GEC Watch: Slow Start for Sony Pal

The latest entrant in the Hindi GEC space grossed 11,000 GVTs.

Sony Pal, the third Hindi general entertainment channel from Multi Screen Media (MSM), after Sony Entertainment Television (SET) and Sab TV, has had a bad beginning.

The channel had high hopes but managed to open with only 11,000 GVTS, as per TAM data (C&S, HSM, 4+), provided by a subscriber. The channel, launched on September 1 with the tagline 'Yeh Pal Hamara Hai', is targeted at the 'traditional, yet modern' Indian woman. However, the shows of the channel failed to appeal to the Indian audiences. Sony Pal's highest rated show is 'Sinhasan Battisi' that rated 190 TVTs in its opening week. It was followed by 'Ek Rishta Aisa Bhi' with 103 TVTs.

The other channels...

Star Plus maintained the lead in the genre as it added eyeballs to gross 591045 GVTs in the week ended September 6. The channel had closed the earlier week with 561897 GVTs. Only three of Star Plus' shows featured in the top 10 shows' list.

Zee TV held on to the second spot strongly as its recorded a gross viewership of 451717 GVTs in week 36 of TAM, as opposed to 462476 GVTs in the previous week. Four of its shows are in the most watched shows list.

Colors is next with 399182 GVTs, compared to 388017 GVTs in the last week. The channel's comedy non-fiction and one fiction have made it to the most watched show's chart.

Life OK has yet again toppled Sony Entertainment Television as the latter slipped to No. 6, even below its younger sibling Sab TV. Sony had hopped to the fourth spot post Kaun Banega Crorepati's launch in week 34. The Amitabh Bachchan-hosted show hasn't been as hot as expected as ratings fell from 5216 in its launch week to 3863 TVTs in the current week of TAM. Sony lost eyeballs in week 36 to end the week with 286594 GVTs (last week 317093 GVTs).

Life OK added numbers to close the week with 326081 GVTs (last week 266952 GVTs) as Sab TV added viewers to conclude the week with 287945 GVTs (last week 281456). Star Utsav rated 91049 GVTs (last week 87003), Zee Anmol grossed 80969 GVTs (last week 67326), Zindagi clocked 34888 GVTs (last week 28987) and Sahara One registered 14196 GVTs (last week 12607) in the current week of TAM.

A look at the shows...

Zee TV's Kumkum Bhagya and Jodha Akbar are the most watched shows in the genre with 8573 TVTs and 8131 TVTs, respectively. The next two shows are Star Plus' Saathiya Saath Nibhana and Diya Aur Baati Hum that concluded the week with 8016 TVTs and 6951 TVTs, respectively.

At No. 5 is Zee TV's Jamai Raja that clocked 6445 TVTs as Colors' Sasural Simar Ka followed with 6333 TVTs. The seventh spot is held by Colors' Comedy Nights with Kapil that rated an average of 6281 TVTs in week 36 of TAM. Next comes Star Plus' Yeh Rishta Kya Kehlata Hai that registered 6174 TVTs. Sab TV's Taarak Mehta... closed the week with 6143 TVTs. Zee TV's Qubool Hai occupied the tenth spot on the Hindi GEC shows hierarchy with 6087 TVTs.