Colors fights to keep ‘Bigg Boss’ in 21:00 slot

Colors has taken the government to court after it was ordered to move the reality TV show ‘Bigg Boss’ to a post 23:00 slot.

Today, the Mumbai High Court gave Colors a reprieve by keeping the show in the 21:00 slot until Monday at least. It�۪s then when the court will hear the channel’s petition.

A spokesperson for Colors said, “No date has been mentioned as to when the show was against good taste and decency.” The channel also said that its content cannot be described as obscene. The show has been on for one and a half months, what is the urgency suddenly?”

The channel accepted that while the government has the power to force a schedule change, “in this case our advertisement commitment and content has to change.”

While in the UK, broadcasters have to follow rules and regulations set by Ofcom with a watershed period post 21:00, India’s broadcasting rules differ. However, if a decision is taken to move ‘Bigg Boss’ to a later slot in India, it may also affect the timing in the UK as both follow identical primetime schedules.

Yesterday the government directed channels like Colors and Imagine TV to change the broadcast timings of their shows ‘Bigg Boss’ and ‘Rakhi Ka Insaaf’ due to their adult nature. News channels have been told they cannot show any excerpts from these shows either.