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Tag: Marathi

  • Sowing seeds of change: Zee 24 Taas honours farmers at Krushi Sanman 2025

    Sowing seeds of change: Zee 24 Taas honours farmers at Krushi Sanman 2025

    MUMBAI: Ploughing ahead with pride! Maharashtra’s most trusted Marathi news channel, Zee 24 Taas, turned the spotlight on the state’s unsung heroes at Krushi Sanman 2025, a celebration of farmers, agri-entrepreneurs and the resilience of rural India.

    More than just an award ceremony, the event blossomed into a powerful dialogue on the future of farming, spotlighting shrinking landholdings, rising input costs, and the mounting impact of climate change, while also celebrating trailblazing farmers who embraced innovation, sustainability and entrepreneurship.

    Graced by agriculture minister Dattatray Bharne, cabinet minister Bharat Gogawale and union minister of state Murlidhar Mohol, the event reinforced the message that agriculture is not just the backbone of India’s economy but the heartbeat of rural transformation.

    “Krushi Sanman 2025 is a movement that celebrates resilience and ushers in change,” said Zee 24 Taas, editor, Kamlesh Sutar. “We want to shift the narrative of agriculture from hardship to opportunity and from survival to success.”

    Echoing the sentiment, Bharne spoke of his own roots in farming and assured the community of the government’s firm support: “Agriculture today is about courage, adaptability, and innovation. Events like Krushi Sanman strengthen our resolve to honour farmers and ensure rural prosperity.”

    Adding perspective, Zee media corporation limited, CEO, Karan Abhishek Singh, described the initiative as “a long-term ecosystem where knowledge, policy, and innovation converge for the benefit of farmers.”

    Viewers can catch the special telecast of Krushi Sanman 2025 exclusively on Zee 24 Taas on Saturday, 20th September at 2:30 pm, and Sunday, 21st September at 2:00 pm.

    By honouring excellence and igniting dialogue, Zee 24 Taas has ensured that Krushi Sanman 2025 is more than an event, it’s a milestone in making agriculture not only a source of livelihood, but also of lasting pride.

  • Zeel shows smart bottom line, despite a slippage in its top line IN Q3 FY 25

    Zeel shows smart bottom line, despite a slippage in its top line IN Q3 FY 25

    MUMBAI: A sharp focus on its expenditure and tight cost controls have resulted in Zee Entertainment Enterprises Ltd (Zeel)  notching up a respectable showing in its latest quarter FY2025 results as well as for the nine months of FY2025.  The net result: there has been a growth in profitability despite revenues slipping because of a challenging advertising environment.

    The company’s operating revenue for Q3 2025 ended 31 December 2024 stood at Rs 19,788 million, reflecting a three per cent  decline year-over-year (YoY) due to a weak festive season and lower advertising revenues.

    In the investor call which followed, CEO Punit Goenka confessed  that “the green shoots we witnessed during the beginning of the quarter did not pick up the required pace to drive a positive growth momentum. This, coupled with muted spending by FMCG brands in a festive quarter, further slowed the pace of growth for the industry at large, although there was a marginal pickup in the rural recovery. The lacklustre sentiment in the urban market led to weaker demand November and December.  This, in turn, also impacted our advertising revenue during the quarter.” 

    Punit, however, expressed optimism of a recovery in the coming months. Said he: “Going forward, we are hopeful that the upcoming union budget will encompass pertinent steps by the honorable finance minister to revive the consumption cycle in order to spur growth. On the back of these factors, we remain optimistic about a gradual recovery in the new fiscal that will enable us to capitalise on the increased spending by advertisers.”

    Added deputy CEO &  CFO Mukund Galgali: “The TV industry landscape remains healthy, and the overall industry wide TV viewership has increased by 1.4 per cent further. We continue to be strong, number two entertainment network in India, and we have gained 40 BPS share to 16.9 per cent as  compared to the same period last year. And as Punit mentioned again, Zee  Marathi has shown a consistent progress four car intervention. And Zee  Tamil has also gained healthy share on a year on year basis compared to the same period last year. on the digital side, Zee5 has further narrowed its operating losses in this quarter. Its EBITDA loss is lower by Rs 22.6 crores in QoQ and Rs 107.8 crore YoY basis. A B2B deal which is still being discussed and was not renewed impacted our top line for Zee5.” 

