Sony's Indian Idol to be telecast on October 28 at 9.30 pm

The first three episodes will dwell on the auditions that were concluded recently in the metros of Mumbai, Delhi, Kolkata and Ahmedabad

The countdown to the launch of the biggest property on Sony Entertainment Television has begun. Indian Idol, Sony's most prized property, will debut on October 28 at 9.30 pm.

The show will be a weekly of one-hour duration. However, as a bonanza to viewers, the first three episodes will be telecast back-to-back on October 28, 29 and 30. The telecast time on October 29 and 30, which falls on a Friday and Saturday, is 9.00 pm.

The first three episodes will dwell on the auditions, which concluded on October 11 in Ahmedabad. "Unlike other reality shows," says Tarun Katial, executive vice-president, programming and response, SET, "the emphasis will not just be on providing the macro perspective. We will also dwell on interesting people with exciting stories to tell."

To accommodate Indian Idol, incidentally, Sony's driver shows - Jassi Jaisi Koi Nahin and Ye Meri Life Hai - which are telecast from Monday to Thursday at 9.30 pm and 10.00 pm respectively, will be pushed into the Monday to Wednesday time line. Katial anticipates no adverse impact on the viewership of the shows with their run having been slashed by a day. "I don't see how it will impact the shows," he says.

Promotions on Indian Idol will be unveiled in phases depending on the stage in which the show is. "We had a burst during the audition stage," says Katial. "Now, we will have a tune-in burst, followed by promotions as the participants are slowly eliminated."

From over 3-lakh registration calls, participants were whittled down to 20,000 for the auditions, which were held in Mumbai, Delhi, Kolkata and Ahmedabad over September and the first week of October. The final count post the auditions is 120.

"These 120 candidates then get into the theatre round, which will comprise two episodes. Over these two episodes, participants will be brought down to 30," says Katial.

These 30 participants are then divided into three groups of ten each in the Piano round, which comprises four episodes. A viewer poll is introduced at this stage for the selection of 10 finalists, who are eliminated one-by-one in the gala round. "The one who survives the galas is the winner," says Katial.

The interesting bit about Indian Idol is that Sony will convert the channel into a veritable "Indian Idol station", implying that there will be in-show plugs, pop-ups, station ids etc -reminding viewers about the show from time-to-time. "Well, a show of the magnitude of Indian Idol deserves 100 per cent attention," says Katial.

He also indicates that allied shows on the channel will not suffer on account of the attention that Indian Idol will get. Sony is looking to launch a brand new show in the 10.30 pm slot as well as rejuvenate existing shows.

The channel, alongwith sister channel MAX, will unveil a new look on October 24, which will also be the day when blockbuster Koi Mil Gaya will premiere on Sony at 8.00 pm.

The visual of the ‘blue lady' in Sony's channel id will be retained despite a revamp of its packaging and on-air look. MAX, on the other hand, has three genre ids for movies, special events and cricket.

The packaging of key MAX properties like Maha Movie, Mera Movie and Super Cinema has also been refreshed.

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