ITV

Category: Television

  • Old shows, new sparks as Waves OTT lights up Diwali nostalgia

    Old shows, new sparks as Waves OTT lights up Diwali nostalgia

    MUMBAI: Some memories never buffer. Waves OTT, India’s national freemium streaming platform powered by Prasar Bharti, is taking viewers down memory lane this festive season with its heartwarming campaign, “Diwali ki Yaadein”. Conceptualised by Creativeland Asia, the film rekindles India’s shared nostalgia through the glow of old screens and the warmth of family bonds.

    The campaign tells a tender story of a daughter and her mother separated by distance but united by memory who rediscover their emotional connection through the superhit classics they once watched together. Now streaming on Waves OTT, those timeless shows Fauji, Byomkesh Bakshi, Malgudi Days, and more return as the heartbeat of an era, inviting both long-time fans and first-time viewers to experience their charm anew.

    Through this campaign, Waves OTT captures the emotional essence of Diwali as more than a festival of lights, it’s a season of belonging, of sitting together, of laughter echoing through living rooms. The film’s warm, nostalgic tone taps into the collective memory of an India that grew up around a single TV set, waiting eagerly for its favourite evening show to begin.

    Crafted with an old-world charm, “Diwali ki Yaadein” shows that while technology has changed how we connect, the emotions remain timeless. Whether it’s Fauji’s youthful energy or Byomkesh Bakshi’s cerebral intrigue, Waves OTT brings back the spirit of Indian storytelling that once defined national evenings.

    The campaign extends across social media, with the film streaming on Instagram, Facebook, X, and Youtube, allowing audiences everywhere to join in the collective celebration of India’s television heritage.

    By bridging the old with the new, Waves OTT is not just reviving nostalgia, lighting up memories, one classic at a time. Because this Diwali, it’s not just about lights, camera, action, it’s about lights, connection, affection.

     

  • Zee hits it out of the park with Baseball United broadcast partnership

    Zee hits it out of the park with Baseball United broadcast partnership

    MUMBAI: It’s not just cricket calling the shots anymore baseball is stepping up to the plate. Zee Entertainment Enterprises limited (‘Z’) has teamed up with Baseball United, the first professional baseball league focused on the Middle East and South Asia, to bring the crack of the bat and the roar of the crowd to Indian screens this festive season.

    In a historic move, Zee will air all 21 games of Baseball United’s Season One this November and December, including primetime matches featuring the Mumbai Cobras, India’s first professional baseball franchise. For the first time, Indian audiences will have a homegrown team to root for, complete with six Indian players sharing the field with global stars.

    The games will stream live on Zee5, and be broadcast across Zee Café SD, &Flix SD, and &Pictures HD, in both English and Hindi, ensuring fans from every corner of India can catch the action.

    The lineup for Baseball United’s debut season reads like a continental all-star card Arabia Wolves, Mid East Falcons, Karachi Monarchs, and Mumbai Cobras will battle it out across 21 games in 30 days, with the season finale set for 12–14 December in Dubai.

    Beyond the matches, Zee5 will hit a content home run with player features, ballpark highlights, Baseball 101 explainers, and even a documentary chronicling the making of the league. Zee will back the partnership with a four-week promotional blitz, featuring teasers, ad spots, and social media campaigns to introduce baseball’s flair to India’s massive fanbase.

    “At Zee, we’re committed to bringing world-class international sports to Indian audiences,” said Zee Entertainment Enterprises head of advertisement revenue (broadcast and digital), Laxmi Shetty Ltd. “With ILT20, we celebrated international cricket talent; now, we’re expanding that vision with baseball. India already has a deep bat-and-ball culture, this partnership brings speed, strategy, and spectacle in a whole new form.”

    The collaboration isn’t just about sport, it’s about scale. Zee’s combined digital and linear platforms reach over 800 million viewers across India, positioning it perfectly to help Baseball United tap into the country’s 50 million baseball fans and ignite curiosity among millions more.