    In contrast to ad revenues, subscription revenues grew by  seven per cent year on year to Rs 9,406 million driven by linear TV and digital platform Zee5. EBITDA for Q3 FY25 increased by 52 per cent YoY to Rs 3,184 million, with a margin of 16.1 per cent  (up from 10.2 per cent in Q3 FY24). Profit after tax (PAT) from continuing operations rose by 207 per cent YoY to Rs 1,636 million, underscoring effective cost management and operational efficiency. Total expenditure decreased by 10 per cent  YoY to Rs 16,604 million, driven by optimised programming and technology costs.

    For the nine month period ended 31 December for FY25, total revenue was at Rs 61,100 million a six per cent decline YoY, while expenditure decreased 10 per cent, reflecting disciplined cost control.  EBITDA for 9M FY25 rose by 31 per cent  YoY to Rs 9,110 million, with margins improving to 14.9 per cent  (up 410 basis points YoY). PAT from continuing operations increased by 167 per cent  YoY to Rs 4,988 million.

    Zee Network’s TV viewership share grew by 40 basis points YoY, driven by strong performances in Hindi movies and Marathi content. New show launches like Jaane Anjaane Hum Mile (Zee TV) and Lakshmi Nivas (Zee Marathi) contributed to the viewership growth. Zee5 recorded an eight per cent  YoY revenue growth in Q3 FY25, releasing 14 shows and movies, including seven originals. EBITDA losses for Zee5 reduced significantly YoY, reflecting better cost structures. Zee Music Company remained the second-largest music label with 160 million YouTube subscribers, adding 3.6 million during the quarter. The channel clocked 43 billion video views during Q3 FY 2025. Zee Studios released five films in Q3, including two Hindi and three regional movies.

    The company spent a lot more this quarter on promoting its shows as well as on building its brand following the collapse of the merger with Sony. Its advertisement and promotion expenses stood at Rs 2826 million  in Q3FY25 as against Rs 2275 million  in the previous quarter and Rs 2065 million Q3 FY 2024.  In the 9 months in FY2025, it has spent Rs 7725 million as against Rs 6963 million in 9m FY2024. 

    The company also announced the appointment of media veteran Divya Karani as an additional director in the category of independent director for three years with effect from 23 January 2025  based on the recommendation of the nomination & remuneration committee and subject to the approval of the ministry of information and broadcasting and shareholders of the Company.  Finally, Zeel’s sustainability efforts saw a 33 per cent  reduction in waste sent to landfills and an 11 per cent decrease in daily carbon emissions during FY24.

  • Colors Marathi announces fourth season of ‘Bigg Boss’

    Colors Marathi announces fourth season of ‘Bigg Boss’

    Mumbai: Colors Marathi is all set to roll out the fourth season of Bigg Boss Marathi, hosted by versatile actor-director-producer Mahesh Manjrekar.

    Bigg Boss Marathi 4, powered by Airtel and special partners A23 & Finolex Pipes, will make a grand debut at 7 p.m. on 2 October with an exciting mix of 16 celebrity housemates, making the season an entertainment extravaganza!

    The show will be subsequently aired on Colors Marathi at 10 p.m. from Monday to Friday and at 9:30 p.m. on Saturday and Sunday. This season promises its viewers non-stop entertainment, exclusive cuts, round-the-clock content drops, and a 24-hour live feed from the house, exclusively on Voot.

    Speaking about the fourth edition of the entertainment reality show, Colors Marathi business head Aniket Joshi said, “Bigg Boss Marathi is the audience’s favourite reality show. There are countless reasons why the viewership grows every season, and the audience connects with the show on multiple levels; be it the members’ relationships with each other or their journeys; their feuds; their friendships; or the fast-paced format of the show. Timed with the festive season, the show is a favourite of the advertisers as well, because of its tremendous reach.”

