Sony to launch non-fiction show 'Power Couple', gears up for 2016

Multi-Screen Media takes a step forward towards adding one more non-fiction property, 'Power Couple' which claims to add positivity to the reality show genre. MSM's NP Singh and Sony Entertainment Television's SVP and Head Marketing, Anup Vishwanathan share their views on the show

Aanchal Kohli | Mumbai | December 7, 2015

2015 seems to be a memorable year for Sony. While the year comes to an end, Multi-Screen media (MSM) has launched a power- packed non-fiction property, 'Power Couple'.  It's time that the Indian TV audiences who have been living on the same old daily diet of dramatic reality shows, get to witness a show which can be a game changer in the way reality TV is perceived in India.

Sony Entertainment Television gears up to break the rules with its new property which will be hitting Indian television screens for the first time as the show premieres on December 12, 2015; subsequent to which it will air every Saturday and Sunday at 8:30PM  and Monday to Friday at 10 PM.

BestMediaInfo caught up with NP Singh, CEO, Multi Screen Media (MSM) in Goa who shared a few insights about the year gone by and the future course of action. We also caught up with the people behind the upcoming property who shared how the show looks promising.

About the show:

NP Singh

Speaking on the occasion, NP Singh, said, “One of Sony's greatest strengths in programming is that they have led right from the front in non-fiction content. India knows and remembers us as the people who introduced JhalakDikhlaJaa, Bigg Boss, KhatronKeKhiladi, to name a few. Power Couple is our latest offering in the non-fiction space. Its tone of progressive, creative innovation sets the bar for what the viewers can expect from us, in times to come.”

Produced by Colosceum India, the show hosted by Bollywood's most compatible couple, MalaikaArora Khan and Arbaaz Khan celebrates the essence of true love as it gauges how far the couples will go to prove their undying affection for each other.

Pratyusha Banerjee-Rahul Raj Singh, Naved Jaffrey-Sayeeda, Jesse Randhawan-SandeepSoparkar, ApoorvaAgnihotri-ShilpaSaklani, Aamir Ali-Sanjeeda Sheikh, DelnazIrani-Percy Karkaria, SalilAnkola-Ria Banerjee, Shawar Ali-Marsela, Ashmit Patel-MehakChahal, and Rahul Dev-MugdhaGodse will be seen participating in this show.

In connection with this, a few weeks ago, MSM had announced a 'Power Couple contest' which was a nationwide hunt for a couple to join the celebrities as they vied to win the coveted title of 'power Couple'. After an exhaustive search, Kritikaand Vishal, a cozy twosome from Gurgaon became eligible as the ordinary couple, joining the celebrities in their 'power' journey.

Anup Vishwanathan

Anup Vishwanathan, SVP and Head Marketing, Sony Entertainment Television, said, “Power Couple is unlike any other non-fiction show currently seen on Indian Television and we at Sony Entertainment Television are excited to present it to our viewers. Malaika and Arbaaz make their television debut together with the show. Each couple has a unique and endearing story to tell and the show will give viewers a glimpse into their lives.”

The show has roped in three sponsors and is looking for more in the time to come. The three sponsors include names like Ponds, Chings and Priya Gold.

Industry Overview:

There has been traction in the market with new formats coming in, new measurement systems and more so giving his view point on how bullish the industry looks and his take on the current scene, Singh said, “Yes, it was a marquee year as we saw a new measurement system coming in which is in the process of stabilizing, which will settle by next year for sure. The industry did see quite a few new and innovative things but one of the interesting things that is seen and expected soon is the digitization of phase 3 markets and with that phase 4 markets too are expected to get devised in the coming year. This will provide a lot of opportunities for the broadcasters.”

Growth:

In the last 20 years Sony has undoubtedly been catering to the ever- changing needs and demands of its viewers. When asked about the year gone by, Singh said, “2015 has been one of the power- packed years for us. We have added quite a few new things in our kitty like our joint venture with BBC Earth which will be launching soon; then our partnership with ESPN to bring them back in the market. The year started with Indian Premier League performing quite well and there is more to come hence it has been a good year.”

The channel has been airing some interesting shows for viewers and the effort has always been to get some interesting shows. Some of the shows like Indian idol, dancing with the stars (jhalakDikhlaja), KaunBanegaCrorepatietc have marked the channel's success in the industry.

On asking Singh about the growth that they witnessed, he said, “As far as the fiscal year is concerned it has not yet ended. We are still in our third quarter but it has been a strong double digit growth that we have garnered both in terms of top and bottom lines.”

According to Singh, the general entertainment channels have performed really well including Sab, Sony Max and Sony Max 2, AXN, Sony Pix. As far as Sony Pal is concerned, the channel towards the end has performed well. “Not only this, but MSM has made a lot of investments in the Sports genre with an aim to strengthen the genre and very soon it will take us to a new level with ESPN too joining hands,” Singh adds.

Promising 2016:

Singh mentioned that 2016 holds immense promise. “Non-Fiction has been our strong strength and in fiction too we are trying to make our presence felt. The year has been fantastic for us and with this new show 'Power Couples' we are quite bullish as it is another international format which was first developed in Israel and is now set to launch in other markets too,” Singh added.

“Whatever we have set in motion this year we will continue next year. Our aggressive investment in new channels will continue next year as well,” Singh added.  According to Singh there will be a huge focus on strengthening the digital space by creating more content on Sony Liv.

A beautiful villa has been created in the scenic locales of Goa where the couples, disconnected from the world, will stay throughout the season for the new show. Here, they will undergo various tests of love to prove how well they know each other. Before each task, one of the partners will invest 'trust points' in their better half's chances of winning. If the partner succeeds in the task, the couple wins the points, but if they lose, the points are deducted! The more the couples work in tandem, the more points they will accumulate; thus ensuring a continuous inflow of points.

Love, trust, patience, belief, courage, sacrifice, compromise, every factor which keeps a relationship going will be tested under the most demanding circumstances. Couples in their 'happily ever after' phase will be judged on their physical, emotional and mental strength, perhaps even leading them to mentally question their vows making the game all the more exciting. Each week couples will vote for others and one couple among them will be eliminated.

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