    For Baseball United, India is more than just a market, it’s a cornerstone. “This is a major milestone in our mission to bring professional baseball to India and the broader region,” said Baseball United chairman, CEO, and co-founder Kash Shaikh. “For the first time, fans will have their own team to cheer for with Indian players inspiring a new generation.”

    The league’s ambitious debut season, backed by 20 Major League Baseball legends including Mariano Rivera, Barry Larkin, Adrián Beltré, and Albert Pujols, aims to grow the sport across one of the world’s most populous and passionate sporting regions.

    And when the Mumbai Cobras take the field on 14 November in Dubai, it won’t just mark the start of a season, it’ll mark the moment India’s love for bat-and-ball takes a bold, new swing.

     

  • Zee Business celebrates Muhurat Trading 2025 with special festive shows

    Zee Business celebrates Muhurat Trading 2025 with special festive shows

    MUMBAI: As Diwali lights up India with hope and new beginnings, Zee Business is set to present a grand special show series on Muhurat Trading 2025. The sacred hour, which ushers in Samvat 2082, blends faith and finance as investors across the country trade for prosperity.

    This year, Zee Business marks a major milestone. The channel’s long-standing advocacy for moving the Muhurat Trading session to the afternoon has been recognised by stock exchanges, with the new trading window now set from 1:45 pm to 2:45 pm. The revised timing enables investors to participate in the auspicious market hour while celebrating Lakshmi Puja with their families, reflecting Zee Business’s commitment to inclusivity and investor convenience.

    To commemorate this moment, Zee Business has curated a special programming lineup featuring ‘Gullakh mein lakshmi shubh mangal nivesh’ and ‘Economy dumdar, Diwali shandaar’, along with a Muhurat Trading Special airing live on Tuesday, October 21, from 1:00 pm to 3:00 pm. The broadcast will include festive visuals, expert insights, and live coverage from trading floors, capturing the spirit of the markets on Diwali day.

    Esteemed market leaders including Nilesh Shah, Ramdeo Agrawal, Sunil Singhania, Madhu Kela, Manish Chokhani, Sameer Arora, Ridham Desai, Vijay Kedia, Mihir Vora, Ashish Somaiya, A. Bala, and Vikram Kotak will join the celebrations to decode investment themes and growth opportunities for Samvat 2082.

    Zee Business managing editor Anil Singhvi said, “Muhurat Trading is a moment when every trade carries a prayer and every investor embraces hope. By advocating for the timing shift, Zee Business has ensured that this celebration of prosperity becomes accessible to everyone, blending tradition with modern convenience and reinforcing investor trust.”

    Echoing his sentiment, Zee Media Corporation Limited CEO Karan Abhishek Singh added, “This auspicious session represents both new beginnings and informed decision-making. By supporting the revised timing, we’re helping investors participate meaningfully in the markets while preserving Diwali’s festive spirit.”

     

  • ZEE ONE Shines Bright in Cannes

    ZEE ONE Shines Bright in Cannes

    MUMBAI: When it comes to bold ideas, Zee has always loved doing things differently. And this week in Cannes, the brand took that spirit to dazzling new heights. As the global television industry gathered for Mipcom 2025, Zee made history as the first Asian broadcaster to take over one of the largest LED screens along the legendary Croisette. From sunrise to sunset and long after the massive display of Zee One lit up the promenade, stopping people in their tracks and sparking real excitement.

    With over 15,000 visitors and delegates expected during Mipcom, it was the perfect moment to put Zee One, the company’s French-language FAST channel in the spotlight. The channel, available on Samsung TV Plus, LG Channels, and Rakuten TV, has quickly built a following in France for its vibrant mix of Bollywood films, heartfelt dramas, and colourful family entertainment.

    For many passersby, it was a surprise and a delight to see an Indian media brand taking over one of Cannes most visible spaces

    Zee has built its global presence by constantly trying what others haven’t and this Cannes moment is a reflection of that same spirit.

    Standing tall among the biggest names in international entertainment, Zee One’s luminous display on the Croisette is more than just advertising, it’s a statement of confidence, creativity, and cultural pride.