    Adding to it, Colors Marathi head of programming Viraj Raje said, “Hearing the name Bigg Boss Marathi, the first thing that everyone remembers is fights, friction, fractions, and arguments. But like in any family, difficulties only bring us closer. Differences are meant to be celebrated, distances to be bridged, and at the end of the day, all is forgiven and all is well. Bigg Boss Marathi is an unscripted reality show that gives you a feeling of gratitude for everything that we take for granted and presents life and interpersonal relationships in their myriad hues and shades. Locked in a house without any contact with the outside world, time stands still, and one’s focus is inward, not outward. This change in perspective of seeing oneself through the eyes of others forces one to better themselves. And this journey of self-discovery and self-betterment is what entices, enthrals, and entertains viewers because they see themselves in the contestants.”

    Upcoming Bigg Boss Marathi 4 host and actor Mahesh Manjrekar commented, “Bigg Boss Marathi is very close to my heart. This year’s season is going to be special for everyone because there will be no glass wall between the contestants and me, as well as the guests. The new season waits for some spectacular surprises. I’m going to a ‘different kind of school.’ The audience will soon know exactly what it will be like. Bigg Boss is a show with unpredictable twists and turns where the emotions and patience of the members are tested. A lot changes this time with the theme “All Is Well.” Just like the audience, I am also waiting to see the drama unfold. Let’s see how the house members make this happen. The whole of Maharashtra is waiting with bated breath for the unexpected twists that this season will bring with it.”

    Expressing his excitement, Endemol Shine India CEO Rishi Negi said, “Exciting, entertaining, and engrossing—that’s the best way to describe season four of Bigg Boss Marathi! For us at Endemol Shine India, the enjoyment of our audience is paramount, and to this end, we are continuously innovating and experimenting with the format to ensure that the contestants and our viewers are constantly engaged! Every week, expect the unexpected as host Mahesh Manjrekar takes our diverse contestants on a roller coaster ride with ups and downs, many surprises and sudden twists and turns… so, stay tuned!”

  • Meesho to strengthen its presence in the regional markets

    Meesho to strengthen its presence in the regional markets

    Mumbai: The fastest growing internet commerce platform, Meesho, has announced the addition of eight new vernacular languages to its platform in line with its mission to democratise internet commerce for everyone.

    The move comes just ahead of the festive season, when millions of users from all corners of the country are expected to transact on the platform.

    These additional languages are Bengali, Telugu, Marathi, Tamil, Gujarati, Kannada, Malayalam, and Odia. Meesho customers can now select their preferred language for accessing account and product information, placing and tracking orders, and making payments on Android phones.

    To ensure an accurate and authentic experience in these new languages, Meesho derived key insights from user research and worked closely with expert linguists. The team chose commonly used words over full translation to mirror everyday language and make the shopping experience seamless. For example, the literal translation for the word “required” in Hindi is “anivarya,” but “zaroori” is more widely understood. In total, around 33,000 English words were translated into each of these eight languages.

    Last year, Meesho introduced Hindi as a language option on the platform, which has seen a high adoption rate of 20 per cent so far.

    The majority of Meesho customers come from tier 2+ cities like Ahmedabad, Vadodara, and Jamshedpur and non-Hindi-speaking states, where English or Hindi may not always be the language of choice. Hence, this latest initiative will boost Meesho’s adoption in these areas and further simplify the online shopping experience for millions of customers.

    Speaking on of the development, Meesho founder and CTO Sanjeev Barnwal said, “It is important to note that 50 per cent of our users are new to e-commerce and have probably never transacted on such platforms before. By introducing vernacular languages on the platform, Meesho aims to eliminate language barriers. This is a natural step in our journey to becoming the single shopping destination for the next billion users in India. Our teams have worked tirelessly behind the scenes to ensure that the platform is 100 per cent accurate and relevant in all these 8 vernacular languages.”

