ITV

Category: Regional

  • BARC India data shows how Tamil Nadu leads regional TV viewership, content and advertising trends

    BARC India data shows how Tamil Nadu leads regional TV viewership, content and advertising trends

    MUMBAI: The inaugural edition of Tele-Wise Tamil saw BARC India COO Romil Ramgarhia share some interesting numbers related to TV consumption, viewership, advertisement and average time spent (ATS) in Tamil Nadu (TN). He also gave an understanding of trends and behavioural patterns of different genres in the dominant regional market.

    Ramgarhia began his session by explaining how demographically TN is different from other states in India. The state is dominated by 53 per cent of women viewers. 34 per cent of all India population belongs to NCCS AB home but Tamil Nadu has 47 per cent of NCCS AB home. In spite of smaller family size, Tamil Nadu’s TV consumption is high. Ramgarhia informed that NCCS A home consumes more TV in the state.

    While total TV consumption in India per week is about 1000 billion viewing minutes, TN itself gets 110 billion viewing minutes.

    “Over the last two years, overall TV consumption in India has gone up by 21 per cent largely aided by digitisation that happened in the state a little later compared to others states. Despite NTO coming in, the market was resilient and though it had some dent it bounced back much faster compared to other states that we have witnessed,” said Ramgarhia.

    He added, “Generally, the overall consumption of TV in India goes up by 15 per cent in the third quarter but in Tamil Nadu the consumption in that quarter went up to 20 per cent. This year we are hoping to see the same trend compared to 2018-19.”

    Around 9 per cent of the population resides in Tamil Nadu and it contributes 12 per cent of total TV viewership. Tamil Nadu is the only state in the South which has a higher viewership from urban areas. The state has 55 per cent viewership from urban areas and 45 per cent from rural. Telangana has 57 per cent of viewership from rural and 23 per cent from urban. Karnataka has 52 per cent of rural and 48 per cent of urban viewership. Kerala has 50 – 50 per cent of rural and urban viewership.

    Overall in India, the daily TV consumption is about 3 hours 37 minutes whereas Tamil Nadu sees more than 4 hours a day with 74.8 per cent daily tune-ins. Almost 94.2 per cent of the people consume TV at least once in a week and 75 per cent of them consume every day. “It is one of the largest time-spent markets across India,” said Ramgarhia.

    Going further, Ramgarhia explained that viewership in the state also shoots up when there are big events. The state consumed around 8 hours of content on the day of former chief minister Karunanidhi’s demise.

    GEC contributes 63 per cent of total TV consumption in the TN market. Speaking on the primetime, Ramgarhia highlighted that there is no prime time. “The top three Tamil channels have 42 original fictions and 15 non-fictional shows which means the state produces 52 original content in a week whereas the top 3 Hindi GECs have an average of 43 original shows. The market sees a lot of focus on producing more and more content which is also consumed in non-prime time as well," he said

    The data also revealed that the overall TV penetration was high in South and Tamil Nadu had seen 97.5 per cent TV penetration whereas Karnataka had 96.1 per cent TV penetration, Telangana had recorded 94.3 per cent and Kerala has 92.8 per cent.

    TRAI’s new tariff order (NTO) came in force in week 6 of 2019. 43 per cent of TV viewers in TN were consuming all four channels before NTO and now it is down to 35 per cent. There was a drop in reach from 75 per cent to 71 per cent. Pay Tamil GECs went down from 70 to 65. The reach was impacted by five per cent for pay channels post NTO implementation. But ATS went up by 6 per cent from the previous year. “People shift their consumption basket to their choice of channel. Rather than spending time across all the GECs, they just choose a different consumption basket,” said Ramgarhia.

    Throwing some light on the advertising trends in Tamil Nadu, Ramgarhia said, “After Hindi GEC, South GEC is the second largest segment for advertisers as it contributes 31 per cent to total TV viewership. If there are 500 categories in India, roughly 12 per cent of all categories are present in TN. From 11,000 advertisers in India, 15 per cent advertise in TN. If there are 19,000 to 20,000 brands in India roughly 13 per cent of the brands advertise in TN."

  • Zee Telugu to air the superhit thriller ‘Vishwamitra’ on 11th August

    Zee Telugu to air the superhit thriller ‘Vishwamitra’ on 11th August

    MUMBAI: Zee Telugu, the ultimate destination for entertainment, promises its viewers a thrilling weekend filled with suspense with the world television premier of ‘Vishwamitra’ on Sunday, 11th August at 6 PM. Starring Nanditha Raj, Ashutosh Rana, Vidhylekha Raman and Prasanna, the movie is sure to leave audiences at the edge of their seats with its nerve wrecking twists and turns.

