News Broadcasting
‘Russian Roulette’ and weekend series to spice up Sony’s programming
An Indian version of Russian Roulette, the popular game of chance, and a weekend series from the Balaji stable on Sony are set to propel the channel forward in the stakes for viewership.
Sony, according to SET India CEO Kunal Dasgupta, is set to change the rules of weekend programming, so far associated with blockbuster movies across all channels. “Now we are working on a blockbuster series. It will be three one hour episodes across the weekend that will run for 39 episodes,” he says. “With it, we expect to carve out the weekend prime time slot.” It is no coincidence that Balaji CEO and MD Shobha Kapoor told an analysts’ meet recently that it would be a high-cost production that would run for a total of 13 weeks.
Sony’s plans for weekdays are equally ambitious. Dasgupta says that one show the channel is seriously looking at is a gameshow, Russian Roulette, a Columbia Tristar property. Russian Roulette, is a game of chance where every question could cause a contestant to literally “drop out” of the game and has been a hit in countries as wide apart as Russia and Spain.
In this knowledge test, four strangers challenge each other to answer a series of multiple choice questions. If a contestant answers incorrectly, he must pull the lever potentially triggering one or more ‘drop zones’. When only one contestant is left standing, that person keeps all the money won and proceeds to the final round. In the US version, the final winner takes home an additional $100,000.
News Broadcasting
WITT Summit 2026 concludes in New Delhi
Babar Azam’s comical diving attempt goes viral as league introduces anti-dew measures.
MUMBAI: The WITT Summit just wrapped up with enough big ideas to fill a policy playbook because when India’s leaders, thinkers and icons gather under one roof, even the conversations hit sixes. The eighth edition of TV9 Network’s flagship What India Thinks Today (WITT) Summit 2026 concluded on Saturday after two days of dynamic discussions at its New Delhi venue. India’s largest multi-domain public policy and culture summit brought together political leaders, policymakers, sports icons, artists and technology innovators to examine the forces shaping contemporary India and its global standing.
Prime minister Narendra Modi delivered the keynote address on the theme “India and the World” for the third consecutive year. In a wide-ranging speech, he addressed the ongoing conflict in West Asia, calling for restraint and compassion while highlighting India’s continued development trajectory despite global turmoil.
The summit featured candid conversations with state leaders. Telangana Chief Minister A. Revanth Reddy articulated a people-first governance model and contrasted it with other development approaches. Madhya Pradesh Chief Minister Mohan Yadav declared that Left-wing extremism had been effectively eliminated in his state and highlighted preparations for the upcoming Kumbh Mela. Punjab Chief Minister Bhagwant Mann defended his government’s record, citing the closure of 19 toll plazas and creation of the Sadak Suraksha Force. Karnataka Deputy Chief Minister D.K. Shivakumar expressed confidence in Congress prospects in Assam and addressed recent allegations against him.
On geopolitics and national security, Union Minister Jyotiraditya Scindia outlined India’s ambition to become a builder of trusted digital infrastructure for the world, citing the rapid 5G rollout and village-level 4G connectivity.
Cricket received significant attention. Former India captain Sourav Ganguly praised player freedom and trust as hallmarks of great leadership and named MS Dhoni as the greatest captain due to his World Cup successes. India women’s team bowling coach Aavishkar Salvi credited the BCCI and Women’s Premier League for building a pipeline of world-class talent behind the team’s recent ODI World Cup triumph.
The summit also hosted the inaugural AI² Awards 2026, celebrating the convergence of human creativity and machine intelligence in storytelling and content creation. Poet and kathavachak Kumar Vishwas delivered a nuanced take on India’s concept of Dharma and criticised the recent arrest of an 80-year-old Shankaracharya. Veteran lyricist Sameer Anjaan and storyteller Neelesh Misra reflected on changing music trends and artistic responsibility in the wake of a recent controversy involving Nora Fatehi.
In a country where conversations often run as deep as the Ganges, the WITT Summit proved once again that when leaders, thinkers and storytellers come together, the real winner is public discourse lively, layered and refreshingly unafraid to tackle the big questions shaping India’s tomorrow.
