GECs
Sony Entertainment Television back on track
Yes, the Hindi GEC space is witnessing the rule of the top three. But old-monk Sony Entertainment Television is racing quite hard to get into that inner ring that includes Colors, Zee TV and Star Plus.
Sony has done the catch-up exercise with some of its old-running programmes gaining ground while a few of its overhauled prime-time shows have started delivering.
According to the latest Tam data, Sony has earned 183 gross rating points (GRPs) for the week ended 7 November, up 23 points from the earlier week.
Says Set business head Ajit Thakur, “We know that Sony is a stronger brand than what the numbers are showing and in the months to come we will push hard for faster growth.”
Sony had relaunched on 26 May with a new slate of five dailies for the 8-11 pm time zone, donning the tagline, ‘Badal Rahe Hain Hum‘. The channel also lined up two weekend shows, one of which was the return of the big-ticket reality show Dus Ka Dum in season 2 with Salman Khan as the anchor. The revamp strategy also involved the axing of all its weekday prime time content except its age-old shows Boogie Woogie and CID.
With the new line up, Sony‘s ratings shot to 97 points in week 22 from 78 in the previous week.
Says a source in the company, “As we were back to our basics, we had to evaluate what was working for the channel and what was not. According to the research we have done, our old properties like CID, Boogie Woogie, Aahat and Dus Ka Dum had worked for us. Hence, step one was to bring these properties back.”
Backing this statement is Tam data, which reveals that C.I.D., Boogie Woogie and Dus Ka Dum were the top contributors to the channel grades. The last five-week average TVR for C.I.D stands at 3.4, while Dus Ka Dum is at 2.1 and Boogie Woogie at 1.5.
Though Sony did witness an upward swing instantly post relaunch, it wasn‘t a continuous upward drive. For the following weeks, the channel‘s GRPs dipped to 90 and 82 points for week 24 and 25 respectively.
And then the tide turned and Sony crossed the 100-GRP mark to pocket 108 grades in week 27.
As reality became the staple flavour for GECs this season, Sony decided to create the big property, Mujhe Iss Jungle Se Bachao, as part of its relaunch strategy. However, the property failed to perform.
“Among the fiction shows, Rani Padmini and Palampur Express flopped and therefore they were axed immediately. The other two shows, Bhaskar Bharti and Ladies Special, was performing average for the channel and hence, some investments have been done around that,” says a senior executive in Sony on request of anonymity.
Still believing in the power of reality, the channel went forward to launch its newest property, the Dance Premier League (DPL).
“We realised that we had to strengthen some of our stuff quarter-by-quarter. Hence, we gave Boogie Woogie a break and got DPL. The property has done fantastic for us, not only in the form of garnering advertising revenues but in ratings growth. Beginning with a TVR of around 1, it has grown to an average 1.5,” the executive says.
Meanwhile, to tighten its week-day fiction line up, the channel got on board Balaji Telefilms‘ Beyttaab Dil Kee Tamana Hain and Pyaar Ka Bandhan to firm up the 10-11 pm band. While the former has delivered an average TVR of 0.64 for the week, Pyaar Ka Bandhan has fetched 0.56 average TVR.
“We are looking at a new fiction line up altogether. This week we launched Sukh By Chance in the 9 pm band and we will be launching two more shows in the next four weeks,” the executive elaborates.
For the weekend, Boogie Woogie will come back next year while Sony will currently focus on DPL to increase the scale of the 8 pm slot.
The next few weeks will tell how intense is Sony‘s recovery as it steps up the gas to put up more popular shows.
GECs
Sebi sends show-cause notice to Zee over fund diversion, company responds
Regulator questions 2018 letter of comfort and governance lapses; company vows robust legal response
MUMBAI: India’s markets watchdog has reignited its long-running scrutiny of Zee Entertainment Enterprises, issuing a sweeping show-cause notice that drags the broadcaster and 84 others into a widening governance storm.
The notice, dated February 12, has been served by the Securities and Exchange Board of India to Zee, chairman emeritus Subhash Chandra and managing director and chief executive Punit Goenka, among others. At its heart: allegations that company funds were indirectly routed to settle liabilities of entities linked to the Essel Group.
The regulator’s probe traces its roots to November 2019, when two independent directors resigned from Zee’s board, flagging concerns over the alleged appropriation of fixed deposits by Yes Bank. The deposits were reportedly adjusted against loans extended to Essel Group entities, triggering questions about related-party dealings and board oversight.
A key flashpoint is a letter of comfort dated September 4, 2018, issued by Subhash Chandra in his dual capacity as chairman of Zee and the Essel Group. The document, linked to credit facilities availed by certain group companies from Yes Bank, was allegedly known only to select members of management and not disclosed to the full board—an omission SEBI believes raises red flags over transparency and governance controls.
Zee has pushed back hard. In a statement, the company said it “strongly refutes” the allegations against it and its board members and will file a detailed response. It expressed confidence that SEBI would conduct a fair review and signalled readiness to pursue all legal remedies to protect shareholder interests.
The notice marks the latest twist in a saga that has shadowed the broadcaster since 2019. What began as boardroom unease has morphed into a full-blown regulatory confrontation. The final reckoning now rests with SEBI—but the reputational stakes for Zee, and the message for India Inc on governance discipline, could scarcely be higher.