    Mitra, a character played by Nanditha Raj works in a construction company owned by Rana, played Ashutosh Rana. He is a womanizer and goes after Mitra, creating problems at her workplace. Every time Mitra lands into a problem an invisible person is seen entering the scene and helps her. After she shares this information with her dear friend, C.I Gopal played by Prasanna, he wants to meet the man in question. The next day, Gopal secretly observes Mitra entering a restaurant and notices Mitra talking to herself in the CCTV footage, with none seated in front of her. This intrigues him and he explains this to Mitra, who says she is seeing that man and talking to him, unlike Gopal’s observation.

    How do Mitra and Gopal solve this mystery? Why is the unseen man friendly to Mitra and why does Rana fear him? What is the relation between the invisible man and Rana? The rest of Vishwamitra revolves around these angles. The film is directed by Raj Kiran while music is scored by Anup Rubens.

  • Bhojpuri Dhamaka DISHUM celebrates it’s second anniversary; Establishes leadership in the Bhojpuri GEC genre

    Bhojpuri Dhamaka DISHUM celebrates it’s second anniversary; Establishes leadership in the Bhojpuri GEC genre

    MUMBAI: “It takes many years to become an overnight success.” (Frank Sonnenberg, Soul Food: Change Your Thinking, Change Your Life)

    Bhojpuri GEC “Bhojpuri Dhamaka DISHUM” was launched amongst much fanfare on 15th August, 2017 witha single point agenda to transform the Bhojpuri television and content landscape. Its vision was to disrupt the Bhojpuri market by targeting the aspirational Bhojpuri speaking pay TV viewers based in Bihar, Jharkhand, UP and across India. The channel launched with a first of its kind international award show, held at the prestigious O2 arena in London and surprised and awed viewers as well as advertisers with production value and a canvas not seen before in the Bhojpuri television. The channel adopted innovative packaging combined with an emotive narrative around its brand identity DISHUM and what it signified in the fabric of Bhojpuri society. This unique approach to packaging, promos along with a mood mapped FPC comprising of the best of Fiction shows, Events and World Television Premiers of the biggest of Bhojpuri blockbusters. 

    The journey has not been so easy. Availability of content on free digital platforms, tumbling data cost and fatigued Bhojpuri TV programming caused a tectonic shift ofBhojpuri viewership to mobile phones and hand held devices. Getting them back to linear televisionhas been an uphill and fruitful journey, which has resulted in the over all growth of the entire universe – both in terms of ratings and revenues. 

    Over a period of 24 months, DISHUMhas studied the changing consumption pattern and arrived at anFPC which has a mix of the best of both worlds; TV and Digital. Festival spikes and themed topical native programming became the new drivers of the channel and the results paid off.

    Today DISHUM is the number One Bhojpuri General Entertainment Channel with 4 Week Average Impression(‘000) of 15,762 and number One across all Bhojpuri channels in All 22 + with an Average Impression(‘000) of 9,784. (Source BARC: Bihar & Jharkhand (Pay Platform), Average Impression of Week 27 to 30, 2019)

    Keeping up with the learning, festival programming has already arrived at DISHUM.With the advent of Shravan, a month-longprogramming spike is alreadyplaying outand this will continue with other topical spikes, culminating with Chhath Mahaparv in November, a programming of almost five months.

    “And it took us two years to be where we are today”, Partha Dey, COO, Dishum, quotes this. He has launched or led almost all Bhojpuri channels including, the regional trend setter Mahuaand thinks loyalty and traction can only be generated if you have the right mix of content and DISHUM, he says, will always strive to create this mix for a wholesome family entertainment.

    Dishum is distributed across all major Pay Platforms- DTH & MSO including Tata Sky, Airtel, Sun Direct, Den Networks, Siti Digital, GTPL, Darsh Digital and many more independent MSO’s.

    Aparna Shah, Director, Dishum said “The ratings indicate our growth and acceptance specially with the aspirational Urban audiences as a feather to our cap in comparison within the genre. Our programming has thrived on distribution minus Freedish to address the NCCS AB audiences in Bihar Jharkhand market.

    NTO made us stand out as a leading brand in Pay platform with increasing number of advertisers and brands wanting to partner with us. Brands patronizing to Bihar Jharkhand in particular, are there with us (some on exclusive basis), due to TG supremacy we enjoy in NCCS_A, B or AB cuts. We have seen a growth of over 30% in brand count post NTO.”
     

