ITV

Tag: Prathyusha Agarwal

  • Sara Ali Khan shines in Shopsy’s latest value shopper campaign

    Sara Ali Khan shines in Shopsy’s latest value shopper campaign

    Mumbai: Shopsy hyper-value platform, launched its latest campaign ‘Apna Swag, Bina Brand Tag’ starring brand ambassador Sara Ali Khan. The campaign centres around the value-conscious Bharat consumers’ tendency to stretch their rupee to get the best product quality and style in their budget. The campaign challenges the perception that lower prices equate to lower quality. With this ad film, Shopsy positions itself as the ultimate destination that can provide good quality for a much lesser price, as customers do not have to pay for mark-ups.

    Over the past few days, a video clip of  Sara Ali Khan’s outfit spilling on an airplane took social media by storm. It sparked a conversation on the expensive-looking outfit and possible damages. Netizens anticipated an angry reaction from Sara but in a surprising plot twist after 48 hours, Sara remained effortlessly cool and revealed that her outfit was actually from Shopsy and unbranded! – bringing alive the fact that stylish, good-quality outfits needn’t always be expensive.

     

     

    Shopsy’s recent campaign challenges the perception that quality and high price go hand in hand. It resonates with the value-conscious Bharat consumers’ tendency to stretch their rupee to get the best product quality and style, well within their budget rather than paying extra mark-ups for high quality. With this ad film, Shopsy positions itself as the ultimate destination that can provide good quality for a much lesser price, as customers do not have to pay for unnecessary mark-ups.

    Commenting on the campaign, Shopsy business head Prathyusha Agarwal said, “ As one of the country’s fastest-growing hypervalue platforms, at Shopsy we provide a unique opportunity to millions of Bharat e-shoppers to bridge the gap between their dreams and means.

    The campaign ‘Apna Swag, Bina Brand Tag’ featuring Sara Ali Khan is crafted with a deep understanding of the customers’ needs that prioritizes affordability, quality, and trends. At Shopsy, we aim to bring the best quality at affordable prices. With the increasing popularity of online shopping in smaller cities, Shopsy is dedicated to improving accessibility and delivering unmatched value to Bharat.”

    Expressing her excitement for the new campaign, Sara Ali Khan, said, “Being part of Shopsy’s campaigns is always a blast—they’re so fun and relatable! As someone who loves a good deal, Shopsy really hits home for me. This time around, it’s even more special because I got to be myself. It’s exciting to partner with a brand that exemplifies the perfect combination of quality and affordability. This campaign celebrates smart, value-conscious choices, and I’m sure customers will enjoy it as much as I enjoyed working on it.”

    Deep Rooted Customer Understanding

    Shopsy’s ‘Apna Swag, Bina Brand Tag’ campaign appeals to price-sensitive consumers seeking affordable and trendy products on a budget. During consumer research, a notable insight emerged: consumers perceive expensive products as high quality. Shopsy approached this by showcasing how consumers can get good quality products for a much lesser price with the cooperation of sellers or partners on the platform who provide the prices for all products. This strategy not only caters to the demands of value-conscious buyers but also establishes a precedent in the market, demonstrating that excellence and affordability can co-exist.

    Nearly 70 per cent of Shopsy’s customers are from Tier 2 and Tier 3 cities such as Bhagalpur, Bankura, Kurnool, Nagaon, and Dhule, and 90 per cent of new customers are millennials and Gen Z. In 2024, Shopsy’s highest orders came from UP, West Bengal, Maharashtra, and Bihar, with over 60 per cent of customers from tier-3+ cities. These consumers prioritize value for money, plan purchases around special occasions or sales, and seek trendy, affordable options for the whole family.

    Developed by the creative agency 22 Feet, the campaign features an ad film set on an aircraft where an air hostess accidentally spills a drink on Sara Ali Khan’s outfit, surprising passengers. Assuming her stylish attire is expensive, the airplane staff humorously offer their life savings and more. The ad takes a surprising turn when Sara reveals her stylish outfit is from Shopsy and is unbranded, highlighting its high quality and affordability without extra mark-ups.

    Brand ambassador Sara Ali Khan’s authentic portrayal in the ad film connects deeply with the audience and aligns perfectly with Shopsy’s mission to bring the best quality at an affordable price for Bharat.

