Shark Tank India turns unscripted entertainment into a business with impact

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MUMBAI: When business pitches become dinner-table conversations, the real returns can extend well beyond the television screen. At the CII Big Picture Summit 2026, industry executives discussed how unscripted entertainment is evolving from a ratings-driven format into a commercial property capable of shaping aspirations, attracting brands and influencing India’s entrepreneurial culture, with Shark Tank India emerging as a central case study.

The session, titled ‘Capital and Content – Investing in the New Economics of Media and Entertainment’, brought together BRK Through Media Private Limited co-founder Bimal Unnikrishnan, who was identified as the showrunner of Shark Tank India season five and formerly associated with Sony Pictures Interactive, and Sony Pictures Networks India (SPNI) head of digital ad sales and YouTube business Ranjana Mangla. Scene Matter founder and CEO Indranil Chakraborty moderated the discussion.

The conversation explored what makes unscripted formats click with audiences, how broadcasters can persuade advertisers to invest in unfamiliar concepts and why the business of entertainment increasingly depends on what viewers take away after the episode ends.

For Unnikrishnan, the answer begins with people rather than elaborate production techniques. Whether it is a talent competition, a celebrity format or a business reality show, he argued that the personalities on screen are what bring a programme to life. Their stories create engagement and give audiences people to root for, relate to or aspire to become.

Mangla approached the question from the business side, arguing that creativity and commercial success are not opposing forces. Instead, a strong creative insight can become the foundation for intellectual property (IP), commercial partnerships, employment and a sustainable business.

A format needs more than a compelling premise, however. It must connect with viewers in a way that makes them want to watch, discuss and return. In an increasingly crowded entertainment market, that connection can help a show travel beyond its original broadcast, with conversations on social media extending its cultural footprint.

Shark Tank India offered a practical example of how a global format can be adapted for a local audience. The programme debuted in India in 2021, bringing entrepreneurial pitches and investment discussions into mainstream entertainment.

Unnikrishnan said the creative team approached the adaptation with three priorities: imitate, engage and excite. While the format was already successful in other markets, the challenge was to make its business terminology, investment decisions and founder stories accessible to Indian viewers without losing the drama of the pitch.

Entertainment had to come first, he explained, with education emerging as a by-product. The team paid close attention to casting, editing, music and presentation, recognising that viewers could lose interest if the business discussions became too technical or intimidating.

The casting extended beyond the investors, or ‘sharks’, to the entrepreneurs themselves. Unnikrishnan cited the importance of featuring a range of businesses, including ventures that might appear unconventional beside high-technology or deep-technology start-ups. Their inclusion reflected the reality that entrepreneurship is not limited to venture-backed companies: a small manufacturer, a local service provider or a founder addressing an unmet community need can also build a legitimate business.

The programme also experimented with ways to explain unfamiliar concepts. Unnikrishnan said the Indian adaptation used moments in which the sharks would break the fourth wall to explain terminology to viewers, making business discussions easier to follow. He described this as a distinctive element of the Indian version, which sought to keep audiences entertained without leaving them behind when the conversation turned technical.

The result has been a programme whose influence extends beyond its immediate entertainment value. She said Shark Tank India has helped bring entrepreneurship into mainstream conversation, giving founders visibility, access to networks and greater confidence

Mangla cited more than 400 start-ups funded and over 350 additional investments associated with the show’s journey. The transcript did not specify the precise period or clarify the distinction between the two figures, but she presented them as part of the wider opportunities created for entrepreneurs through the format.

For Mangla, the programme’s significance lies in what it encourages people to consider after watching. Entrepreneurship, she argued, should not be understood only through venture capital and high-growth technology start-ups. It can also involve a new food product, an accessibility solution, a small business or an idea built around a community’s unmet needs.

Mangla also highlighted the role of audience scale. She said Shark Tank India had initially been expected to be successful if it reached and engaged around 30 million people. Looking back, she said the programme had connected with more than 250 million people, despite being in Hindi. She also noted that the show had been discussed in parliamentary sessions, illustrating how its subject matter had travelled beyond its immediate entertainment audience.

The figures were presented by Mangla during the session and were not accompanied by an independent measurement methodology in the transcript.

The next challenge, she said, is to expand the show’s reach and deepen its social impact. With audiences in tier-one and tier-two markets already familiar with the format, the ambition is to bring more people into the conversation around entrepreneurship and explore how the property could travel internationally.

Mangla framed that ambition against the scale of India’s population and its taxpayer base, citing 9.5 crore taxpayers and a population of 150 crore. She argued that entrepreneurship could be an important response to the country’s wider economic aspirations.

The business case for an unscripted show is not always straightforward, particularly when a format has no local track record. Mangla said advertisers typically begin with one fundamental question: is the programme relevant to the audience?

If the broadcaster can demonstrate that relevance and explain why the format is likely to connect, brands are more willing to come on board, she said.

When Sony began selling Shark Tank India, the team did not yet know all the details of the production. Mangla recalled that there was uncertainty over whether the show would have 25 or 35 episodes, and the sharks had not all been finalised. Rather than selling a fully established product, the pitch centred on the team’s ability to create successful reality entertainment and the international track record of the Shark Tank format.

That approach underlined a wider principle in the media business: when a new property is being launched, the people behind it can be as important as the concept itself. Confidence in the production team, its creative judgement and its ability to deliver can help bridge the gap between an untested format and a commercial proposition.

The discussion also touched on the tension between advertisers’ requirements and creative freedom. Brands need their identity and commercial objectives protected, while producers need room to shape stories and retain audience interest. Unnikrishnan said commercial sustainability was a necessary condition for a show to exist, while Mangla’s role as a brand custodian helped establish the boundaries within which creativity could flourish.

The relationship is not without disagreements, he acknowledged. But an understanding of each other’s priorities can help the commercial and creative sides work together rather than pull a format in opposite directions.

With five seasons completed and a sixth on the horizon at the time of the discussion, sustaining Shark Tank India’s relevance is the next test. A successful format can build recognition and loyalty, but familiarity also creates the risk of predictability.

Unnikrishnan identified keeping the show fresh as a continuing challenge for unscripted producers. The format must retain the elements audiences recognise while finding new stories, personalities and moments that keep them invested.

That challenge reflects the wider economics of unscripted entertainment. A hit cannot depend on ratings alone if it is to become a durable media property. It needs audience connection, commercial partnerships and a format flexible enough to evolve without losing its identity.

As the session concluded, the central takeaway was that the next generation of unscripted shows will have to do more than entertain. They will need to build communities, attract advertisers, create lasting intellectual property and deliver value beyond the screen. For Shark Tank India, the bigger pitch may now be how far its influence can travel beyond the tank.