  • Tamil Nadu market is underpriced by national advertisers: Zeel’s Siju Prabhakaran

    Tamil Nadu market is underpriced by national advertisers: Zeel’s Siju Prabhakaran

    Chennai: The first edition of Indiantelevision.com’s Tele-Wise Tamil saw Zee Entertainment Enterprises Ltd EVP & cluster head- south business Siju Prabhakaran have a tete-a-tete with Indiantelevision.com founder, CEO, editor-in-chief Anil Wanvari. He revealed that although Tamil is the second largest language market after Hindi GEC with a vibrant local retail advertiser base, it is underpriced by national advertisers. 

    Sharing his views on local advertising, Prabhakaran said, "We all know that Tamil Nadu has a great and vibrant retail advertiser base and that’s something that we all take pride in. But the fact is that within south, Tamil Nadu is very different from other markets because of its retail ecosystem. When it comes to the retail advertising base, it is not only based on ratings but they also have their own mechanism to see the trending shows in the market."

    He further said, "This is the only market where every quarter has some sort of high point for retail advertisers. Some of the national advertisers do not understand the whole phenomenon. So for even a very small brand we have seen that they believe in the power of advertising and TV advertising, in particular, is something which people have taken to."

    Enunciating the reason for the parity in price, he said, "Retail advertisers are ready to pay the premium price because they are closer to the content. National advertisers can only justify with the number but the local advertiser see what a show is doing beyond ratings and so they are able to give premium pricing beyond ratings," he added. 

    Answering to Wanvari's question about what kind of solution does the channel provide to retail advertisers, Prabhakaran said, "We ask advertisers to come and be a part of the content ecosystem. There is a brand solution team which works with some of the retail advertisers on a regular basis so that they get a good touch and feel of what we are doing."

    Speaking numbers, Prabhakaran added, "For us around 30 per cent comes from retail but still we are under-indexed when it comes to retail advertising. My sense is that the Tamil Nadu market should be closer to 36-37 per cent from retail advertising."

    At Tele-Wise Tamil, BARC India also revealed that Tamil Nadu's TV viewership has grown by 21 per cent in the last two years and is in line with local consumption.

    Sharing his views on the impressions, Prabhakaran said, "People who have been working in this market are dealing with this number on a weekly basis. When BARC comes and presents in this form and in comparison with the other market, it’s fascinating and I think that’s where the Rs 2000 crore market is residing. For any regional market to flourish, language is the biggest part and Tamilians take pride in their language."

    Wanvari also inquired on whether the impressions are been acknowledged by the advertisers in Tamil market. Prabhakaran answered, "If we look at the impressions in thousands the whole pricing is under-indexed and there is huge scope. If we look at the FMCG segment, their price from south for their product in maximum and when it comes to media for the same, the media is under-priced in Tamil Nadu. There is a paradox when it comes to FMCG who use the media but are not willing to acknowledge the price. At the same time, advertisers are ready to acknowledge the reach that some of the shows get but we still have a long way to go when it comes to correcting advertising. While it’s a Rs 2000 crore industry with nine per cent of the population giving 12 per cent of the viewership, there is a gap which we need to cover."

    Films form an important part of both content creators and advertisers here. "The thriving film market is always a great part. If we look at all over India wherever the film market is doing well, television follows that and keeps pace with it. We saw that 350 hours of original content minus the films is what all GEC put together creates. That’s 50 hours per day of original content. It’s a great sign with so much of original content and regional consumption habit, almost 90 per cent of consumption is happening in Tamil language. That’s what any regional market would aspire to have and we are lucky to cater to this audience base," he opined.

    Wanvari also asked him about the challenges face by the Zee group as a late entrant compared to others in the market. Prabhakaran replied, "Though we have been here for more than 10 years now but it is a tough market. If we look at it, almost 80 -90 per cent of viewership was split between two channels when we entered. Intuitively, one would think that it is the best market to enter as the concentration is between two players but at the same time it is a very habit-driven market because television meant one particular channel for a very long time to audiences. So to break that sort of habit is not easy. The fact that it has a very tough distribution system is not an easy thing. For almost eight-odd years we were running under tremendous loss but post digitisation the content ecosystem opened up and we saw opportunities coming our way."

    Tamil television market is highly driven by fiction content. Prabhakaran said, "Fiction is something that we take pride in. Zee Tamil has been able to break into the very strong fiction ecosystem which was there in this market."

