Tarun might quit Sony :(((((

Tarun Katial may quit Sony, for Reliance

Sitaram Sundalia - Televisionpoint.com
TV's wunderkind and Sony's blue-eyed boy may soon be shifting medium. If the rumours swirling in the media world are to be believed the 30-something Tarun Katial, SET EVP and business head, who made Indian Idol the big hit it was, is all set to shift out from TV to radio.

It is learnt that that Katial may join Anil Ambani's Adlabs Radio as CEO. The company, tentatively to be called Reliance Radio, recently won the bids for nine FM stations across the country. The other option is that he may be venturing out on his own.

Katial refused to comment on this. But on the big one for 2006 is Fear Factor, he says, "It's the world's biggest reality thrill game-show that has been running in several countries for over ten years. We've already shot thirteen episodes on different themes in Malaysia with different TV stars and film actors. We go on air early next year. This is a genre that has never been explored on Indian television."

N P Singh, COON, SET will be directly involved with Sony, he says, "I will take the charge of Katial duties directly until a replacement has been confirmed."

However, Sony's not talking, busy as they are with Indian Idol 2 and neither is Katial. It would be as interesting to see how Sony makes up for the loss, as it would be to watch Katial's next move. Eitherways, it is going to be a season of some moving and shaking.

For record note, Katial is the fourth media man to join the ADAE camp, ADAE was recently roped in in Divya Gupta, former president of The Media Edge (TME) as media advisor. ADAE also appointed Sandip Tarkas, former CEO, RK Swamys Media Direction, as the media head of ADAE. Rajesh Sawhney of Times Internet was also appointed as president of Reliance Entertainment.