    And as the lights shimmer over the French Riviera, one thing is clear: Zee knows how to make the world stop and look up
     

  • Gujarati greats shine at star-studded awards

    Gujarati greats shine at star-studded awards

    MUMBAI: It was lights, camera, and plenty of Gujarati action as Mumbai played host to the glittering Gujarati Entertainment & Gujarati–Marwari Excellence Awards 2025, a night that sparkled with talent, tradition, and triumph.

    Held at The Westin, Mumbai, the inaugural edition of the awards, curated by Bright Outdoor Media Limited, brought together the who’s who of entertainment and enterprise to celebrate creativity, culture, and business brilliance across 60 categories.

    The evening opened with a lively panel discussion on “Future of Gujarati cinema – building visibility & growth beyond boundaries”, featuring film and television stalwarts like Manoj Joshi, Hiten Kumar, JD Majithia, Ojas Rawal, Bhakti Rathod, and Abhilash Ghoda, moderated by TV9 Gujarati’s Chirag Shah. The discussion explored how the industry can take Gujarati storytelling to global audiences.

    The red carpet glittered with stars including Anang Desai, Rashmi Desai, Manasi Parekh, Manav Gohil, Urvashi Upadhyay, Hemant Kher, Komal Thakkar, and Sana Sultan, turning the evening into a true celebration of Gujarati pride.

    The evening’s top honours celebrated a mix of cinematic excellence and inspiring personalities. Manoj Joshi was bestowed the lifetime achievement to Indian cinema Award, while Hiten Kumar was recognised as iconic actor in Gujarati cinema (Male). JD Majethia earned the outstanding contribution to Indian cinema award, and Manav Gohil won excellent performance of the year for his role in Jalebi rocks. Rashmi Desai bagged most popular actor for Mom tane nai samjay, and Komal Thakkar was named Inspiring personality of the year. Other notable winners included Urvashi Upadhyay, Sana Sultan, Ojas Rawal, and Bhakti Rathod, who each took home major accolades for their outstanding contributions.

    The event also saluted visionary business leaders from the Gujarati and Marwari communities, recognising their contributions to innovation, trade, and entrepreneurship.

    Powered by Sejal Realty, with Zamin Pvt. Ltd. as Land Deal Partner and Malabar Gold as exclusive jewellery partner, the evening shimmered with style, spirit, and substance.

    “Gujarati entertainment and business communities have always stood for excellence and enterprise,” said Bright Outdoor Media Limited CMD Yogesh Lakhani. “This platform celebrates their contribution and marks the start of something much bigger.”

    Echoing the sentiment, CEO Mukesh Sharma added, “This is just the beginning. Our vision is to make these awards a marquee annual event celebrating culture, talent, and success across India.”

    With over 60 awards presented and spirits running high, the first-ever Gujarati Entertainment & Gujarati–Marwari Excellence Awards 2025 proved that when it comes to creativity and commerce, the community knows how to shine, brilliantly and proudly.

     

  • ET NOW rings in Diwali with Muhurat Trading 2025

    ET NOW rings in Diwali with Muhurat Trading 2025

    MUMBAI: Diwali’s sparkle is set to dazzle dalal street as ET NOW and ET NOW Swadesh gear up to present Muhurat Trading 2025 – Samvat 2082: The Auspicious Beginning.

    On Tuesday, 21 October, India’s leading English and Hindi business news channels will go live from 1 pm to 3 pm, capturing the most symbolic hour of the year for investors, the sacred trading window that marks the start of the new Samvat year.

    Blending festive spirit with financial foresight, Muhurat Trading 2025 celebrates the confluence of faith, finance, and fortune, invoking the blessings of Lakshmi for wealth, Saraswati for wisdom, and Durga for determination, the perfect trio for a prosperous portfolio.

