Stories make it or break it. That is what got carved on 20th August in the aftermath of the second fireside chat at India Web Fest. The room was alive. Anticipation was on with cascades outside. Two voices, calm but charged with conviction, began peeling back the layers of what makes SonyLIV more than just another streaming service.
The tone was set right as Siddhartha Laik, Founder & Editor-in-Chief of IWMBuzz.com, and Saugata Mukherjee, Head of Content at SonyLIV, settled into a conversation that promised more than the usual industry spiel. The run was for stories, for audiences and for the pulse of modern India—and not to grab eyeballs.
2025 and disposability go hand-in-hand. Too many options. Too little attention—and platforms caught in the churn of feeding an always-hungry algorithm. Right there, Sony LIV builds a catalogue, betting on stories that last, on makers who take their time, and on viewers who still care about substance.
Authenticity At The Heart Of Storytelling
SonyLIV bases its content strategy on a single, non-negotiable value: authenticity. In an ever-burgeoning OTT landscape, the platform carves out an identity that champions stories bearing the texture of real Indian life, culturally specific, and emotionally charged. These are not stories to be narrated; they are stories one lives and experiences. Content created by a maker who knows and understands his world is sincere, authentic, and back to its roots in its representation. It’s this fidelity to lived experience that cultivates not just engagement, but enduring trust among viewers.
Stars Don’t Lead. Stories Do.
The hierarchy is clear: the narrative and its creator take precedence. Casting follows story necessity-not celebrity allure. This deliberate choice thus allowed fresh voices out of obscurity, showing that impact need not depend on fame. The likes of Scam 1992’s Pratik Gandhi exemplify what unfolds when craft takes centre stage. This philosophy, in putting merit over marquee value, disrupts the status quo and lays the basis for a more even and fertile creative ecosystem.
Curation Over Volume
When commissioning original scripted content, SonyLIV has a keen eye, typically greenlighting a limited set of about a dozen titles each year. This model is different from ones where quantity is the goal and risk inherently leads to dilution, yet it prioritizes creative purpose and audience. Importantly, it allows each story to breathe, connect, and discover an audience – without getting lost in all the excess.
Genres Still Finding Their Footing
While SonyLIV has firmly established its credibility in drama and thrillers, Mukherjee is refreshingly forthright about the gaps. Comedy, he admits, remains a genre Indian OTT is yet to master. The elusive sitcom—one that resonates with Indian sensibilities—is still a work in progress. With connected TV becoming a staple in Indian households, there’s a growing appetite for content that’s not just family-friendly but rewatchable. SonyLIV is actively exploring this space with renewed intent.
Another White Space: Youth-focused Content
As Mukherjee puts it, the younger demographic lives on Instagram and short-form platforms—earning their attention in long-form demands more than trend-chasing. It requires authenticity, originality, and crucially, creators who speak from within that generation. It can’t be 45-year-olds guessing what Gen Z wants, he says.
Regional As The Next Frontier
The future of Indian streaming lies in regional storytelling. SonyLIV is already heightening its presence in Malayalam, Tamil, Telugu, and Bengali, with Maya Sabha (Telugu) aiding as a cogent case study. Three years in the making and embedded deeply in the socio-political fabric of Andhra and Telangana, the show exemplifies how hyperlocal depictions can achieve powerful regional resonance.
Music As Narrative Infrastructure
Whether it’s the iconic score of Scam 1992 or the subtle emotional layering in Rocket Boys, music is treated as a structural element of storytelling. Music should never overpower the moment, but it should continually deepen it.
Originals Over Adaptations: Betting On The Unwritten
Even though adaptations provide familiarity and less risk, Saugata Mukherjee stands assertive in his theology in original storytelling. Ingenuity, for him, is a strategic necessity. Original scripts provide space for cultural specificity, narrative experimentation, and voices that have never had a chance to be heard. It allows SonyLIV to tell sagas that are uniquely Indian and have not been framed through an appropriated understanding.
