In a conversation with exchange4media, Neeraj Vyas, Business Head - Sony SAB, talks about the Sony SAB content strategy and on bringing 80s iconic show back on TV Sony SAB- the home some of the iconic shows on TV including the old shows like FIR or Taarak Mehta Ka Ooltah Chashmah, which recently crossed the mark of 3000 episodes, is all set to bring another 80-90s iconic show- Wagle Ki Duniya after almost 30 years on TV. Even in the challenging times this year, the channel continued to bring variety of content to its viewers.  Post lockdown, the channel launched three new shows  including Tera Yaar Hoon Mein, Kaatelal& Sons and Hero. In a conversation with exchange4media, Neeraj Vyas, Business Head - Sony SAB, spoke about the Sony SAB content strategy and on bringing 80s iconic show back on TV

Our entire lensing of content is different from a lot of other brands that exist in the market today. With Sony SAB, a brand which is so spectacularly apart from everything else that exists today, it gives us a great opportunity to constantly try to put out things that the others are not doing. There are three things that clearly stand out as far as this brand is concerned, firstly, it is a family focused brand. Unlike a lot of other brands, which largely catered to the housewife segment. We believe in innovation which is the core to success. Secondly, variety of stories, characters and narratives and thirdly- the most critical thing is quality. The viewer in the last few months especially in this COVID reality has been exposed to so much content all across platforms. People have access to a lot of content through the internet in various forms be it OTT or YouTube, there is a constant plethora of content being thrown at the viewer, which is of great quality and it is another benchmark that we adhere to very realistic. When I get these three things, it becomes imperative for me to put out shows which are extremely diverse in terms of their content and entertainment that we bring and have a family appeal. The family filter is a reality that we don't forget. Whether it's Kaatelal, Tera Yaar Hoon Mein or Madam sir to Aladdin to Hero, everything is different. Hence, I feel Wagle Ki Duniya is a critical element of that mix. One of the reasons why I was very keen on doing this show, Wagle Ki Duniya was first aired on Doordarshan. Now this was India before the liberalisation setting. India before and after that, are two different India's.  I believe this is a story that needs to be told and more so after COVID because we are on the threshold of yet another change. For instance ‘Work from Home’ or technology now being such a big driver to so many things. There is yet another change that is likely to happen in the way this world will unfold. The lensing of Wagle of today's India will be dramatically different from the lensing of Wagle of 1988-90. Probably towards the end of January we plan to launch the show. How much COVID impacted the content strategy for the channel?  The channels can’t keep changing strategy from time to time beyond the point. Like I said, we were very clear about us being very focused on the three things- Family focused content, innovation and quality. I don't think there has been any departure from that strategy. In fact, I believe that is the strategy to follow. If you don't differentiate and remain identical in the game. I don't think it's a game worth playing. We play the game of differentiation, and we walk the talk. Apart from Tarak, which are the other shows that have contributed to the overall growth of SAB? Sony SAB’s terrific line-up of shows has continued to create a special place in our fans’ hearts post the lockdown. Our latest show Kaatelal & Sons has opened to a fantastic response, additionally Tera Yaar Hoon Main too have been a great contributor to the popularity of our shows. We cater to the urban market largely, and in these markers besides Kaatelal & Sons and Tera Yaar Hoon Main, Baalveer Returns has continued to receive tremendous love from the fans. One of the key trends that we have witnessed during the lockdown is the change in the 0consumption pattern. There is a lot of non-prime time viewing that consistently and positively grew because people were working from home. How has the advertisers’ response been on channels during these times? Also, we have seen a lot of new categories and brands emerge during the pandemic, your observations on that? As far as advertisers are concerned, it has been extremely supportive and has grown significantly over last year. Sony SAB has enjoyed a healthy rise in the subscriptions as well as advertising over the last year. The new category of advertisers that have emerged are largely from the digital world and most of them have already successfully partnered with us.