Chennai: Sun TV Network has acquired the dubbing rights of Jai Hanuman from Sony TV and Naagin, the most consistently top rated finite fiction show from Colors, in-order to bolster the programming line-up of Sun TV, Gemini TV and Surya TV with Mythological and Fantasy shows.
The Broadcaster has already scheduled Jai Hanuman on Gemini TV and Surya TV in its evening time band at 6:00 PM during weekdays and on Sun TV it is scheduled to be aired on every Sunday starting from 5th June between 10:00 to 11:00 AM. Jai Hanuman has comparatively opened with good numbers on Surya TV, while it is improving on Gemini TV.
Similarly, the network has decided to schedule Naagin in the Prime time bands of Sun TV, Surya TV and Gemini TV. The Tamil dubbed version of Naagin will be aired on Sun TV from 27th June at 10 to 10:30 PM (Mon – Sat) as a replacement of Aadhira, which was a sponsorship programme by private producer Cine Times. With this, the 10 PM slot of Sun TV will become an in-house time-band that will be marketed solely by Sun TV’s sales team alone.
The Malayalam version of Naagin (titled as Naaga Kanyaka) will be aired as one hour programme starting from 20th June, scheduled for telecast on every Monday to Friday between 9 PM to 10 PM. On the other hand, the Telugu version will go as an half an hour time band on Gemini TV, in its 7:30 PM slot, also starting from 20th June.
Sun TV Network seems to have formulated the strategy to acquire the dubbing rights from Sony TV and Colors that are not having presence in South, in-order to compete with Star India’s South GECs and Zee Group channels that are leveraging on its original contents produced for Hindi GECs such as Mahabharat, Ramayan, Siya Ke Ram, Jodha Akbar etc….
However, Sun TV Network could not replicate the same in its Kannada GEC Udaya TV, due to an embargo imposed by various unions of Kannada Film and Television Industry against airing or exhibition of dubbed content in Karnataka Market.
Industry observers and few agency professionals, who doesn’t wanted to be named, observed that the move as a positive approach by the Sun Group’s programming team as the same is expected to Strengthen Sun TV’s dominance in 10 PM slot during weekday and Sunday morning. Similarly, addition of Fantasy and Mythological fiction power to Gemini TV and Surya TV is likely to improve the viewership and Fiction GRPs of the respective channels that is already evident with increasing numbers of Surya TV in its 6 PM time band.
