‘Shark Tank India’ will continue to resonate for another 50 years: Ranjana Mangla

Reality shows in India have evolved significantly over the years, with various international formats being adapted to local tastes. One of the most impactful adaptations is ‘Shark Tank India’, which debuted in 2021. Based on the American show of the same name, ‘Shark Tank India’ brought a unique business-focused reality format to Indian audiences, catering to the country’s growing entrepreneurial spirit. This year marks the fourth season of the show, solidifying its place as a major player in the reality television landscape and resonating deeply with a growth-driven audience of 200-250 million people.

In an exclusive interaction with Adgully, Ranjana Mangla, Head of Ad Revenue at Sony LIV, discusses the transformative impact of ‘Shark Tank India’ on Indian television, growth of Connected TV and the strategies that have been instrumental in achieving impressive viewership numbers, how ‘Shark Tank India’ provides value to brand partners. She also speaks about the specific audience demographics and regions that have shown significant growth in viewership for this season. Additionally, Mangla shares her insights on the emerging trends in the ad revenue market for OTT platforms and how Sony LIV is positioning itself to stay ahead of the competition.

‘Shark Tank India’ has become one of the most popular and go-to reality shows, both from an audience perspective and as a flagship property of Sony LIV. What factors do you think contribute to its continued success and appeal across audiences?

We are currently in Season 4, and when you look at the reality show landscape in India, a lot of work and innovation has taken place. However, ‘Shark Tank India’ has stood out as a truly unique show that not only caters to aspirations but also brings them to life. In a country of 1.4 billion people, there is a strong aspirational drive.

The key differentiator is the audience segment that is not only aspirational, but also willing to take action. This growth-mindset audience, estimated at 200-250 million people, is highly relevant to brands seeking to connect with an addressable market. This makes the show extremely impactful. ‘Shark Tank India’ has transformed the landscape of reality show entertainment in the country by making the format more relatable and closer to people’s actual lives, which is why it remains so relevant.

I always say this is just the beginning for ‘Shark Tank India’. As we celebrate the 25th year of ‘Kaun Banega Crorepati’, I firmly believe that ‘Shark Tank India’ will continue to resonate with our 140 crore (or more) population for at least another 50 years.

The show’s phenomenal success is driving 40% growth on CTV and a 27% increase in engagement. What strategies have been instrumental in achieving these impressive numbers?

Our focus on Connected TV has been in place for almost three and a half years. We launched our CTV 2.0 strategy sometime in 2020 and quickly realized that internet-enabled large-screen devices were going to see unprecedented adoption in the country. The pace of this adoption was faster than expected. As a result, we have consistently invested in building the overall CTV ecosystem for the past three to three-and-a-half years.

The rise in CTV growth for ‘Shark Tank India’ is simply a result of these efforts. However, this growth isn’t limited to just Shark Tank India – it extends across all our shows, as CTV itself is at an all-time high.

Since CTV caters to a slightly more premium audience and the show connects with a growth-oriented, aspirational viewer base, the synergy between the two is seamless. Naturally, the CTV index for the show is significantly higher compared to mobile growth.

While ‘Shark Tank India’ has performed exceptionally well on CTV, this success isn’t something that happened overnight. It’s the outcome of the consistent efforts we’ve put in over the past three-and-a-half years, and we’re now seeing the results of that commitment.

With a strong roster of sponsors like ACKO, Swiggy Instamart, and Adani, how does ‘Shark Tank India’ provide value to brand partners?

‘Shark Tank India’, as a format, is all about value creation for brands. It is about purposeful advertising. As Sony LIV, our bigger responsibility is to find the perfect contextual fit for a brand within the show. This approach is highly bespoke and depends on the brand's specific objectives.

Each brand comes to us with its goals and challenges, and we work to identify the most relevant purpose within the show for them. For example, Acko faced unique challenges as a relatively young – though now well-established – D2C insurance brand. Building trust is crucial for a brand in this space, and Shark Tank India provided the ideal platform for them.

Similarly, for PokerBaazi, connecting with a community that values intelligent gaming was key, making ‘Shark Tank India’ a natural fit for their brand. The gamification of the show became a critical aspect for this category.

Swiggy, on the other hand, aligns perfectly with the third major pillar of ‘Shark Tank India’ – commerce. With quick commerce witnessing exponential growth and disrupting the e-commerce industry, Swiggy’s presence on the show feels seamless. However, behind the scenes, months of logistical planning have gone into ensuring a top-notch consumer experience.

