The emergence of a strong Sunday morning time band that started with ‘Satyamev Jayate’ is being followed by various GECs today. Zee TV is all set to join the bandwagon with the premiere of ‘Ramayan’. The channel will be launching the mythological series on August 12 with the intent of bringing back the days when the entire family would watch TV together on a Sunday morning.
In an attempt to maintain the SMJ momentum, Star Plus launched ‘Lakhon Mein Ek’ on August 5; it replaced ‘Satyamev Jayate’ after its 13-episode run. ‘Lakhon Mein Ek’ is a series of stories inspired by real people who have made a difference to society or to their own lives by listening to their heart.
Commenting on the importance of the weekend slot, PM Balakrishna, COO, Allied Media stated, “The weekend time slot has always been targeted by the GECs. SMJ managed to reactivate the time slot, create a buzz around it and monetise it. With the influx of new shows on weekends, one can definitely say that channels are finally opening up to the weekend time band.” Channels are expecting certain success after the advent of ‘Satyamev Jayate’. There has been a slightly increased interest in the weekend programming off late, though GECs have been trying to improve their line of programming since a long time. Channels today are of the opinion that after SMJ, people have become habitual to watching television at that time and this gives them the opportunity to build on it and experiment further, shared Dinesh Vyas, General Manager, MEC Mumbai. Commenting on the launch of ‘Ramayan’ by Zee TV, Vyas stated, “Mythology has been around since a long time and has proved to be a success in many cases. With ‘Ramayan’, mythology will be seen making a comeback yet again. It is a wise move since it would attract both, the younger and older generation.”
Along with a lot of noise being created about the Sunday morning time band, channels are also concentrating on the weekend prime time slots with equal ardor. Sony Entertainment already has a strong weekend line-up with ‘Indian Idol 6’, ‘CID’, ‘Crime Patrol’, ‘Adaalat’ and ‘Comedy Circus’. Colors also improved its weekend content with ‘Jhalak Dikhlaja’ and ‘Zindagi Ki Haqeeqat Se Amna Samna’. Zee TV has managed to create a loyal viewer base on the weekends with ‘Dance India Dance Little Masters’ and ‘Fear files’.
Star Plus is aiming to strengthen its weekend programming line-up with the launch of two new series in the evening time slot on Saturday and Sunday; the shows being ‘Arjun’ and ‘Teri Meri Love Stories’. What is noteworthy is the varied programming content that the channel is pursuing. ‘Arjun’ is an action/crime investigation series while ‘Teri Meri Love Stories’ will showcase the rediscovery of love in today’s busy world.
Vyas concludes by saying that it has become imperative for channels to rediscover time slots that are dead and renew them with exciting content through an increased category of shows.
Source: Exchange 4 Media