    The 360-degree campaign is set to launch across TV, print, social media, and digital platforms, aiming to bolster Shopsy’s brand presence and engagement. The complete TVC can be viewed.

  • Prathyusha Agarwal calls it a day at Byju’s

    Prathyusha Agarwal calls it a day at Byju’s

    Mumbai: As per media reports, Prathyusha Agarwal has quit as Byju’s chief business officer. She, along with two other senior executives, have put in their papers at the edtech company.

    Agarwal joined Byju’s as chief business officer in March 2022 – her role was to lead its Early Learn Business Vertical.

    Before coming to Byju’s, she was at ZEE, where she was chief consumer and data officer and was responsible for leading business transformation initiatives across TV and OTT verticals.

    In July, news was in that Rajnish Kumar and TV Mohandas Pai will be joining Byju’s newly established Advisory Council. Word was also around that UpGrad CEO Arjun Mohan has been roped in to handle the international business.

  • Byju’s names Prathyusha Agarwal as India CBO – Early Learn

    Byju’s names Prathyusha Agarwal as India CBO – Early Learn

    Mumbai: Ed-tech major Byju’s has announced the appointment of Prathyusha Agarwal as chief business officer to lead the Early Learn Business vertical.

    In this role, Agarwal will focus on charting the Early Learn portfolio strategy, define, design and deliver the holistic learning consumer offering and drive top-line growth for the business vertical. Early Learn aims to offer personalised and interactive learning programs across digital, physical and live classes for kids aged between four–eight years.  

    On the leadership appointment, Byju’s chief operating officer Mrinal Mohit said, “We are delighted to have Prathyusha onboard with us to lead the Early Learn Business at Byju’s. She has worked with notable brands for over 20 years and holds a wide experience across businesses and sectors. We look forward to working with her to strengthen our business further as well as support her to achieve her vision for Byju’s.”

    Byju’s aims to grow the early learn category to become the market leader in coming years, stated the ed-tech major. Through partnerships and acquisitions such as Osmo, Epic, and WhiteHat Jr, among others, the brand’s early learn category offerings have expanded to include ‘phygital’ learning – a seamless blend of online and offline, collaborative learning, digital reading, gamified approaches to lessons, etc to further accelerate and transform learning for young learners.

    Agarwal’s appointment comes at a time when the firm is gearing up to take these multiple offerings as a holistic learning proposition for Early Learners in the fast-growing Indian market.
    Sharing her thoughts, Prathyusha Agarwal said, “Early Learning is the most formative experience with potential to shape us into learners for life equipped to take on the ever-transforming world. I am super excited to be joining Byju’s and working with the team who are passionate about creating an equal learning ecosystem in the country. Within a short period, Byju’s has revolutionised the education landscape in India and I look forward to furthering the vision of putting early learners at the core of this journey.”

    Before joining Byju’s, Agarwal was the chief consumer and data officer at Zee, where she led the business transformation initiatives and the brand growth mandate across TV and OTT verticals. In her 21+ year career, she has launched Tata’s e-commerce venture TataCLiQ as the head of marketing, worked with HDFC Life as the VP, marketing and analytics and led brand strategy for the Star TV network. She was also the founder director of ‘All OK Tech Support’, worked with Market Gate Consulting and honed marketing skills at HUL in different sales and marketing roles. She is a post-graduate from IIM Ahmedabad, with her graduation in electrical engineering from IIT Madras.

  • Broadcasters beat Covid2019 blues with new channel launches

    Broadcasters beat Covid2019 blues with new channel launches

    MUMBAI: The Covid2019 pandemic was an unforeseen catastrophe for the broadcast industry. With the months-long lockdown, ad revenues troughed, and as content dried up, viewers started migrating en-masse to the greener pastures offered by OTT platforms. But thumbing their collective noses at these setbacks, the broadcasters are seeing the virtue in launching new channels. Television is now starting to mirror the online content space and deliver to the evolved consumer needs around content.

