Sony Sab, the ‘comedy channel’ in the Sony portfolio, wants to be more. Alongside other channels in the group’s fold, Sab unveiled a new look. And now, a new campaign to underline its new positioning. There’s more than just the look that is changing.
Neeraj Vyas, Business Head, Sony SAB, PAL, and Sony MAX Movie Cluster, said, “As a network we have changed the look after a very long time. We will try to change the content too and more importantly will stay fresh and relevant for a very long time.
“We felt that our brand was lacking something and not moving forward. We were revolving around ‘Taarak Mehta ka Ooltah Chashmah’ for a very long time. With the impression of being a comedy channel, we tried to make a lot of comedy shows and it took two years to realise that comedy is a very difficult genre. The main reason is in our creative ecosystem there are very few writers who give content on a daily basis for 22 to 23 mins. It is very difficult to write good comedy content daily; it will be repetitive and not so funny. Actors who can deliver at comedy shows are a receding breed. We are very different from other channels as we were perceived as a very happy and safe family channel. This is a very critical recognition the brand has. The values and shows are within the positive zone. Around three years back our journey started towards actually re-organising the content of the channel. We didn’t want to just do comedy shows as there were practical issues. I feel that in the entertainment industry the brand has to stand for itself. The channel aims to strengthen its emotional connection with its viewers through a philosophy based on the understanding that “Jo roz choti khushiya dete hai, wohi rishtey toh bade hote hai.”
He added, “We saw a lot of merit in casting a channel which largely caters to a diverse target group. If you see the ecosystem now, most of the channels are largely making shows essentially towards female TG 20-35-40. Earlier the shows were for everyone in the family. Today there is a pattern of one kind of storytelling meant for housewives. Here we saw the opportunity to create television which is meant for the whole family. We distinctly filtered the need and started creating content.”
Even now there is diverse content in shows like ‘Alibaba’, ‘Taarak Mehta Ka Ooltah Chashmah’, ‘Maddam Sir’, ‘Pushpa Impossible’, ‘Wagle ki Duniya’ etc. Some were successful while some were not, according to the Business Head.
Vyas noted, “Television’s time has come now and will be alive in this country even though OTT, digital are here. Rural India is yet to see the true potential of television. You have to segment and personalise it. The recently launched brand films will further help us cement our positioning as a brand that goes beyond just providing entertainment and helps us connect emotionally with our audiences on a much deeper level.”
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Vaishali Sharma, Marketing & Communications Head, Sony SAB, PAL and Sony MAX Movie Cluster, remarked, “We appeal to different people in the country, stand for something. Where values are concerned we are forward-looking and progressive in terms of storytelling. So in one way we are around the corner of the trends that are happening, our stories are coming from not just one kind of storytelling. Earlier we were comedy. It’s not that anymore, nor are we limited to romance, or limited to any genre (sic). We are actually preparing ourselves to become creators of content that appeal to a larger base in terms of families.
“Is content resonating with the changing minds of people? That’s what we are conscious of at Sony Sab. We always search for insights and observations from people. During the pandemic we have gone out and met people, we learnt their lives, understood their stories and those insights we have taken back and that is why we are so convinced about our diverse content.”
Vyas added, “We need to market ourselves very aggressively and smartly, and make this distinction that we have, noticeable amongst people. Just making content which is different is not going to help us beyond a point as the whole media market is very crowded and people have too many options. The idea is to tell people that come, there is something for you here, later they like it or not it’s their choice.”
On the new shows, he said, “We take insights from people in metros, Tier 2 and 3; below that I don’t see the brand resonating beyond a point. Segmentation is the reality that all of us have to clearly focus on. I will be focusing on a slightly elite audience which the advertiser also wants. The advertiser wants the premium audience, my attempt is to get that audience.
“TV has a great future as it is family viewing. OTT content is an alternative content, they are very clear on who they are catering to.
“This year the television advertising is likely to grow anywhere between 10 to 14 pc as per the numbers that we have seen from everyone. Digital obviously will grow more as it is in the nascent stage of growth phase right now,” he observed.
