ITV

Category: TV Channels

  • 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. 

  • 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.

  • Times Now, Navbharat and Radio Mirchi hit the road for Bihar Election Yatra

    Times Now, Navbharat and Radio Mirchi hit the road for Bihar Election Yatra

    MUMBAI: From Thekua to the throne. Bihar’s election season is getting a broadcast twist as Times Now, Times Now Navbharat and Radio Mirchi team up for a one-of-a-kind Election Yatra: a campaign that takes the state’s political pulse straight from its streets.

    In a first-ever collaboration between the Times Group’s television and radio arms, the initiative blends on-ground reportage with on-air energy, turning poll coverage into a full-fledged public conversation.

    The Election Yatra brings together Times Now Navbharat’s Rakesh Pandey and Times Now’s Swati Joshi, who hit the road across 28 districts and 4,500 kilometres, alongside Mirchi Patna RJs Shashi and Anjali. Together, they capture the stories, moods and melodies of Bihar’s democracy-in-motion.

    Rakesh Pandey connects live with RJ Shashi on air for Election Yatra at 5.20 pm, creating a bridge between the newsroom and neighbourhood. The segment, co-powered by Polycab, Kayam Churna and Sankalp Restaurant, promises candid voices, lively debates and plenty of local flavour.

    Meanwhile, Swati Joshi and RJ Anjali’s Times Now Election Yatra airs at 5:30 pm, capturing everything from Thekua ki mithas to Votva ka josh. Their segments decode what’s really on voters’ minds, from aspirations and anxieties to the small joys that make elections in Bihar feel like a festival.

    Through this collaboration, Times Now, Times Now Navbharat and Radio Mirchi aim to make election coverage as much about people and participation as it is about politics.

    Tune in daily to Times Now Navbharat at 5.20 pm and Times Now at 5.30 pm to follow the Election Yatra, where Bihar’s voices steer the conversation and every vote tells a story.

  • Network18 turns up the volume on growth with a golden quarter

    Network18 turns up the volume on growth with a golden quarter

    MUMBAI: In a quarter where the media landscape was static at best, Network18 managed to change the channel to growth. The company’s second-quarter results for FY26 show that while much of the news industry wrestled with weak ad demand, Network18 found its own breaking news: a 7.2 per cent year-on-year rise in operating revenue, clocking Rs 477.2 crore in Q2 FY26, up from Rs 445.3 crore a year earlier and Rs 430.4 crore in the previous quarter.

    The bump came despite a 7 per cent dip in TV news inventory demand, hinting that the network’s improved pricing yields and robust market position helped it stay ahead of the curve. For an industry still feeling the aftershocks of cautious advertiser sentiment, Network18’s showing signals a quiet revival, one that could pick up further pace through Q3 and Q4.

    But the quarter wasn’t just about numbers, it was also about narrative. Cementing its leadership in regional news, Network18 acquired the remaining 50 per cent stake in IBN Lokmat News pvt. ltd. (IBNL) for Rs 25 crore, making News18 Lokmat a wholly owned subsidiary. The Marathi news powerhouse has seen strong revenue growth over the past three years and continues to reign supreme in the Marathi segment.

    For viewers, the move means a smoother experience across TV and digital; for the network, it’s another piece in the puzzle of regional dominance. “This acquisition strengthens our market-leading portfolio of national and regional news channels,” said Network18 chairman Adil Zainulbhai. “Our mission is to be the one-stop news destination for audiences across India.”

    Beyond news, the company is expanding into new frontiers. Moneycontrol, its flagship digital platform, has been building serious fintech muscle. Lending has emerged as a key growth engine, and its partnership with HDFC Bank, announced at the Global Fintech Festival 2025, adds further heft positioning Moneycontrol as India’s largest and most trusted financial destination.

    Meanwhile, Creator18, the network’s newest vertical, is crafting a future beyond headlines, one built on hashtags and human stories. The platform has already worked with over 1,000 creators, managing many exclusively, and is building what could become one of India’s largest creator ecosystems. From influencer campaigns to social-first storytelling, Creator18 is expanding Network18’s reach into lifestyle, culture, and commerce areas that increasingly shape public conversation.

    Network18’s 20-channel portfolio, which includes 14 regional channels, makes it the largest TV news network in India by both reach and viewership. And even as overall revenue growth for the first half of FY26 stayed broadly flat, the company’s tight cost control kept operating expenses steady, a sign of resilience in an uneven market.

    In an industry that thrives on breaking news, Network18 seems to have created some of its own from acquisition-led regional growth to digital diversification and creator-led storytelling. The message is clear: while others are still buffering, Network18 is already streaming into the future.