    ET NOW’s special programming will bring together market stalwarts including Nilesh Shah (Envision Capital), Sunil Singhania (Abakkus Asset Manager LLP) and investor extraordinaire Vijay Kedia for an exclusive roundtable packed with market mantras, trend-spotting, and investment insights.

    The grand broadcast marks the finale of ET NOW’s festive lineup Samvat 2082: Save, Invest, Prosper, which has been running all week with investor-focused shows such as Invest Gurus, Consumption Pulse, Deal or No Deal, and Funtastic Managers. Adding some sparkle to the weekend is Ultimate Snakes and Ladders on 17 October, charting the highs and lows of the market through the year.

    Meanwhile, ET NOW Swadesh continues to guide Hindi-speaking investors through its Samvat 2082: Savings Se Samriddhi series, a bouquet of shows that decode everything from SIPs to silver, featuring Rocket Shares, Corporate Connections, Diwali Special, and Personal Finance Special: Is Diwali Samriddhi ki SIP.

    As the markets light up and bells of prosperity ring, ET NOW and ET NOW Swadesh invite viewers to celebrate Diwali with wisdom, wealth, and the promise of a brighter financial year ahead. Because this Samvat, it’s not just about making money, it’s about making it meaningful.

     

  • IPL’s surging IPL valuation slides back as gambling ban and media merger collide

    IPL’s surging IPL valuation slides back as gambling ban and media merger collide

    MUMBAI: The Indian Premier League, the commercial behemoth that has redefined cricket economics, is experiencing something unprecedented: contraction. After years of relentless upward momentum, the IPL’s valuation has plummeted to Rs 76,100 crore in 2025—a staggering Rs 16,400 crore collapse over two years. The league that once seemed destined to become sport’s most valuable franchise now faces an altogether different reality: the era of exponential growth has ended.

    Two seismic forces have conspired to puncture cricket’s golden goose. First, India’s crackdown on real-money gaming has eviscerated the advertising market, stripping an estimated Rs 1,500–2,000 crore from annual sponsorship revenues. Second, the 2024 merger of Disney Star and Viacom18 into JioStar eliminated the competitive media rights bidding war that had inflated valuations for over a decade. Together, these shocks have shattered the financial architecture upon which the IPL’s boom was built.

    Fantasy and gaming platforms were the IPL’s most profligate sponsors, lavishing Rs 1,500–2,000 crore annually across league, franchise, and broadcaster deals. Dream11’s Rs 358 crore national jersey sponsorship exemplified this era: premium pricing underpinned by what amounted to speculative betting cash. Then the Promotion and Regulation of Online Gaming Act descended like a guillotine. The gaming sponsors evaporated overnight, leaving franchises scrambling to replace lost revenue with comparatively cheaper deals from fast-moving consumer goods, banking, and electric vehicle makers.

    The vacuum revealed an uncomfortable truth: gaming sponsorship wasn’t additional revenue flowing into cricket’s ecosystem. It was unsustainable froth, inflating numbers on spreadsheets rather than building durable commercial value. When it disappeared, so did the illusion of inexhaustible growth.

    For years, competing broadcasters—Star Sports, Sony, Amazon, others—bid ferociously for IPL rights, each convinced that exclusive access to India’s cricket audience justified premium prices. In 2023, with two strong bidders and whispers of global tech giants entering the fray, valuations soared to Rs 92,500 crore. But the promised tech invasion never materialised. Netflix, Amazon, and Apple pivoted away from sports streaming. Disney and Viacom18 merged, eliminating one bidder entirely. The competitive tension that had driven rights auctions simply evaporated.

    D&P Advisory managing partner Santosh N summarised the revised reality: media rights will no longer deliver the 40–50 per cent appreciation once confidently projected. The IPL’s “fundamentals remain strong,” he insisted, but “the pricing environment will remain under pressure.” Translation: viewers will watch, advertising inventory will sell, but sponsors will pay less.

