamath says, “Definitely IPL has had its effect on GECs. However, the space is very unpredictable. So you might see a different story next week. A week or two‘s data does not give the full picture.”

Despite IPL matches, Zee TV has grown in terms of GRPs. From 212 GRPs in week 15, it has increased to 218 GRPs (week 16). And in week 17, it finished with a high of 220 GRPs, standing second to Star Plus.

HSM GRPs
Channel	WK 15	Wk 16	Wk 17
Star Plus	345	297	300
Zee TV	212	218	220
9X	77	72	80
NDTV Imagine	88	92	79
Sony Entertainment TV	84	79	68
Sahara One	68	63	63
Star One	66	54	60
DD1	40	34	34
Star Utsav	36	35	32
SAB	35	32	31
Zee Next	10	9	10
Source: TAM Peoplemeter System TG: CS 4+

So how has Zee TV managed to weather the storm? Says Mehra, “No doubt IPL has eaten GECs viewers in the prime time slot. But instead of concentrating on the prime time, we are focusing on the afternoon programming and movies.”

To combat IPL match ratings, Zee TV has pumped up its weekends with a special attention on the afternoon programming. During the week ended 26 April, Zee TV has shown the movie Vivaah which fetched a TVR of 3.29. It has also launched a TV series Vivaah at 7 pm and 11 pm (week days), besides an hour-long episode of Nagiin… and a special episode of Banoo Main Tere Dulhann.

Zee TV is also planning to strengthen its line up. The channel will launch a new crime series Hadsaa on weekends. Besides it is pumping up the weekends with special events like Zee Cine Awards and Idea Rocks.

A few rungs down the line, NDTV Imagine (79 GRPs) lost its third spot to 9X with 80 GRPs.

While sibling channel Max has hogged all the limelight with the telecast of the IPL matches, Sony has plunged from 84 GRPs in week 15 to only 68 GRPs in week 17.

“We have got affected marginally but as a network we have grown phenomenally,” says Sony Entertainment television creative head Sanjay Upadhyay.

Sony, in fact, is trying to use the IPL hype to promote its new show launches. Reality shows like Waar Pariwaar, Naye Roop Nayi Zindagi and Yeh Shaam Mastaani were unveiled during the IPL time.

Explains Upadhyay, “We are building up these shows around IPL. One should also not forget that IPL is a short term event and after it is over we expect our shows to pick up. Apart from that a lot of cross channel promotions are happening on both Max and Sony.”

Soon after IPL gets over, Sony will place its big ticket reality show Dus Ka Dum with Salman Khan as host at prime time to mop up audiences that have deserted the channel.

A similar tale follows the other GECs. From 68 GRPs (week 15), Sahara One fell to 63 GRPs (week17) while Star One dipped from 66 GRPs (week 15) to 60 GRPs (week17).

A micro look into the IPL ratings on weekdays

The IPL is holding firm in terms of viewership even on weekdays.

Tam data C&S 4+ shows that matches played from Sunday 20 April to Saturday 26 April have managed an average TVR of 5.

In fact the match between Chennai Super Kings and Mumbai Indians which took place on 23 April and went down to the wire nearly touched a TVR of 6.

The contest between Chennai Super Kings and Kolkata Knight Riders on 26 April fetched the lowest ratings during the week with a TVR of 3.6.

Not surprisingly the crucial match between Mumbai and Bangalore on 20 April touched a TVR of 5.9. The match between Rajasthan Royals and Deccan Chargers that took place on Thursday had a TVR of 5.5.

In Gujarat where IPL has fared the best, the matches averaged a TVR of 7.14 while in Andhra Pradesh where IPL has not done well the matches managed a TVR of 2.77.

Tam also did an analysis on the visibility that the teams got through their TV promos in the month before the IPL kicked off.

From 18 March to 17 April the Kolkata Knight Riders had 46 per cent of promo time and got 41 per cent of GRPs. The Mumbai Indians had 33 per cent of promo time but their GRP contribution was only 19 per cent.

The Decan Chargers, on the other hand, had only 10 per cent of promo time but GRPs delivered were 22 per cent.

Women continue to be interested in big cricket but their share has come down slightly. During the 2003 World Cup women contributed 41 per cent of viewership. This came down to 38 per cent for last year‘s World Cup. For IPL, women contribute 36 per cent of viewership.

The audience age profile has been consistent over the years. For the 2003 World Cup, the 35+ age group contributed 39 per cent to viewership. For the IPL it has contributed 38 per cent.

Growth, however, has come for the 15-24-year-olds. Their share in viewership has grown from 21 per cent for the 2003 World Cup to 27 per cent for the IPL. Observers attribute this to the fast-paced nature of T20.

Tam data also shows that city loyalty has already set in. During the first match, Kolkata viewers increased their interest in the match right till the end of the contest despite knowing in the early stages that their team was going to win.

Bangalore, on the other hand, started losing interest as the match proceeded towards the finish line. The other four metros, more or less, maintained the same amount of interest in the match right till the end.

Tam also explains that matches that feature top quality sides will always draw the most viewership. Fans will watch their side more when they play a top side.

Related Topics:BCCI Cricket GECs Hindi IPL Lalit Modi sports

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GECs

Sun TV posts steady revenue, profit dips amid rising costs

Published

3 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

6 days 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

1 week 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.