sony-simply bad timing or myopia

i have been an avid sony viewer for last year but lately thier programming has disappointed me to no end .I am left wondering if sony is just caught up in a season of bad timing and bad luck or it is thier programming idealogy that has led them to this stage.

The taste of viewers have changed drastically in last few years.this phenomenon is true not only for the tv channels but also bollywood. directors can be seen experimenting with unconventional themes(lakshya, dil chahta hai,naach,aitraaz, fida.......) and unpopular genres(horror movies, crossover movies....). even yash chopra who has always stuck to emotional movies ended up making dhoom(action on bikes) which was a new concept in india.audience seem to appreciate not only the unconventionality of these movies but also the effort and the technical aspects .

In such an environment, time seems to be right for trying new ideas on television.however for some reason sony which is a very popular channel for most part seems to be falling behind. In last two months its competitor zee tv has launched a set of new shows ranging from conventional(tumhari disha), comedy(kareena, kareena) to upbeat and trendy(kabhi haan kabhi naa). star tv not only launched a new channel star one which is winning adulation from viewers and critics alike for its unconventional and trendy shows(guns and roses, dkch,siddhant,family business) but also entered overseas market ending zee/sony monopoly. with a news channel , a conventional entertainment channel star plus and thier much talked about star one channel, there is something for everyone in the package.sahara one is also experimenting with its shows.

sony on other hand went downhill with all its shows from kkusum to yeh meri life hai. almost all this shows started at a very good note but eventually reverted to traditional story with the protagonist caught up in circumstances weeping her way out of it. there isn't a single comedy or a show that can be said to be trendy or bold or even different. worst yet sony's latest programming idealogy does not hint at any changes in near future. tarun katiyal's recent interviews suggested that they are looking forward to some reality shows and adaptations from hispanic shows. apparently they have learnt nothing from the jjkn fiasco. reality shows normally maintain trps for a season or two before bombing out.popular reality shows like bachelor and survivor are biggest example of this where the trps fell down sharply after three seasons. hispanic shows on the other hand are very racy and have heavy sexual overtones. they cannot be shown in original form on family prime time slot and if the story is changed to suit the indian taste, the essence of the original story is lost in the process rendering the show completely illogical . what need to be done is pave way for new unconventional shows with thier roots in indian idealogy. shows that are more fun , bold and thought provoking within the framework of indian sensibilities.

Hey PJ,

I totally agree with u ...if u don't mind i'd really like to recommend that you send this email to setindia seniors....Sunil Lulla and Tarun K....email me and i'll send you their email addresses....

👏

Originally posted by: pj04

i have been an avid sony viewer for last year but lately thier programming has disappointed me to no end .I am left wondering if sony is just caught up in a season of bad timing and bad luck or it is thier programming idealogy that has led them to this stage.

The taste of viewers have changed drastically in last few years.this phenomenon is true not only for the tv channels but also bollywood. directors can be seen experimenting with unconventional themes(lakshya, dil chahta hai,naach,aitraaz, fida.......) and unpopular genres(horror movies, crossover movies....). even yash chopra who has always stuck to emotional movies ended up making dhoom(action on bikes) which was a new concept in india.audience seem to appreciate not only the unconventionality of these movies but also the effort and the technical aspects .

In such an environment, time seems to be right for trying new ideas on television.however for some reason sony which is a very popular channel for most part seems to be falling behind. In last two months its competitor zee tv has launched a set of new shows ranging from conventional(tumhari disha), comedy(kareena, kareena) to upbeat and trendy(kabhi haan kabhi naa). star tv not only launched a new channel star one which is winning adulation from viewers and critics alike for its unconventional and trendy shows(guns and roses, dkch,siddhant,family business) but also entered overseas market ending zee/sony monopoly. with a news channel , a conventional entertainment channel star plus and thier much talked about star one channel, there is something for everyone in the package.sahara one is also experimenting with its shows.

sony on other hand went downhill with all its shows from kkusum to yeh meri life hai. almost all this shows started at a very good note but eventually reverted to traditional story with the protagonist caught up in circumstances weeping her way out of it. there isn't a single comedy or a show that can be said to be trendy or bold or even different. worst yet sony's latest programming idealogy does not hint at any changes in near future. tarun katiyal's recent interviews suggested that they are looking forward to some reality shows and adaptations from hispanic shows. apparently they have learnt nothing from the jjkn fiasco. reality shows normally maintain trps for a season or two before bombing out.popular reality shows like bachelor and survivor are biggest example of this where the trps fell down sharply after three seasons. hispanic shows on the other hand are very racy and have heavy sexual overtones. they cannot be shown in original form on family prime time slot and if the story is changed to suit the indian taste, the essence of the original story is lost in the process rendering the show completely illogical . what need to be done is pave way for new unconventional shows with thier roots in indian idealogy. shows that are more fun , bold and thought provoking within the framework of indian sensibilities.