    Speaking on the challenges faced today, Prabhakaran said, "For starters we are the competition now and the best part is that it is an advertisers’ delight from a planning point of view. There is a basket which is looking at a few channels and that’s always a good situation to be in."

    He further said, "We see the content ecosystem having evolved with new players coming in, with better production that we are seeing all around television. The pace of storytelling has evolved from what it was maybe 5 to 6 years back. The big change I feel is there are new creators that have come in because the production ecosystem in Tamil Nadu is not as limited as before. The new players have helped to expand the whole content ecosystem. It’s a great time for Tamil television where good, vibrant content is there."

    Addressing the topic of good TV script writers, Prabhakaran said, "It’s not just the problem of Tamil market. Across the country there is a lack of writing talent because young writers get swayed by OTT or films. It is the responsibility of the broadcaster to make TV more attractive. There is an urgent need for young writers and other technicians to come to TV."

    In terms of pricing of content, Zee Tamil produces very cheap as compared to others like the Hindi language belt. Explaining the reason behind it, Prabhakaran said, "That has to do with being a new entrant in any market. When we are entering late, there is some cost that we have to pay and beyond that new entrants need to create some sort of difference – it could be in terms of scale, creative execution, casting etc there is a great opportunity there."

    He further added, "Now when we see Tamil Nadu market in last two-three years, big sets are being made, better technologies are used to create content. These are all steps in the right direction,” he concluded.

  • COLORS Tamil signs up as summit partner for Indiantelevision.com’s Tele-Wise Tamil

    COLORS Tamil signs up as summit partner for Indiantelevision.com’s Tele-Wise Tamil

    MUMBAI: Viacom18’s regional GEC, Colors Tamil, has associated with Indiantelevision.com as  summit partner for its event Tele-Wise Tamil. This day long summit aims to take a deep dive into various perspectives from national and regional broadcasters, media agencies and content creators.  Tele-Wise’s first leg will take place on 6 August at the ITC Grand Chola in Chennai.

    While Tamil Nadu boasts of a vibrant TV ecosystem, industry watchers are convinced there is scope to push the envelope on content, advertising and distribution fronts.With ‘Power of Television’ as its theme, the objective of Tele-Wise Tamil is to bring together industry stakeholders to understand and find potential solutions to issues faced by broadcasters &advertisers in the state.

    The state has over 35 channels offering Rs 11.6 crore seconds of advertisement annually; the Tamil TV boasts of Rs 2,000 crore-plus potential. For perspective, that is nearly 10 percent of India’s total TV ad spend coming from just one state.

    Having launched Colors Tamil just over a year ago, the channel has carved out a unique place for itself in this highly competitive market. The rapid progress made by Colors Tamil is largely due to its slate of progressive content and production value as one of the key differentiators.

    “The Tamil television industry is at the threshold of change and positive engagement amongst stakeholders will only helpits growth potential. The inaugural edition of indiantelevision.com’s Tele-Wise Tamil promises to deliver great value in terms of insightful panel discussions and powerful debates.”, said Ravish Kumar, Head of Regional TV Network, Viacom18.

    The summit will bring together some of the finest minds in the ecosystem leveraging the bright spots of the Tamil market and highlighting the areas that need fine-tuning. With one-on-one chats, panel discussions and presentations dissecting all the important factors at play in the state, concerning broadcasting business, Tele-Wise Tamil, promises to enlighten its audience with insights on what drives national & local advertisers along with views from some of India’s biggest broadcasters.

    Among the key speakers at the summit will be Colors Tamil Business Head Anup Chandrasekharan, ZEEL EVP and Cluster Head South Business Siju Prabhakaran, News18 Network CEO – languages Karan Abhishek Singh, BARC India COO RomilRamgarhia, Vikatan Group MD B Srinivasan among others.

    Tele-Wise Tamil will also witness India’s leading brands like Paytm, TVS Auto, and Bharat Matrimony among others being represented by their custodians.

  • COLORS Bangla presents Mangal Chandi – a mythological tale bound by devotion, bared by trepidation

    COLORS Bangla presents Mangal Chandi – a mythological tale bound by devotion, bared by trepidation

    MUMBAI: The mystical tales of revered Gods and Goddesses have fascinated the minds of many. From amongst the expansive library of mythologies from around the world tethered to various cultures, Indian mythology is widely considered as a treasure trove of some of the most riveting folktales and emboldening idols. Enchanting viewers with such a mythological saga, Colors Bangla brings to life an ode of mythological extravaganza – MANGAL CHANDI, starting August 5, from Monday to Saturday at 6pm.