  • Star elevates Krishnan Kutty to EVP and head of Tamil, Malayalam & Marathi biz for TV & OTT

    Star elevates Krishnan Kutty to EVP and head of Tamil, Malayalam & Marathi biz for TV & OTT

    Mumbai: Krishnan Kutty is named as executive vice president and head of Tamil, Malayalam and Marathi (TV and OTT) at Star and Disney India. He was previously the business head for Star Vijay.

    Kutty is an experienced media professional who has been in the industry for 22 years out of which 16 years were spent with Star TV Network. He previously had stints with Mindshare, NDTV and Hutch before joining Star in 2005 as vice president – research and on air. While he was heading Star India’s Tamil language business, he was responsible for growing market share by four times and revenues by three times in four years.  

    He completed his graduation from Narsee Monjee Institute of Management Studies (NMIMS) and his MBA in marketing from Indian School of Business.  

  • This Diwali, Shemaroo MarathiBana to telecast ‘Baahubali’ in Marathi

    This Diwali, Shemaroo MarathiBana to telecast ‘Baahubali’ in Marathi

    Mumbai: Marathi movie TV channel Shemaroo MarathiBana is all set to bring the Marathi version of the action epic franchise “Baahubali”  for its viewers this Diwali. This festive special release will be aired on 4 November.

    Noted Marathi film and theatre personalities including Dr Amol Kolhe, Pravin Tarde, Sonalee Kulkarni, Gashmeer Mahajani, Uday Sabnis, Sanskruti Balgude, and other artists have lent their voices to the eponymous characters. Even the songs of the movie have been re-created in Marathi by music director, Kaushal Inamdar. The songs have been translated to Marathi by writer and lyricist Vaibhav Joshi, Milind Joshi & Asmita Pandey.

    “We have constantly strived to add value to our consumers and partners by setting new benchmarks in the industry by bringing exciting content to our audiences,” stated Shemaroo Entertainment COO- broadcasting business Sandeep Gupta. “Taking the scale higher, we will be adding more thrilling content to the list which is going to be a delight for both our audiences and advertisers alike.”

    The “Baahubali” films blurred the line between Bollywood and regional cinema and the Marathi version of the films will be another leap in the film’s journey in the hearts of fans.

  • Amazon India expands language support ahead of festive season

    Amazon India expands language support ahead of festive season

    Mumbai: Ahead of the festive season, Amazon India on Monday announced that customers can now access the shopping portal in Marathi and Bengali in addition to the six previously available languages – Hindi, English, Kannada, Malayalam, Tamil, and Telugu.

    In the coming weeks, Amazon will expand its regional language offering further with the launch of the voice shopping experience in Hindi. These launches break the language barrier and make e-commerce more accessible and convenient for millions of customers across India, said the brand in a statement.

    In 2021, more than five million customers shopped on Amazon in the Indian language and customers using voice shopping in English grew two times YoY, it added.

    Amazon customers can select their preferred language across Android and iOS apps, mobile and desktop sites.  Once selected, the language preference will be recorded and remembered for future visits.

    The upcoming launch of the voice shopping experience in Hindi follows the launch of voice shopping in English in 2020. With this customers will be able to use their voice in Hindi to search for products or check their order status after updating their Amazon app. The voice offering will be available only for Android devices, said the statement.

    “Every month, tens of millions of customers visit Amazon India in regional languages and 90 per cent of the customers are from tier-2 and below cities. Our aim with regional language shopping experience is to make e-commerce accessible, relevant, and convenient for customers,” said Amazon India director of customer experience and marketing Kishore Thota.

  • SonyLIV launches PlayAlong in Hindi, Marathi, Telugu formats

    SonyLIV launches PlayAlong in Hindi, Marathi, Telugu formats

    Mumbai: SonyLIV has launched its second screen initiative – ‘PlayAlong’ in Hindi, Marathi, and Telugu formats for the new seasons of “Kaun Banega Crorepati” (KBC), “Kon Honaar Crorepati” (KHC) and “Evaru Meelo Koteeswarulu” (EMK) airing on Sony Entertainment Television, Sony Marathi and, Gemini TV respectively.