pj where are u from? i guess u dont live in india and have never seen star plus. just check it out if u get a chance. it has the most regressive programming in the world. and its is india's leading channel. sony is a baby compared to it.
star is regressive and doesnt feel apologetic abt it. the reality is ppl in india like such programs. they deliver trps. trps bring in revenues. and revenue is the only thing that matters to a channel.

kshreya...i am based in usa presently but the truth is i have seen starplus on long vacations in india recently and years before. star plus is more of saas bahu stuff(conventional stuff) that are bread butter for bored housewives and general traditional masses( it is a serving of traditional values with jerry springer twists). i case you did not know jerry springer is a popular talk show in USA that makes you sick (never seen more public airing of dirty laundry). but the point is it is no different from kkusum on sony. while it makes me sick but for the people who enjoy that sort of stuff star package has starplus(have as many doses as you want of that stuff......surprising though it may be...it is more popular than you can imagine). but star channels have star one that targets more intellectual crowd( i agree they had a great start but will they maintain that steam is to be seen......)sony has nothing that competes with them there.

since you seem to find star plus so regressive(and you are not far from truth), what is it that distinguishes sony??? do they have a light or comedy serial.......do they have a single thought provoking show.....do they have a single trendy show with more bold theme.....no to them all . they seem to suffer with some sort of idealogical mindblock , which was the point of my post. they have potential but do not want to utilize it.

i know jjkn is still better than most shows but with the number of loose end and bloopers in it ....it is a mere shadow of what it could have been. as for deviation from original story...i am not sure if you have seen the original( some episodes could embarass you to death or shock you with thier explicitness including one that had a bondage party.....i get telemundo but am afraid to even switch to it when my daughter is around ..... and she sees general american shows...this should clue you in to thier raciness)or as to how far you have read the story( i am sorry but being an avid romance reader ...i can quote a dozen books with similar themes, treatment, premise of the story). my point being that sony could not have stuck to original even if they tried and the story being special is more of a hype( i fail to understand why did they need the original , thier writer could have written a similar story more suited to indian tastes...atlast they ended up doing just that anyways and still had to deal with copyright issues)

anyways sony will have to change its programming idealogy very soon if they want to maintain thier edge and i am sure you will agree with me on that if not on anything else.

As far as I think Sony doesnt want to compete w/ Star One but w/ star plus. basically sony is its closest competitor. Star One's target audience is same as what SET wants its to be but approach appears to be different. but knowing star group as well as i do it is just the beginning. We are speaking too early if we give it credit at this stage. star plus' true colours came out several years after its launch.
Sony has potential. unfortunately all the hopes that i had on SET went down w/ them diverting from BLF. i agree w/ on the argument that it cud have stuck to the original story.
but looking at SET it has chosen the trps route instead of "good entertainment". what im saying is they arent really wrong. they are giving the audience what they deserve.

agree with you pj...even Zee with astitva, kareena kareena and kabhi haan kabhi naa has more qualitative and sensible programmes than sony...and Star One is definitely a better channel as compared to all other entertainment channels....it is quite trendy, upmarket and has sensible and high quality programming....also its production values are the best i think it is gonna eat into sony's market share in no time....

Originally posted by: kshreya2002

As far as I think Sony doesnt want to compete w/ Star One but w/ star plus. basically sony is its closest competitor. Star One's target audience is same as what SET wants its to be but approach appears to be different. but knowing star group as well as i do it is just the beginning. We are speaking too early if we give it credit at this stage. star plus' true colours came out several years after its launch.
Sony has potential. unfortunately all the hopes that i had on SET went down w/ them diverting from BLF. i agree w/ on the argument that it cud have stuck to the original story.
but looking at SET it has chosen the trps route instead of "good entertainment". what im saying is they arent really wrong. they are giving the audience what they deserve.

competition is not a matter of choice but circumstances...whether sony likes or not....whether it wants or not .....if the consumer segment is same(which it will be sooner or later)...it will end up competing with star one.as for showing true colors after years...by then star will have increased thier market share to desired level.if you doubt me...check out umpteeth articles on indian television .

you don't have to get defensive about sony's strategy...i want them to survive...i am on thier side....but that does not justify turning blind to thier shortcomings.

No Im not defensive Pj. U havent got my point. What Im saying is SET cannot help it. they have to do what they are doing becuz the audience in general is like that. Biggest proof of that is a show like kkusum getting better trps than jjkn(even when ur fave purab was in the spotlight).

Zee has and will survive as it always had the 1st mover advantage. Starone..well lets see!