    Talking about the newest mythological adventure, Rahul Chakravarti – Business Head, Colors Bangla and Colors Odia, said, “Bangla audience enjoys a well-balanced variety in their entertainment with shows that offer shades of drama, reality, mystery, romance and more. But mythological shows have been universally appreciated and cherished due to their strong cultural influence. Mangal Chandi is a visual treat that presents an enthralling folklore which combines high-scale production quality, top-of-the-line VFX effects and a powerful ensemble cast to bring an entertaining mythological show for viewers.”

    Gleaned from Banik Khanda of Chandimangal, the show narrates the legend of Goddess Chandi and her deep-rooted bond with her worshippers. Eager to establish her cult, Devi Chandi (Madhuja) conspires to recruit Dhanapati (Shamik) an ardent devotee of Lord Shiva, by making him fall in love with her devotee Khullona (Adrija Roy). But Devi Chandi’s plans take an unexpected turn, and she decides to rain down her wrath on the young couple to teach them a lesson, ensuing a rigmarole between a Goddess and devotee.

  • WIN NEWS goes all out to WIN

    WIN NEWS goes all out to WIN

    MUMBAI: WIN TV is gearing up to surge into the NEWS space rechristened now as WIN NEWS.  The group which is promoted by DIKSAT has roped in asits Executive Director Mr. RBU Shyam Kumar, the former CEO of Puthiyathalaimurai Group.  He will be shouldering the responsibility of re-launching WIN NEWS along with Mr.RAM, the former Editor in chief of Puthiyathalaimurai TV. Shyam, a renowned game-changer has had to his credit, several successful revamps, launches and an expert in experiential marketing.He has now taken on the challenging task of accelerating the WIN group to soar higher into the NEWS platform. 

    WIN NEWS is in the process of hiring the best talents in the Tamil television industry. 

    To quote Mr. RBU Shyam Kumar, “WIN NEWS is the new avatar of the vintage brand. I’m sure there is ample scopefor a good news channel. We will be positioning it as People’s channel with the tag ‘Üngalukaga Ungaludan’, which means that ‘For the People and with the people. I’m confident that with a veteran like Mr.Ram leading the editorial and with a visionary leader like Mr.Devanathan, we are going all out to win.”

    Mr. Devanathan, Chairman, WIN Group recalls with pride the genesis of the group since the 1990s but feels the dire need now to catapult as a trend-setter. He is a team-player who is currently garnering the best expertise in the industry to fulfil his vision. He says. “No one can plough a field just by imagining. So I’m here to translate my imagination into a reality with my vibrant team.”

    Interestingly Mr. Ram, NEWS Director of WIN NEWS who will be taking complete charge of contentrecounts with confidence that “Waiting is over, we are here to execute. Currently people are averse to sensational and superficial media reporting and certain areas like development journalism is almost untouched by Tamil Television Media which will be our focus & USP.  ”

    WIN News wins ISC-FICCI Sanitation Award 2019

    WIN News has been awarded ISC-FICCI Sanitation Award 2019 for its coverage of sanitation issues in and around Chennai city. 

    The India Sanitation Coalition (ISC), in collaboration with FICCI, has constituted the award in April 2017, to identify and recognize the efforts of various stakeholders, across the sanitation value chain of Build-Use-Maintain-Treat(BUMT). 

    WIN News, received  the Special Recognition Awardfor 'BEST COMMUNICATION IN SANITATION at the third edition of the ISC-FICCI awards ceremony held in New Delhi on 25 April 2019. The award was presented by FICCI President Sandip Somany to Ms.  P.Bhuvaneswari, senior member of the WIN’s editorial team. 

    The purpose of this award is to duly recognize the commendable extensive reporting about  the lack of public toilets, low sanitary maintenance and solid waste management by municipalities and other glaring sanitation issues in Chennai city. 

    The overwhelming response since its launch has inspired ISC-FICCI to host the awards as an annual event to share knowledge and expertise, showcase forward-thinking best practices and promote partnerships across the sector in order to achieve a sustainable sanitation ecosystem. 

    Today, ISC works with multiple stakeholders including corporates, civil society groups, government sectors, financial institutions, media, donors, bilateral, multilaterals, experts, etc. FICCI serves as the project coordinator and secretariat of the ISC.

