Tony-Deeya shown door by Star!

Ekta Kapoor has done it again. If the grapevine is to be believed, Ekta is on her way to become the official partner of Star Plus. And eventually, Star Plus will only have Balaji shows on primetime. Consequently, all non-Balaji shows will now be shifted to Star One.

However, Harsh Rastogi, General Manager of content and communication at Star, denied the development. He said, "There is no such deal happening in the near future."

Star had already signed a project with Balaji to create a leading television network in regional languages like Tamil, Telugu, Kannada, Malayalam and other key, targeted at the fast growing South Indian market within the next three years. Fifty-one per cent of this joint venture is owned by Star and 49 per cent by Balaji. The potential deal is only an extension of the strong relationship between the two.

Says a source in Star, "Ekta is on her way to sign an exclusive contract with Star Plus according to which, her shows will henceforth be dominating the primetime slot. Ekta shares a good rapport with Star and the channel is also very keen on Ekta's proposal. With this agreement, Ekta will be a major shareholder with the Star team."

Now that Ekta will have the monopoly, the other producers are quite wary of the situation. "Star Plus being one of the leading channels, getting a time slot is an achievement for any production house. Now, all of them will be barred from the primetime slot, which is unfair. Apparently, Deeya and Tony Singh, who were supposed to do a show for Star, have already been shown the door recently," adds the source.

It all started seven years back with Balaji's Kyunki Saas Bhi Kabhu Bahu Thi, when the 10.30 pm (post-KBC slot) was given to this path-breaking saas-bahu show. Later shows like Kahaani Ghar Ghar Kii and Kasautii Zindagi Kay followed. Seven years down the line, the scene is almost the same; these three shows are still ruling the roost with multiple generation leaps. There was just one time slot, that Balaji could not intrude (from 9-10 pm) on primetime. But now, Kasturi has made its way in the coveted time slot.


The K-Slot

As the deal is yet to be signed, the newly-launched Meri Awaaz Ko Mil Gayi Roshni is safe for the moment. The reason is that Ekta already has a show Kasamh Se, going very strong on Zee TV. And according to the deal, no production house can produce serials for two channels simultaneously in the same time slot.

8.00 pm — Karam Apna Apna (Balaji)
8.30 pm — Kasautii Zindagi Kay (Balaji)
9.00 pm — Meri Awaaz Ko Mil Gayi Roshni (Fox Television Network)
9.30 pm — Kasturi (Balaji)
10.00 pm — Kahaani Ghar Ghar Kii (Balaji)
10.30 pm — Kyunki Saas Bhi Kabhi Bahu Thi (Balaji)
11.00 pm — Kayamath (Balaji)

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