    PlayAlong gives viewers the opportunity to win prizes worth lakhs by answering questions fielded by Amitabh Bachchan, Sachin Khedekar, and NTR in their respective shows. Users need to download and register on SonyLIV to participate in PlayAlong, said the platform in a statement.

    “Capturing a diverse set of audience KBC, KHC and EMK have been the most preferred gaming reality shows,” said Sony Pictures Networks India, business operations – digital business, Amogh Dusad. “Not only do the viewers get a chance to be on the hot seat, but they also stand to win a multitude of cash gratifications every day including a chance to become lakhpati.”

  • Flipkart strengthens vernacular language offerings, app now available in Marathi

    Flipkart strengthens vernacular language offerings, app now available in Marathi

    NEW DELHI: Flipkart has further strengthened its vernacular language offerings with the introduction of Marathi, the third most widely spoken language in India. With this, the Flipkart app is now accessible in six major languages including English, Hindi, Marathi, Tamil, Telugu and Kannada for Indian consumers.

    The e-tailer has utilised a mix of translation and transliteration of over 5.4 million words to offer a personal and colloquial e-commerce experience for millions of Flipkart users. Built on Flipkart’s ‘Localisation and Translation Platform’, customers can now enjoy an easy end-to-end e-commerce experience in Marathi.

    The expansion of the platform’s vernacular capabilities is in line with Flipkart’s continuing innovations to address the pain points of Indian consumers who are transitioning to e-commerce, reducing the access barriers to e-commerce for millions of native language speakers.

    According to industry reports, Indian-language internet users are expected to account for nearly 75 per cent of India’s internet user base by the end of 2021, and over 50 per cent of all Flipkart users come from tier-2 and tier-3 cities, necessitating the need for an expanded regional language offering.

    Flipkart chief product and technology officer Jeyandran Venugopal said, “As part of our continuing efforts to innovate and bring e-commerce closer to customers in Bharat, we have significantly expanded our vernacular language universe over the past two years. The addition of Marathi on the platform as one of the six language offerings reflects our commitment towards making e-commerce more inclusive and will play a crucial role in removing language barriers. These developments are a part of our continued efforts towards further expanding the vernacular language universe on Flipkart, thereby making e-commerce more accessible and convenient for millions of consumers a across the country and will be key to democratising e-commerce in India.”

    Flipkart has launched numerous initiatives under its three pillars of video, voice and vernacular. Since 2019, 95 per cent of users who opted to interact with the platform in a regional language have continued to use it, serving as a testament to the acceptability of regional languages on the digital platform.

  • Wife wishes for ‘upgraded’ husband in MX Player’s exclusive Marathi series

    Wife wishes for ‘upgraded’ husband in MX Player’s exclusive Marathi series

    NEW DELHIA: MX Player is now streaming yet another exclusive Marathi web series titled Baykola Hava Tari Kay (What a Wife Wants). The comedy web series includes actors like Shreya Budge, Aniket Vishwasrao, Nikhil Ratnaparkhi, and others. The series is an MX Exclusive and Mirchi Play original.

    This six part series is directed by Priyadarshan Jadhav and produced by Dakhkhan Studio.

     The core theme of the show is that every wife feels that God hasn't blessed her husband with the best qualities. She finds these features in various other men around her. They want their husband to be the best and in this quest a lot of unplanned things happen, which forms a part of the storyline. 

    Shreya, an ordinary wife of an ordinary man, manages to please Lord Krishna (played by Nikhil Ratnaparkhi) with her devotion and in exchange asks the Lord to bless her husband (played by Aniket Vishwasrao) with the best of features. Krishna agrees to upgrade her husband to a version that she finds is best for her. Shreya asks Lord Krishna to upgrade her husband multiple times after experiencing the personal life that comes with each of them. Fed up with Shreyaʼs non-stop demands, Lord is left wondering – what does the wife want? 

    It is expected to be an entertaining package for the audiences and is available for free viewing.  

    MX Player is creating a strong library of shows including Ashram 1&2, High, Dangerous, Behad ka Baaghi, Bhaukaal, Rakhtanchal, and many others. The OTT platform is getting good traction from viewers and has witnessed a massive increase in time spent and visits.