  • Zee Tamil is summit partner for Indiantelevision.com’s Tele-Wise Tamil

    Zee Tamil is summit partner for Indiantelevision.com’s Tele-Wise Tamil

    MUMBAI: Zee Tamil has partnered Indiantelevision.com for the first edition of Tele-Wise. In its debut edition, Tele-Wise will showcase the power of television in the very significant Tamil Nadu market. The event will be held on 6 August 2019 at the ITC Grand Chola, Chennai.

    Tele-Wise Tamil aims to create a platform for industry stakeholders to understand, analyse and find potential solutions to issues faced by broadcasters and advertisers in the state. While Tamil Nadu boasts of a vibrant TV ecosystem, industry watchers are convinced there is scope to push the envelope on content, advertising and distribution fronts.

    The state has over 35 channels offering Rs 11.6 crore seconds of advertisement annually, the Tamil TV boasts of Rs 2,000 crore-plus potential. For perspective, that is nearly 10 percent of India’s total TV ad spend coming from just one state.

    "With the television industry witnessing churns of changes and development, we believe that dialogue among stakeholders would be key to uncovering the nuances of the market and discovering its potential. We are happy to be partnering with the first edition of Indiantelevision.com's Tele-Wise in Chennai and look forward to the multi-layered debates and discussions that are sure to bring significant value to all attendees," ZEEL EVP and cluster head south business Siju Prabhakaran said.

    Tele-Wise Tamil will comprise a series of one-on-one chats, panel discussions and presentations dissecting all the important factors at play in the state are broadcasting business.

    The day-long summit will see some of the finest minds in the ecosystem will weigh on the bright spots of the Tamil market and highlighted the areas that need fine-tuning.

    The audience will get insights into how national and local advertisers are looking for as well as views of some of India’s biggest broadcasters.

    Among the key speakers at the summit will be ZEEL EVP and cluster head south business Siju Prabhakaran, News18 Network CEO – languages Karan Abhishek Singh, BARC India COO Romil Ramgarhia, Vikatan Group MD B Srinivasan among others.

  • Zee Telugu launches new fiction show- Rama Sakkani Seetha

    Zee Telugu launches new fiction show- Rama Sakkani Seetha

    MUMBAI: Zee Telugu is set to bolster it’s programming line-up by introducing another fiction show – Rama Sakkani Seetha, a story of love and mysticism. It’s all set to premiere on July 29th.

    The narrative highlights the journey of Seetha as she fights to protect her family from a curse which was bestowed upon her family. During the auspicious time of Seetharama Kalyanam, Seetha gets married to Rama Raju accidentally and they are forced to accept each other as husband and wife. She goes into a family which has four brothers and the brothers fear the priest who cursed their parents that, a single woman will destroy the entire family. The core of the story lies in finding out who cursed them and how Seetha will set them free

    Seetha is played by Jyoti who, previously mesmerized the viewers with her acting in Mangamma Gari Manumaralu and Rama Raju is played by Nanda Kishore who has an immense fan following through Rama Seetha.

    Rama Sakkani Seetha shall telecast every weekday at 7:30 PM starting July 29th, replacing Meenakshi, while Meenakshi shifts to the 2:30 PM slot as Na Kodalu Bangaram goes off-air on 26th July.

  • Zee Telugu celebrates Bonalu with a special show

    Zee Telugu celebrates Bonalu with a special show

    MUMBAI: Zee Telugu has curated a special showcase ‘Jathara – Bonala Sandhadi’ as a treat to its ardent fans. The special Bonalu show will bring together the full Zee Kutumbam under one roof to celebrate the festival amidst spectacular songs, dance and merriment on 28 July at 5.30 PM on Zee Telugu and Zee Telugu HD.

    Zee Telugu’s ‘Jathara – Bonala Sandhadi’, was a magnificent affair with all the TV stars in their celebratory best – dressed in festive finery, dancing to superbly choreographed performances on the Siddipet Government Degree college grounds. Ismart Shankar team – Puri Jagannath and Charmie graced the event.

    The eager crowd was also entertained by Bellamkonda Srinivas, who made a dashing entry on stage with his super cool dance moves and Sampoornesh Babu along with his entire team of ‘Kobbari Matta’, who enthralled the audiences with his 3 and half minute dialogue on stage and left everyone captivated.

    The pride of Siddipet, MLA Harish Rao graced the event and conveyed his best wishes to Zee Telugu. The gala celebration that took place at the Siddipet was anchored by the popular host Suma Kanakala, Pradeep Machiraju and Ravi.