    The Women’s Premier League, still in its formative years, has already buckled. Its ecosystem value fell 5.6 per cent to Rs 1,275 crore in a single year. Unlike the IPL’s entrenched commercial machinery, the WPL lacks pricing resilience. Dream11’s sponsorship withdrawal and the gaming ban have left the BCCI scrambling to secure title sponsors before the next season—a predicament that would have been unthinkable two years ago.

    Amidst the financial carnage, audience enthusiasm remains robust. The 2025 IPL season crossed a billion cumulative viewers, with digital viewership surpassing television for the first time. JioStar recorded 1.19 billion unique viewers and 514 billion minutes watched. Stadium attendance remained strong; travel searches spiked across Bengaluru, Mumbai, and Lucknow during matches. In short, Indians remain obsessed with cricket. They’re simply less willing—or able—to pay premium prices for the privilege.

    The road forward demands what the boom years never required: structural innovation. Subscription bundles, regional packages, commerce integrations, and renewed competitive tension from global streaming platforms must replace the twin engines of gaming sponsorship and auction-driven bidding wars. 

    If they don’t materialise, the IPL faces not terminal decline but permanent diminishment: a mature, cash-generative business rather than the exponential growth machine it once promised to be. For a league built on the premise that tomorrow would always dwarf today, that’s a bitter recalibration indeed.
     

  • Zee’s profit crumbles as advertisers flee the Hindi heartland

    Zee’s profit crumbles as advertisers flee the Hindi heartland

    MUMBAI:Zee Entertainment’s latest quarterly results lay bare the industrial-scale headwinds battering India’s media and entertainment industry. Profit after tax collapsed by 63 per cent year-on-year to just Rs 76.5 crore in the quarter ended September, whilst EBITDA—already anaemic—shrank by 54 per cent to Rs 146.4 crore. The numbers paint a picture of a company caught between the need to invest for tomorrow and the inability to generate returns today.

    Operating revenue edged up just eight per cent sequentially to Rs 1969.2 crore, but this masks a troubling underlying picture. Advertising revenue, the lifeblood of India’s television industry, fell 12 per cent year-on-year, ravaged by a pullback in fast-moving consumer goods spending. The company has been forced into the classic trap of fighting for market share through costly content investments and higher marketing spend, both of which hammered margins to just 7.4 per cent.

    The half-year performance is equally grim. H1 FY26 revenues fell eight per cent to Rs 3794 crore, whilst operating profit plunged 37 per cent to Rs 374.4 crore. Profit after tax declined 34 per cent to Rs 220.2 crore. Even subscription revenues—heralded as the growth engine—managed only modest growth (five per cent to Rs 1023 crore against Rs 969..9 crore a year ago)  in an increasingly crowded digital battleground, driven by OTT and domestic linear price increases.

    The company’s content strategy has become a costly bet on volume. Zee5 posted a headline-grabbing 32 per cent year-on-year revenue jump to Rs 310.8 crore, but this comes on the back of mounting losses being narrowed down from Rs 244 crore to Rs 31.2 crore. The trajectory is encouraging but the losses remain substantial. Zee Studios churned through 13 film releases during Q2 alone—a scatter-gun approach that signals desperation rather than precision.

    The domestic television network held firm on other parameters.. Zee’s market share rose 100 basis points quarter-on-quarter to 17.8 per cent, with weekly reach steady at 749 Mn viewers. Yet this stability masks stagnation. The company has been forced to launch two new general entertainment channels and ramp up non-fiction content, both expensive propositions that yield uncertain returns.

    On the cost front, operating expenditure surged nine per cent year-on-year to Rs 1822.8 crore, driven by higher programming costs and elevated marketing spend in Q2 FY26. The company’s attempts to trim fat appear half-hearted; personnel costs held steady but content acquisition and production spending ballooned.

    There are fragments of hope. Cash and equivalents stood robust at Rs 2110 crore, with the balance sheet broadly stable. Content inventory declined by Rs 60 crore  during the half-year, suggesting improved discipline in acquisition. Zee Music Co added 3.9 million YouTube subscribers during the quarter, now boasting 172 million followers—a rare bright spot in an otherwise darkening tableau.

