Shark Tank India to air on Sony TV from December 20

Sony Entertainment Television will be airing its new non-fiction show Shark Tank India from December 20. It will be telecast every Monday to Friday at 9 pm, replacing Kaun Banega Crorepati. Produced by STUDIO NEXT, this revolutionary show will see upGrad as the Presenting Sponsor, Flipkart as the co-powered by sponsor and KIA Motors as the Associate Sponsor.

Sony Pictures Networks India has acquired the rights for the Indian adaptation of the globally successful business reality format – Shark Tank and this is its first season in India. Geared up to invest in these potential businesses and nurture the country’s business aspirants from all walks of life are the ‘Sharks’ who are successful entrepreneurs themselves. The sharks for the first edition are - Ashneer Grover (founder and managing director of BharatPe), Vineeta Singh (CEO and co-founder of SUGAR Cosmetics), Peyush Bansal (founder and CEO of Lenskart), Namita Thapar (executive director of Emcure Pharmaceuticals), Anupam Mittal (founder and CEO of Shaadi.com - People Group), Ghazal Alagh (co-founder and chief mama of Mamaearth) and Aman Gupta (co-founder and chief marketing officer at boAt). It will be hosted by Rannvijay Singha.

Speaking at the press conference after the show’s launch Ashish Golwalkar, head, Content – Sony Entertainment Television and Digital Business, said, “We were to bring this show to India three years back but it got delayed due to the pandemic. Though it’s a business show, we don’t see it as a niche show. It’s a show for the masses.”

He also shared that 2022 will be a big year for the channel as apart from Shark Tank they will have other big show launches. India’s Got Talent will be airing on Sony from January and a cooking contest is set to feature from June.

The selected applicants or the ‘Pitchers’ will find themselves face-to-face with the ‘Sharks’ or the investors who will understand, assess and make an offer based on the applicant’s final ‘pitch’. The Sharks have no idea whatsoever on the ‘pitches’ beforehand. If the ‘pitchers’ manage to impress the ‘Sharks’ they stand a chance to get an offer/ investment from the ‘Sharks’ right there. The show will not only help mentor participants or the ‘pitchers’ but will also give a first-hand experience to the masses by demystifying various nuances of business and the potential that it holds.

Indranil Chakraborty, head – STUDIO NEXT, said, “At STUDIO NEXT, it’s our endeavour to present to our viewers ‘entertainment with a purpose’ and shows like KBC, Scam 1992, Dhadkan Zindaggi Kii or soon to be released Whistleblower are a testament to our efforts. In line with this thought, we are excited to bring a show like Shark Tank India that offers a unique viewing experience to the audience not only educating them but entertaining them at the same time.”

Speaking at the press conference he said that one of the greatest challenges in making the show was maintaining a balance between honesty to the show and the audience's taste.

The format has reinvigorated businesses in over 40 countries since its first launch in 2001. With over 180 seasons, winning over 30 awards globally, Shark Tank is the world’s No. 1 Business Reality Show. Since its first launch in 2001, as Tigers of Money in Japan, created by Nippon TV the format was later adapted as Dragon’s Den in 2005 in the UK and the show premiered in the US as Shark Tank in the year 2009. The format is distributed internationally by Sony Pictures Television.

Sony Television has a strong offering of non-fiction shows with the likes of The Kapil Sharma Show, Indian Idol, Super Dancer and Kaun Banega Crorepati. Shark Tank is expected to further strengthen this offering. However it remains to be seen how a business show will perform on weekday primetime on a GEC. Being a business show there will be use of several technical terms which may not be relatable to the masses. The Indian audience is used to watching reality shows that require little to no intellectual capacity on the part of the audience. This show is clearly going to be different from that lot.

However, Chakraborty says that the Indian audience should not be underestimated. “Even Scam 1992 has a lot of technical concepts. But it still enjoyed good viewership. The Indian audience is quite intelligent. If they don’t understand something they will find it out. We shouldn’t underestimate them,” he said.

Moreover, the show replaces Kaun Banega Crorepati in the schedule and those are really big shoes to fill. We will have to wait till December 20 to see how well it does that.

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