GECs
FM ignores entertainment sector in budget
NEW DELHI / MUMBAI: It was the royal ignore for the second year in a row for the entertainment sector. Finance minister P Chidambaram, while presenting Union Budget 2005-2006 in Parliament today, had practically nothing to offer the industry.
The only mention made in the budget to the media sector as a whole was the announcement of reduction in customs duty for printing press equipment.
The Finance Minister announced that credit for counterveiling duty (CVD) will be available against payment of excise duty. However, IT software is proposed to be exempt from the proposed CVD.
Noting that the services sector accounts for about 52 per cent of the GDP, the FM expressed the necessity to cast the net wide and to include some additional services in the service tax net, while retaining the 10 per cent service tax limit.
This means that cable ops and the cable industry would continue to be taxed, which, of course, is being passed on to consumers.
However, as a relief to small service providers, Chidambaram proposed to exempt from service tax those service providers whose gross turnover does not exceed Rs 400,000 per year.
Multiplexes under service tax net
One area where the budget has dealt a negative blow is to the booming multiplex industry (in which players like Zee Telefilms, Adlabs and Shringar two name just three are major players). Multiplexes have been brought under the service tax net.
Says E-City (Zee Group CMD Subhash Chandra’s multiplex intitiative) CEO Atul Goel, “The multiplex business will be adversely affected as construction activities have comer under the service tax ambit. Besides, we had sought certain concessions, which the budget is silent about.”
A visibly disappointed Federation of Indian Chambers of Commerce and Industry (Ficci) additional director entertainment Siddhatha Dasgupta commented, “While all the other other sectors have got something or the other, the budget has nothing to offer the entertainment industry.”
MUMBAI: Lights, camera… connection because this time, the game isn’t just about winning, it’s about who’s with you. Sony Pictures Networks India is gearing up to launch a new reality game show, Tum Ho Naa, expanding its unscripted slate with a format that promises both emotion and engagement.
The show will premiere soon on Sony Entertainment Television and stream on Sony LIV, with Rajeev Khandelwal stepping in as host. Known for his measured screen presence and selective choices, Khandelwal’s return to television adds a layer of familiarity and credibility to the upcoming format.
While specific details of the gameplay remain under wraps, the positioning suggests a reality format that leans as much on emotional resonance as it does on competition, an increasingly popular blend in Indian television, where audiences are gravitating towards content that offers both stakes and storytelling.
Khandelwal, reflecting on his return, noted that his choices have often been guided by instinct rather than convention, describing Tum Ho Naa as a project that feels “close to the heart”. His association also signals Sony’s continued focus on anchoring new formats with recognisable faces who bring both relatability and depth.
The launch comes at a time when broadcasters are doubling down on original non-fiction formats to drive appointment viewing, even as digital platforms expand parallel reach. By placing the show across both linear television and OTT, Sony appears to be aiming for a dual-audience strategy capturing traditional viewers while engaging digital-first consumers.
As the countdown to premiere begins, Tum Ho Naa positions itself not just as another game show, but as a reminder that sometimes, the biggest prize on screen isn’t the jackpot, it’s the journey shared along the way.
