GECs
Exit ‘Idol’, enter refurbished, reslotted SET
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MUMBAI: After Indian Idol, what? That has been the question on many a mind as Sony Entertainment Television prepares to bid adieu to its big ticket reality show which has created such a frenzy. A whole lot actually. Idol’s finale on Saturday will be followed up with new shows, changes of time slots and sprucing up of current properties. Heavy duty programming rejigging is what SET will witness all this month, SET business head Tarun Katial has revealed to indiantelevision.com.
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On the cards now, is the reslotting of Aahat 2 which will shift position from 9 pm on Fridays to the Idol slot at 9:30 pm.  Slotting into the vacant Thursday 9:30 to 10:30 pm space will be Jassi Jaissi Koi Nahin and Yeh Meri Life Hain, both of which will return to their original four days a week run. Jassi… will air at 9:30 pm and Yeh Meri… at 10 pm.
One positive going for KYHPH will probably be that none of Balaji’s heavyweight “K” soaps air at the same time on Star Plus. So there will be no head-to-head as it were. |
| ‘JASSI’ MAKEOVER WITHIN NEXT 15 DAYS
Ayushmaan (the Indianised Doogie Howser MD), meanwhile, will be refurbished with the essential tweaking that the property currently demands, says Katial. And as for Indian Idol, although it bids adieu in the next four days, it will return for its second season in the second half of 2005, he promises.
Thats the action for the month of March. Will SET manage to capitalise on the impact made by Idol. That’s the million dollar question. |
Already up and running is Batliwalla House No 43 slotted at 9 pm every Friday launched last week.
One show that is getting the heave ho is the twins separated at birth tale Hum Do Hain Na that launched last August. Shortly taking its place is “a very different passionate love story” Kaisa Yeh Pyaar Hain from soap factory Balaji Telefilms. KYHPH will air at 8 pm Mondays through to Wednesdays.
Coming to current properties, lead character Jassi in Jassi Jaissi.. will finally adorn the much awaited new avatar and the plot promises to get a lot thicker in no less than 15 days. One point of note is that Katial has no plans to take Jassi.. off air anytime in the foreseeable future. So where the story is now headed will be worth watching.
GECs
Sony ties up with EU for MasterChef India finale
GI-tagged European ingredients headline finale week
MUMBAI: Sony Pictures Networks India has struck what it calls a landmark association with the European Union for the finale week of MasterChef India, marking the first such collaboration between the bloc and an Indian television format.
The tie-up will culminate in the “European Union mystery box challenge”, which opens the much-anticipated finale week. The task will see the top six contestant pairs cook with a curated basket of ingredients bearing geographical indications (GIs) from across EU member states: a nod to provenance as well as palate.
Chef Ajay and Chef Guntas, introduced as chef ambassadors to the European Union, will present the mystery boxes and set the brief: use the fewest ingredients from each category and produce a MasterChef-level dish that marries European produce with Indian flavour sensibilities. Precision and restraint, rather than extravagance, will be tested.
For Sony, the move signals a push towards high-value integrations that blur the line between sponsorship and storytelling. The network said the association underscores the show’s growing global stature and its ability to attract world-renowned institutions to Indian screens.
Chef Ajay Chopra, food ambassador in the European Union, described the collaboration as a strategic opportunity to spotlight the heritage and authenticity of GI-tagged European products to India’s vast food-loving audience.
Over the years, MasterChef India has positioned itself as a gateway to global cuisines. The EU partnership sharpens that pitch, turning the finale into a stage for cross-continental culinary diplomacy.
The finale week will air from 2 March, 2026 at 8 pm on Sony Entertainment Television and stream on Sony Liv.
