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We first asked Avinash Kaul, the CEO of Sahara, if his channel had set off the trend. “Honestly, I will be happy if you say that we started the trend,” Kaul said. “Somebody told me after we had used red in the logo that the colour was supposed to be very lucky and that it had worked for a certain channel. We did not think that way, but one never knows!”

But isn’t change in the identity fraught with a certain risk? Adgully put that question to Anita Nayar, the head of Havas Media India. “I think disruption is one form of catching attention,” Nayar said. “Change is required to avoid being stale and clichéd. Audiences are no longer happy to see the same thing for long, and demand that change.” She said all channels were experimenting because they all wanted to go forward.

Kaul put such experimentation is perspective. “If you examine the international scene, newness is the norm as far channels are concerned,” he said. “For example, Walt Disney releases the Mickey and Donald figures in new forms every seven or eight years because the business cycle tells them that a new batch of kids has emerged and they need a change.” Kaul said Disney stylises its heroes with the latest available technology. “The feel is the same but the look is re-energised for the current moment,” he said. “The logo is a symbol that explains what we have set out to do. It is like a calling card for our audiences.”

Indeed, process of defining a look is unending, suggested Nikhil Madhok, the marketing head of Imagine TV. “A brand tries all its life to build an image through its logo and the look,” he said. “So changing a logo and colour is like changing the whole image that has been built over years, and I am not in favour of it.”

But other industry notables, like Tarun Katial, the CEO 92.7 Big FM, favour the change nevertheless. Katial explained his reasoning: “Consumers are evolving very quickly,” he said. “If you don’t do that [rebrand] often enough, the look tends gets stale after a while. I really like Star’s new look. In fact, I was of the opinion that it should have happened earlier. Their approach and their line look fairly refreshing.”