    Even during the lockdown, people turned to television as a means to keep themselves engaged and entertained, with BARC reporting a 43 per cent increase in India's TV viewership during the lockdown compared to the pre-Covid2019 period. Recent BARC data suggests a 17 per cent increase in India’s TV viewership compared to pre-Covid2019 period (week 38 vs weeks 2-4 ’20). The rise in TV consumption signifies the viewers’ appetite for content – and clearly, the time is ripe to green-flag new channels catering to different tastes and smaller sub-segments across geographies.

    ZeeL has debuted two new channels, lifestyle channel Zee Zest and Marathi music channel Zee Vajwa. Enterr10 Television Network has expanded its footprint in south India with Dangal Kannada, close on the heels of its Bhojpuri offering, Enterr10 Rangeela . Star Vijay, owned by Disney-Star, has come out with Tamil music channel Vijay Music. In10 Media Network has recently ventured into the kids’ entertainment space on Children’s Day with a new premium Hindi channel, Gubbare — Masti Ke Phuwarre. On 1 May 2020, Shemaroo Entertainment Media Network launched Hindi GEC Shemaroo TV.

     ZeeL chief consumer officer Prathyusha Agarwal said, “With Zee Vajwa, we promise to provide our audiences with a platform to enjoy some great music deep-rooted in our rich culture. We also identified a need gap in the lifestyle genre to serve a holistic entertainment experience to the focused Sec A target audience. These viewers seek experiences from around the world but from the comfort of their own homes. That’s where Zee Zest seamlessly comes in, with diverse lifestyle content themes such as wellness, travel, lifestyle, food, home improvement, and culture.”

    Media experts highlighted that these are part of long-term plans to strengthen a network’s overall portfolio and expand into new segments. With viewers confined to their homes, it’s the best time to launch new channels. Broadcasters now have more time on hand to try out new content.

    In10 Media Network MD Aditya Pittie shared that the network is focused on building scalable businesses and strategically expanding its footprint in the industry. He added, “In our country, television continues to be a primary viewing platform for kids’ entertainment among most households.”

    Shemaroo Entertainment Ltd CEO Hiren Gada mentioned that the network is always keen to experiment and set milestones in the media and entertainment space. With this industry-first initiative allowing viewers to tune into Shemaroo TV live on Facebook, Gada hopes to reach out to a new and wide set of audience and offer content that they would like to watch and enjoy in their free time.

    Carat media director Grashima Sahni pointed out that broadcasters are bringing in an element of personalisation into the television space and hence, discouraging migration to other avenues and sources. “The vernacular flavour in this expansion is a crucial ingredient too. Zee Vajwa, Dangal Kannada, Enterr 10 Rangeela, Vijay Music are all offerings in local languages of each region, appealing to the “local-masses” or “micro-masses” of each region. With this step, broadcasters are also building immunity for themselves to the challenges of NTO by TRAI. A customised appeal will make sure that the channel remains a part of the selected channel basket by its viewers,” Sahni explained.

    She further highlighted that these channels are a stepping stone for broadcasters to work towards a TV+online content ecosystem. The success of Hotstar has reflected a clear learning that the primary audiences of the content on the channel can and will remain within the ecosystem given their needs are met. When the unstoppable migration from TV to the online screen does happen – due to time flexibility needs or choices (cross-selling the content with a bigger online library) – the audience can be successfully made to migrate internally if the TV hook is present in that household.

    With NTO also setting in and consumers able to pay per channel than a group offering, channel choice mix will be an intricate balance of content on TV & digital.

    Agarwal stated that all of ZeeL’s new launches have not only established themselves strongly in their respective markets but have also aided market growth. Zee Punjabi captured a third of the viewership pie in the first four weeks of its launch, and consumption of Punjabi language content grew by 23 per cent compared to the one per cent growth in total TV viewership in Punjab/Chandigarh. Even during the lockdown, Zee Punjabi capitalised on the surge in demand for content as viewership grew by nearly 60 per cent (BARC data: weeks 12-15). The network’s new movie channels – Zee Biskope, Zee Picchar & Zee Thirai – have also aided growth by capturing significant share in the movie genre, which rose by 28-29 per cent in a growing TV pie. (BARC data: weeks 12-15).

