Sony TV's Faulty Programming Strategy: Why Should We Suffer?

And to make matters worse, the channel has been working on weird' strategies which have irked many a top Producers in the TV market, is what our industry sources have informed us.

The recent decision of shutting down Itti Si Khushi, we hear has not gone down well with its Producer Rajan Shahi. The producer has apparently suffered huge losses with the show being closed after the airing of just 60 odd episodes. In fact, Rajan we hear, was promised a good sustenance back-up from the channel, considering that they did not have a good GRP platform to boast about. However, none of the promises were kept at the end of the day.

Also, the strategic change to shift the time-slot of Humsafars, the Harshad Chopda, Shivya Pathania starrer show of 4 Lions Films from the 10.30 PM slot to 8.30 PM slot, to accommodate the mighty Ekta Kapoor's show Itna Karo Na Mujhe Pyar has only brought down the numbers of Humsafars.

To top it all, few top-rated Producers have been waiting in the queue for long, for their shows to come on air.

Shashi-Sumeet Productions' show titled Muh Boli Shaadi with Fahad Ali and Zalak Desai in lead roles has been stuck, with its set being erected nearly five months back. The surprising aspect is that there is apparently no clarity whatsoever about the show's launch, and that too after the producers have shot for nearly 26 episodes.

Another show that has been put in the clarity-unclear' mode happens to be Saurabh Tewari's show titled Do Deewane Ek Shehar Mein which has the popular hunk Mohit Sehgal and Roshni Sahuta in lead roles. Well, the set for this huge show has been erected in Film City two months back, and the maker has shot for nearly six episodes, after which the channel has put the project on hold.

Reason for the delay in launches?

Well our sources have informed that the decision makers have Sony TV now apparently feels that drama' and family shows' do not get them the required numbers. Hence, they are in the mode of creating newer strategies, atleast when it comes to their newer launches. And this has indeed given rise to an uncertainty over the shows that have already been commissioned on the channel.

If this is not enough, falling into the same bracket are Shakuntalam Telefilms as they are on the verge of setting their sets for their already-commissioned show on Sony TV.

The buzz is that many top Producers who were offered a chance to pitch shows for Sony TV have openly refused the idea of making shows for the channel, considering its high-hand ways of launching serials, and pulling it off in a hurry. We hear that Producer Suzana Ghai has apparently refused an offer for a show on Sony TV wherein Sony wanted her to bring the dashing Barun Sobti back to the small screen.

Says a well-placed and reliable source, "Few strategic mistakes have left the channel honchos high and dry. There is an air of uncertainty about what they really want to show on their channel. There is also a thought of making concepts similar to Adaalat, CID etc, and stay away from the family dramas. The producers who have already been guaranteed a show have been losing lot of money as standing cost. And with the channel not sure of when they would launch these shows, there is a high degree of tension hovering around with lot of money being at stake. Also, the channel does not make any effort whatsoever to sustain a show. The strategy used as of now is to keep many shows as back-up, shut a serial in just few months of launch and back it up with a brand new show. This way, the producers do not even get a period of five months of being on air, during which they can atleast break even."

Besides the Producers waiting for their moment of dawn, actors like Fahad Ali, Mohit Sehgal are feeling low and sad at their shows being halted. Also, Itti Si Khushi lead Anuj Sachdeva has recently come out in the open to vent his feelings on the sudden closure of his show. Many actors have also expressed their displeasure of working with Sony TV, fearing a shake in their branding value.

When TOIS tried hard to get some information about the halted' future of the show, we got to know of an even more confusing state of affair. The channel is in fact contemplating to launch some of their upcoming shows on Sony PAL, rather than on Sony TV.

Well, this indeed seems to be a very messed up state for the producers as well as the channel.

Well, we simply hope Sony TV gathers momentum' and surges upwards in the ratings chart with their new strategic moves.

we need to bring this to sony's notice...

its a request to those of u who r on twitter...plzzz bombard sony ..requesting them to change their strategy...proper repeats and better promotions is the need of the hour!