Gaurav Banerjee on BARC ratings: Advertisers still back known IP amid TV ad uncertainty

Strong, established content franchises are helping Sony Pictures Networks India (SPNI) navigate an uncertain television advertising market, with advertisers increasingly seeking the comfort of proven properties amid concerns around audience consumption and BARC ratings, said Gaurav Banerjee, managing director and CEO of SPNI.

Banerjee, who also chairs the Broadcast Audience Research Council (BARC) India, declined to comment on ratings trends in his capacity as the industry body's chairman. Asked instead how advertisers and broadcasters were responding to the current environment, he said the strength of established intellectual property (IP) was proving to be an advantage for Sony.

“What we are seeing in the market is the fact that we have all of this known IP is helping us,” Banerjee said at a media interaction.

He added that the advantage of established IP was also relevant to Sony's regional expansion.

The comments come at a time when television broadcasters are entering the festive season with an increasingly crowded content calendar amid data dark period, while advertisers in some traditional categories have been cautious about spending. At the same time, broadcasters are attempting to use high-engagement properties to protect audience share and monetisation.

For Sony, franchises such as Kaun Banega Crorepati (KBC) and Crime Patrol form an important part of that strategy. KBC is being positioned as the flagship property for the current season, while Crime Patrol is returning with actor Ajay Devgn as the Grand Ambassador.

Banerjee has previously described attention as the single most important metric for Sony, arguing that audience attention ultimately drives both television engagement and streaming retention.

“If there was only one metric that we could chase, we will chase attention,” he said during the interaction.

The focus on known IP also comes as Sony seeks to rebuild the fiction business on Sony Entertainment Television (SET), where Banerjee acknowledged that fiction has not performed as strongly in recent years. He said the company is developing a new slate of fiction shows for the channel, with launches expected over the next six months.

However, the network is not looking to abandon its established strengths in non-fiction, reality and crime programming. Banerjee said SET's identity is built around “superstar-led great non-fiction reality shows” and crime franchises, with fiction forming another pillar.

The strategy is particularly important as broadcasters prepare for the festive season, traditionally one of the most competitive periods for television viewership and advertising.

Banerjee said the way for Sony to cut through the clutter was to offer programming that is both differentiated and relevant.

KBC, he said, exemplifies that approach. The latest season is being positioned as a version of the long-running format “crafted in the age of AI”, with greater emphasis on reasoning rather than simply answering trivia questions.