    The launch of a new channel provides brands an opportunity to create competitive advantage as they reach sharper audience cohorts that are culturally connected. “For instance, Zee Vajwa, a category first, will allow advertisers to reach to a new audience cohort and hence offers a new opportunity for brand outreach. Zee Zest will use a dual strategy to reach consumers across TV and digital platforms, further making it an attractive proposition for advertisers. The advantage with the launch of a new lifestyle genre/ destination channel is that it opens doors to various new brands to associate with the channel. Therefore, it’s a clear driver of mutual growth,” elaborated Agarwal.

    Multiple projections suggest a recovered economy by mid-2021. Demand is a critical aspect of this recovery and advertising plays a crucial role in this demand generation. BARC has already reported TV ad volumes to be at a five year high. Sahni remarked that with festive season and big-ticket properties, the sentiment is relatively positive and reflects that the business is working hard to gain back its shares or capture newer opportunities in the market due to a refresh and reshuffling in buying cycles.

    She added that the dip in advertising by some mature categories will be neutralised, if not positively overcome, by increased spending from relatively newer and now bullish categories like ed-tech, pharma-tech, etc.

    Agarwal noted that the steady revival in the economy and increase in consumer spending is sparking demand and brands are being both conscious and cautious about the right ROI for the money they are spending. Agarwal shared that the network works very closely with all its  partners across the value chain to help deliver a holistic solution to influence their business KPIs and not just address their communication objectives. She concluded, “We will continue to focus on consumer centricity to drive mutual business growth, that will continue to garner leadership and currency for us.”

    In contrast, Sahni was of the view that each channel is in a unique position of its own, in context to market standing, core audience profile, and competition. While some channels are expanding and increasing footprint in regional space, or even niche genres (Zee Zest); others like HBO and WB are soon going off-air and online only to manage increased pressures from digital content sources in their core territory of English speaking and digitally adoptive audiences.

    However, the road to recovery remains a long and winding path, and the question that arises is: will the broadcasters reach a breakeven point where they are able to maximise profit?

    Sahni opined, “With newer channels and hence, wider owned original content by broadcasters, we foresee long term content solutions becoming an important element in the revenue stream. What the broadcasters will need to do is push their limits on creativity, flexibility and timelines. Future thinking brands have already moved towards creating a larger impact and solutions beyond reach & frequency planning, which will benefit the content owners in the coming years.”

  • 7 in 10 Indian movie buffs enjoy dubbed Hollywood films: Study

    7 in 10 Indian movie buffs enjoy dubbed Hollywood films: Study

    NEW DELHI: 70 per cent of Bollywood and regional movie fans enjoy watching dubbed versions of Hollywood films, a study by &flix and Nielsen has revealed. However, these viewers also face the problem of having limited options of movies in their preferred language. 

    The study titled ‘Hollywood is for everyone' interviewed 1500+ movie lovers in metro and non-metro cities and analysed consumer preferences, attitudes and behaviours, giving an insight into the lifestyles and mindsets of movie buffs in India. The findings reveal how Hollywood blockbusters and heroes act as a gateway for viewers to unlock unlimited possibilities.

    The study further revealed that nine in ten movie lovers watch both English and Hindi/regional movies. When it comes to entertainment quotient, 91 per cent viewers prefer Hollywood flicks, because they have better power-packed action sequences and special effects.

    An interesting fact that came to light is movie lovers stating that television is their preferred choice to experience Hollywood. 88 per cent respondents claimed that Hollywood VFX and superhero stunts are better enjoyed on TV than smartphones.

    The study highlighted how viewing habits have changed as a result of the pandemic – 82 per cent respondents stated that TV viewing came closest to the big screen experience amid the lockdown. Moreover, 81 per cent of movie lovers found Hollywood films to be a great way for family bonding during these tough times.

    Movie buffs also demand instant gratification. As per the study, eight out of ten respondents expressed displeasure in waiting for months before their favourite Hollywood films are screened on Indian TV channels.

    The study also pointed out key characteristics of Hollywood enthusiasts – they earn 1.5x more than Bollywood/regional movie admirers, have a stronger presence on social media, and are brand-conscious individuals who seek new experiences.  

    ZEEL premium channels business head Kartik Mahadev said, "In the hyper-connected world we live in, Hollywood is closer to our homes and hearts now than ever before. Today, Hollywood movies aren’t just for the English-speaking audiences living in metros as we see movie enthusiasts in Bharat and India with the same level of passion and connectedness to the global fan following. This &flix study delves deeper into the mind of the movie fan and explores their culture that is fully immersed into the movie universe."

