GECs
SET to unveil new look Saturday as ‘Kutumb’ completes week on air
It’s all happening at Sony Entertainment television. Close on the heels of the launch of its new serial Kutumb on Monday, the channel is all set to take on a whole new on-air look from Saturday, 3 November, at 7 am.
All part of the “course correction” exercise underway at Sony, sister channel MAX will also sport a new look soon.
Termed as being linked to the sixth anniversary celebrations of its flagship channels, the new on-air look has been a major project for the SET team. Kacon Sethi, executive V-P, who led the team, says: “From Day One, slick and unique packaging has been one of the strengths of Sony Entertainment Television, and our viewers have always had very high expectations of the channel. Hence the on-air look refreshes every two years, and this time we felt that our sixth anniversary would be the perfect time to make the change happen.”
The new look has been executed by the Hollywood-based award winning design house Belief, which bagged a pitch that was open to seven other design houses from the USA and UK, a company release states.
“We’ve done three sets of designs for the new look,” Sethi reveals, “And you will see it evolve every six months.”
On the programming front, Monday saw the launch at 9:30 pm of Kutumb, the new daily soap from the – you guessed it – Balaji stable,.
Kutumb is the first new serial on Sony after its rightsizing exercise and runs monday to Thursday. It telecasts immediately after Kkusum, the current channel driver, which is on air five days a week at 9 pm.
SET will be watching on tenterhooks as two new Star serials – Aruna Irani’s maiden directorial venture, Des Mein Nikala Hoga Chand takes the 9-10 pm slot on Mondays and another Balaji production, Kasauti Zindagi Kay will beam from Monday to Thursday at 8:30 pm. The launch of the two Star serials coincides with the whittling down of gameshow Kaun Banega Crorepati to twice a week.
With Movers and Shakers gone, and the launch of Shubh Vivaah (a matrimonial show hosted by screen queen Madhuri Dixit) delayed indefinitely, Sony now desperately needs a hit, which it hopes Kutumb, will deliver.
Initial reports of Kutumb appear to be positive though with viewers taking kindly to the “different” plotline.
For related reports on Sony’s new strategies and Kutumb plotline click below:
Sony hopes soaps will do for the near term
Tide has turned for Sony, asserts Dasgupta
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.