    The company has positioned itself as an environmental and social responsibility leader, landing in the 93rd percentile for ESG scores globally. Whether this counts for much in an industry where the bottom line is bleeding red remains a moot question.

    Zee Entertainment faces a brutal choice. Content investment without advertising growth is simply loss-making at scale. The company’s hope rests on a festive-season ad bounce and the long-tail of digital revenue eventually hitting profitability. 

  • Zee One shines bright during Mipcom Cannes

    Zee One shines bright during Mipcom Cannes

    CANNES: As the global television industry gathered for Mipcom 2025, Zee made history as the first Indian broadcaster to take over one of the largest LED screens along the legendary Croisette. From sunrise to sunset and long after the massive display of Zee One lit up the promenade, stopping people in their tracks and sparking real excitement.

    With over 10,600 visitors and delegates expected during Mipcom, it was the perfect moment to put Zee One, the company’s French-language Fast channel in the spotlight. The channel, available on Samsung TV Plus, LG Channels, and Rakuten TV, has quickly built a following in France for its vibrant mix of Bollywood films, heartfelt dramas, and colourful family entertainment.

    For many passersbys, it was a surprise and a delight to see an Indian media brand taking over one of Cannes most visible spaces.

    Zee has built its global presence by constantly trying what others haven’t and this Cannes moment is a reflection of that same spirit.

    Standing tall among the biggest names in international entertainment, Zee One’s luminous display on the Croisette was more than just advertising, it was a statement of confidence, creativity, and cultural pride.

    And as the lights shimmer over the French Riviera, one thing is clear: Zee knows how to make the world stop and look up.

  • Jindal Stainless backs IIS athletes, forging India’s champions of tomorrow

    Jindal Stainless backs IIS athletes, forging India’s champions of tomorrow

    MUMBAI: When steel meets speed, champions are forged. Jindal Stainless is turning this mantra into reality by partnering with the Inspire Institute of Sport (IIS) to nurture India’s next generation of track and field stars. Through its CSR arm, the Jindal Stainless Foundation, the company has become the key sponsor of IIS’ Track & Field Development program at Hisar for FY 25-26, supporting aspiring athletes on their journey to national and international success.

    The Hisar centre is a crucial talent hub, scouting promising athletes aged 18–25 from across India and channeling them into a structured training ecosystem. This year, the program is mentoring 39 athletes, providing them with a holistic environment that spans world-class facilities, expert coaching, sports science support, nutrition guidance, and financial assistance for travel to competitive events. A standout feature of the initiative is the involvement of Klaus Bartonietz, former coach of Olympic javelin champion Neeraj Chopra, who brings cutting-edge biomechanics expertise to the budding athletes.

    “Supporting IIS’ track & field development program is our way of ensuring young athletes can compete with confidence on the global stage,” said Jindal Stainless managing director Abhyuday Jindal. “Through this collaboration, we aim to nurture India’s future champions and empower talent where it matters most.”

    IIS president Manisha Malhotra added, “Jindal Stainless’ partnership allows us to strengthen our program, giving young athletes access to state-of-the-art facilities, scientific guidance, and competitive opportunities essential for national and international success. This support is pivotal in helping India create a world-class sports ecosystem.”

    Athletes in the program represent a diverse pool of talent, including budding javelin throwers like Aditya and Manpreet Singh, who are training under this rigorous system. The initiative spans sprints, hurdles, and throws, equipping participants with the skills and discipline required to excel in global competitions.

    Jindal Stainless has supported IIS for several years, and by acting as the key sponsor for 2025-26, the company reaffirms its commitment to sports, youth empowerment, and social impact. This collaboration not only provides a platform for emerging athletes but also strengthens the broader goal of positioning India as a hub of athletic excellence, demonstrating that with the right infrastructure and support, world-class champions can emerge from any corner of the country.

    With steel backing speed and science guiding skill, the Hisar centre is shaping up as a launchpad for India’s athletic dreams, ensuring the next generation of track and field stars is fit, fast, and future-ready.