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Is Sony banking on TV film on Baba Ramdev and Patanjali?

The 90-minute-long film is sure to get eyeballs courtesy the yoga guru's popularity and the Patanjali brand juggernaut

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Is Sony banking on TV film on Baba Ramdev and Patanjali?

Is Sony banking on TV film on Baba Ramdev and Patanjali?

The 90-minute-long film is sure to get eyeballs courtesy the yoga guru's popularity and the Patanjali brand juggernaut

Raushni Bhagia | Mumbai | April 22, 2016

yog-yatra

Sony Entertainment Television is running teasers for its upcoming property, Yog Yatra, featuring Baba Ramdev and his colleague Acharya Balkrishna. While Sony Pictures Networks India is not willing to talk about it as of now, the teasers give the impression that the content will focus on the journey of Baba Ramdev and his old friend. So, is the channel aiming to bridge the gap to the list of top channels riding on the back of Baba Ramdev and Patanjali's popularity?

The brand – Patanjali – created by the duo has created a lot of stir in the market not only in terms of advertising and marketing strategies, but also giving the FMCG giants a tough run for their money. Eating into the customer base and sales figures of the FMCG biggies, the brand has only grown its numbers from Rs 600 crore in 2011-12 to Rs 3,000 crore in 2014-15 and is targeting Rs 6,000 crore in 2016-17.

If market buzz is to be trusted, earlier what was planned as a short finite series is now going to be a 90-minute-long short film to be telecast on May 1, 2016. While the broadcaster is still deciding on the time slot, it is most likely to be the Sunday 11 AM slot, always famous across GECs for spiritual and mythological shows and properties like 'Satyameva Jayate'. It will be Baba Ramdev's own narration that will depict his and Acharya Balkrishna's journey, culminating in the birth of brand Patanjali.

The kind of response and traction that brand Patanjali and the yoga sessions of the yoga guru have been getting, there's no doubt that all the multiple airings of the movie might substantially boost viewership for Sony Entertainment Television. The teasers running on the channel only show glimpses of the two in separate ad films and a flash at the end 'Yog Yatra. Jald Hi' (The Yog Journey. Coming Soon).

Till now, Baba Ramdev and/or Patanjali have played a part in content on channels like Aastha, where he gave discourses every morning, and on news channels where he was actively involved as a commentator during debates. This will be the first time that he will be seen involved in any kind of programming on a Hindi GEC.

If one observes closely, a lot of shows on Sony have got sponsorship from Patanjali, for one or the other product. The number of slots that the company buys on television has topped the list for a couple of months now, barring a few weeks when Cadbury's was on top, as per BARC India figures. In the current Week 15 too, Patanjali is the third largest ad spot buyer on TV with over 19,000 spots.

Some media analysts also believe that the show might possibly be an advertiser-funded-programming (AFP). Whatever be the format or time slot for the show, the industry is largely positive on the fact that Indian audiences are ready to consume almost everything that is connected to the yoga guru.

The fan following of Baba Ramdev is unmatched as on date, an being the number of people who  get a waiting registration for his yoga sessions in Haridwar. With a capacity of 50,000 followers, people still have to wait for days at times to attend these sessions.

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