India, Jan. 23 -- If Ranjana Mangla, head of digital ad sales at Sony Pictures Networks India (SPNI) which is running the fifth season of 'Shark Tank', is miffed at the two new but similar business reality shows on rival networks, she doesn't show it. Instead, she says it is flattering when competitors copy their shows. SPNI launched season 5 of startup reality show Shark Tank on Sony LIV and its TV channel on January 5. On January 16, the free streaming service Amazon MX Player, introduced 'Bharat Ke Super Founders' hosted by actor Suniel Shetty and mentored by business tycoons to back India's next wave of entrepreneurs from small town India. 'Ideabaaz' on Zee TV and Zee5, launched in October, is similar and forms the storytelling layer of a digital marketplace of the same name that connects early-stage startups from India's tier 2 and tier 3 towns with investors and service providers. 'Ideabaaz' committed to Rs.43 crore of investments in the first season while 'Bharat Ke Super Founder' flaunts its Rs.100 crore investment pool. Sony declined to share the capital deployed by investors in Shark Tank's last five seasons. The bet on startup reality shows is rooted in viewer and advertiser interest in this format. The genre is comparable with other reality shows such as 'Splitsvilla', 'Bigg Boss' or 'Khatron Ke Khiladi' that are high on voyeurism and tap into specific human sentiments such as fear, anxiety, insecurity, jealousy, love or intimacy. "Startup reality TV taps into people's emotion of confidence in a new India. It is a big draw as the platforms also feature carefully curated startups that have mass appeal," says a partner of a venture capital firm who declined to be named. Audience engagement with these shows and their proliferation can be attributed to the coming of age of startups as a subculture in India, supported by government policies, increased investor interest, suitable talent pool and mindset shift from traditional careers towards entrepreneurship. "Startups have become big dinner table conversation and hence the viewership," says Sony's Mangla. "Audiences are demanding meaningful content which is also coming from the need for co-viewing with family that's set to grow as connected TV penetration increases," she says. Amogh Dusad, director at Amazon MX Player, says the genre has grown increasingly popular as audiences connect deeply with authentic, aspirational stories of innovation and ambition." Without disclosing numbers, Mangla says 'Shark Tank' is profitable with revenue generated from advertising, sponsorships and subscriptions. Though more urban and metro centric, the show's scale and virality attracts brands across categories. "For us, 'Shark Tank' became pop culture really fast. It gives us close to 100 million audience reach between TV and digital, though, effectively, it reaches 450 million people if you include social media, Linkedin and YouTube etc," says Mangla. 'Bharat Ke Super Founders' captures the shift in today's India where entrepreneurship is no longer niche but a mainstream aspiration spanning age groups, regions, and backgrounds, says Dusad. "Its distinctive edge lies in pitches that go beyond metros, transforming Bharat and inspiring viewers who see their own ambitions reflected on screen," he adds. According to a Fireside Ventures report titled 'The Bharat Consumer', tier 1,2 and 3 cities have 150 million households with a monthly earning of Rs.50,000-60,000. These clusters aspire for the same brands, experiences and lifestyle. Bharat is aspirational, hungry, and evolving, it says. But the picture is not all rosy, says the partner from the venture capital firm. "The downside to such shows is that they over-sensationalise the process of pitching for ratings, often setting the wrong expectations for founders who think they can pitch for two minutes and run away with a cheque. It blurs the boundary between a reality show and reality," he says. Also, private equity investments are confidential and evaluations are behind closed doors. "If funding doesn't work out, the next investor can assess the business without biases. On TV, everything is out in the open and may be demoralizing for rejected founders," he adds. Yet, the net positive is that the stigma attached either to run a startup, or to join one, is busted. "We need more job creators in the country than job takers. And entrepreneurs are job creators," says the partner....