  • Network18 seizes full control of Marathi news channel in Rs 25 crore deal

    Network18 seizes full control of Marathi news channel in Rs 25 crore deal

    MUMBAI: Network18 Media & Investments has moved swiftly to acquire complete control of IBN Lokmat News Pvt Ltd, snapping up 86.25 million equity shares and preference holdings from its long-time partner Lokmat Media Pvt Ltd for Rs 25 crores. Come late October, IBNL will be Network18’s wholly owned subsidiary.

    The transaction marks a decisive shift in the broadcaster’s strategy towards the Marathi news market, where News18 Lokmat reigns as the segment leader. IBNL, which Network18 and the Lokmat Group established as a joint venture in 2007, has been quietly expanding. Its revenues jumped from Rs 22.5 crore in FY2022-23 to Rs 31.1 crore the following year, then surged again to Rs 36.5 crore by FY2024-25—a clear signal that the channel is hitting its stride.

    The deal is a related party transaction structured at arm’s length, with independent valuations from Ernst & Young Merchant Banking Services signing off. Network18’s promoters and group companies have no stake in the arrangement. Regulators have given the green light; no government approval is required. The acquisition should close before month’s end, cementing Network18’s dominance in regional news.

  • Network18 flexes muscle in brutal news market as rivals gasp

    Network18 flexes muscle in brutal news market as rivals gasp

    MUMBAI: Network18 Media & Investments is allegedly India’s undisputed news titan, but even emperors struggle when their kingdom is contracting. The media giant posted a crisp 7.2 per cent year-on-year rise in operating revenue to Rs 477 crore in the second quarter, yet the underlying story is far more complicated: the firm is buying market share by keeping costs flat rather than harvesting profits from its dominance.

    The numbers are seductive on the surface. Network18 commands 13.5 per cent all-India viewership share in news, reaches over 250 million people monthly—roughly 30 per cent more than its nearest rival—and operates 20 channels spanning 12 languages. Its YouTube network racked up 13 billion video views this quarter, three times its closest competitor. CNBC TV18 lords over business news with 67.8 per cent share. News18 India owns Hindi at 13.1 per cent. CNN News18 dominates English with 36.7 per cent.

    Yet look closer and the picture is not as rosy. Revenue growth of 7.2 per cent matched operating expense growth of 7.2 per cent. Not one rupee of margin expansion. For the half year, revenue limped ahead just 1.1 per cent whilst operating costs stayed flat.

    The digital realm offers crumbs of comfort. Network18 ranks second for digital news reach with 270 million monthly users. Moneycontrol, its financial news crown jewel, boasts 1.8 times the page views and three times the time spent of its nearest rival. The premium subscription service Moneycontrol Pro hit one million paid subscribers. The newly minted Moneycontrol Super Pro is gaining traction. YouTube accounts at News18.com are expanding multilingual hyperlocal coverage with AI-powered podcasts and rapid-read summaries. Firstpost’s YouTube channel is approaching nine million subscribers.

    Diversification beyond advertising is no longer optional—it’s survival. Moneycontrol’s fintech arm announced a partnership with HDFC Bank to offer personal loans through its platform. Creator18 has engaged over 1,000 social media influencers to pivot into culture, commerce and fashion. These feel like the right moves. 

    The real profit story could be better. Standalone total income reached Rs 478.8 crore this quarter, yet total expenses clocked Rs 548.9 crore, leaving a pre-tax loss of Rs 70.1 crore before exceptional items. The Eenadu Television windfall—a Rs 587 crore exceptional gain from fair-valuing a 24.5 per cent stake after losing voting control—masked the red ink. 

    Consolidated figures tell a sharper story. Pre-tax profit of Rs 41.2 crore this quarter looks respectable until you remember it came on total income of Rs 500.8 crore. Last year’s comparatives of Rs 2,059.4 crore are a mirage: they included operations since deconsolidated. The company swung from a Rs 152.3 crore loss to a Rs 41.2 crore profit, but the goalposts moved entirely.

    Network18’s regional ambitions reveal its strategic thinking. The board approved acquisition of the remaining 50 per cent stake in IBN Lokmat News Pvt. Ltd. for Rs25 crore, transforming News18 Lokmat into a wholly owned subsidiary. Marathi news generates revenue momentum, and full ownership could unlock margin expansion. Could. That word carries weight.

    Adil Zainulbhai, chairman, declared the move “another step in that direction” of becoming “the one-stop news destination” whilst positioning the firm to benefit from government initiatives to boost consumer demand. The language is hopeful. The arithmetic is unforgiving.

    Network18 conquered the mountain and discovered nothing worth eating at the top. Market dominance means nothing when advertising inventory shrinks seven per cent industry-wide. Viewership share rises whilst revenue flatlines—the very definition of a saturated market where volume gains evaporate into pricing pressure. 

    Fintech partnerships, influencer ecosystems, and subscription tiers are the moves of a legacy business fighting for relevance, not a titan in its ascendancy. The firm hasn’t yet proven these new ventures can move the needle at scale. Until they do, Network18 remains a winner in a losing game.