Adani has also come on board, and we are incredibly proud that they have chosen ‘Shark Tank India’ as their platform to contribute to the startup ecosystem. Their involvement is part of a large-scale branding initiative.

Another exciting addition this year is Jaquar Bathing and Lighting. What’s particularly interesting this season is the number of traditional brands that have chosen ‘Shark Tank India’ as their platform for branding and awareness campaigns. Jaquar has joined with a similar mindset.

Additionally, we have several other sponsors, including Rays Power Infra, Lenskart, ICICI Direct, and Sofy. Sofy, now in its second year with us, aims to engage with progressive women – an audience that naturally aligns with our show. ‘Shark Tank India’ continues to serve as a powerful platform for brands looking to establish their presence, tell their stories, and connect with a highly engaged audience.

With groundbreaking pitches like the 7 Ring smart ring and Savani Heritage Conservation, how do you see the show shaping the entrepreneurial narrative in India?

The show is all about that, right? There has never been a shortage of ideas, a growth mindset, or entrepreneurial spirit in this country.

What was missing, however, was the democratization of opportunities. In many ways, that’s exactly what ‘Shark Tank India’ represents – it provides a platform where anyone with a strong idea can step forward and present their brand.

If your business captures the attention of the sharks, has a compelling story, and demonstrates a solid foundation, ‘Shark Tank India’ is the perfect stage. At the same time, it also highlights when an idea isn’t strong enough, making it both a testing ground and a launchpad.

For those with the determination and vision to build a company, ‘Shark Tank India’ helps democratize the funding ecosystem. It shifts the focus from credentials to talent and real entrepreneurial ability, celebrating business innovation like never before.

Are there any specific audience demographics or regions that have shown significant growth in viewership for this season?

Since we’re in the fourth season, a significant portion of the growth is coming from Tier 2 towns, which have seen a 100% increase across 42 locations.

While this growth outpaces urban expansion, the show continues to perform well in metro cities. It remains sharply focused on the top 10 metros and the Hindi-speaking market (HSM) while steadily expanding its reach into Tier 2 towns. Compared to Season 3, the growth in these regions has been substantial.

‘Shark Tank India’ has grown into a flagship property for Sony LIV. How do you see its role in shaping Sony LIV’s overall content and advertising strategy?

I believe reality show programming is at the core of what we do at Sony LIV. However, we also take immense pride in our original programming, such as ‘Freedom at Midnight’, ‘Bada Naam Karega’, ‘Maharani’, ‘Scam’, and several other IPs. What truly defines us is content with purpose. We focus on commissioning and building content that has a deeper meaning and can be monetized effectively. Every piece of content we acquire is done with this lens, ensuring that it appeals to our audience of 200-250 million people. We aim to offer more layered programming to cater to their diverse interests.

We recently launched MasterChef India, and there is a significant overlap in the audience for ‘Shark Tank India’, which is another example of the variety we bring to our programming. Adding newness to our shows every day is key, but we always prioritize content that is binge-worthy and guilt-free. Many of our advertisers now tell us that if they want to be part of truly binge-worthy content, Sony LIV is their number one choice.

At every meeting, the most challenging brief we get from CMOs is to find meaningful content for their brands – content that resonates with the audience and provides purpose. We’re proud of the perception we’ve built around our content, and we will continue to focus on creating content that truly matters.

‘Million Dollar Listing’ is another example. Last year, we received a lot of recognition from the real estate industry for the show. Whether it was real estate developers, advertisers, or agents, the feedback has been overwhelmingly positive. The show’s success in its first season in Delhi NCR will only grow in the upcoming year.

What trends do you see in the ad revenue market for OTT platforms, and how is Sony LIV positioning itself to stay ahead of the competition?

I believe OTT will be at the forefront of video strategy for every marketer, including those in mobile and CTV. The reason is the very high engagement it offers. It is appointment viewership like never before in the digital space. The last five years have been phenomenal for OTT.

For advertisers, OTT provides the opportunity to do classic 30-second storytelling without worrying about whether the ad will reach their audience. The combined reach of OTT is comparable to any large social media platform, offering a huge opportunity for marketers and agencies.

Our role in the advertising community is to help brands achieve their objectives in the strongest possible way and build a strong, salient brand. This has been our focus, and we’re proud that most of our sponsors continue to partner with us year after year. The same set of logos appear consistently, which indicates that we’re delivering results, even with unverified OTT data metrics.

Despite this, our sponsors find significant value in both the content purpose and the business objectives we help them achieve year on year. That’s the role we continue to play.

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