    Drawing inspiration from the findings, Zee has recently announced a pan-network property 'Ticket to Hollywood' that brings the latest Hollywood movies in dubbed languages across Zee's leading movie channels.

    Zee chief consumer officer Prathyusha Agarwal said, "At Zee, we have always recognized the diversity of the cultures and people that exist within India. The findings from the &flix consumer study are proof that Hollywood aficionados are spread across the 'many Bharats' today. They seek new experiences and have their finger on the pulse of the latest trends. By offering a 'Ticket to Hollywood' to these passionate fans, we at &flix continue to win in the many Bharats that coexist."

  • Zee launches ‘Ticket To Hollywood’ in 10 languages

    Zee launches ‘Ticket To Hollywood’ in 10 languages

    MUMBAI: Zee has lined up a slew of Hollywood blockbusters to thrill viewers during this festive season. Catering to the evolving Hollywood fan base in India, ‘Ticket to Hollywood’ will showcase the latest international hits on Zee’s English movie channel &flix with a simultaneous telecast of the dubbed versions on its regional language channels.  

    Starting with the ultimate action hero Vin Diesel-starrer, Bloodshot, the simulcast with &flix will be seen across &PrivéHD, Zee Café, &Pictures, Zee Thirai, Zee Cinemalu, Zee Punjabi, Zee Biskope, Zee Talkies, Zee Picchar, Zee Sarthak and Zee Bangla Cinema. This will be followed by simulcast of other recent superhits like Spider Man Far From Home, Jumanji-The Next Level, Bad Boys For Life, Charlie’s Angels (2019), among others.

    Zee chief consumer officer Prathyusha Agarwal said, “With Ticket To Hollywood, we aim to unlock the true potential of Hollywood in India whose fandom cuts across demographics and regions. &flix’s multi-language block ‘Flix For All’, delivered a 41 per cent jump as viewers aspired for a premium movie experience in their native language, further fuelling the need to curate a property that offers the best of Hollywood experiences in a language of the consumers’ choice.”

    Zee west, north & premium channels cluster head Amit Shah said, “When it comes to Hollywood, viewers’ affinity for English movies has grown considerably over the years. Consumption of Hollywood movies on TV is on the rise and the genre continues to operate at 40 per cent higher viewership compared to pre-lockdown unearthing countless passionate fans for the latest Hollywood titles in their native language. With Ticket To Hollywood, we have an opportunity to deepen our engagement with a broader pool of Hollywood buffs across the nation, offering the latest blockbusters via a multi-channel and multi-lingual brand."

    About Bloodshot: Based on the bestselling comic book, Vin Diesel stars as Ray Garrison, a soldier recently killed in action and brought back to life by a team of scientists as the superhero Bloodshot. With an army of nanotechnology in his veins, he’s an unstoppable force, stronger than ever with a special superpower – the ability to resurrect and heal instantly. But in controlling his body, the organization has sway over his mind and memories, too. Now, Ray doesn’t know what’s real and what’s not – but he’s on a mission to find out.

  • Zee Vajwa strives to strike a chord with Marathi music lovers

    Zee Vajwa strives to strike a chord with Marathi music lovers

    NEW DELHI: Unarguably, the leader in the Marathi-language television space, capturing 57 per cent of the viewership share in FY’20, as per BARC  with Zee Marathi, Zee Yuva and Zee Talkies, Zee Network is all set to add another one to that list. This time, it is a music pay TV channel Zee Vajwa which is scheduled to flag off in October.

    Speaking at its virtual launch  Zeel chief consumer officer Prathyusha Agarwal shared that it was a natural decision for the network to build on its existing popularity in the region and launch the channel. 

    She added that Zee Vajwa will be quite different in its offerings. “We have curated more than 3000 playlists suiting every mood. Not just that, the channel, apart from music shows, will also air short-form and long-form content of various kinds.”

    “One of the key differentiators would be experiential music slots with several category firsts which will truly amplify the moment for the audiences. Marathi viewers are  extremely proud of their culture and the channel will celebrate it by giving the youth a platform to voice their opinions and be heard. A category first, Zee Vajwa will also have a non-fiction show in the comedy genre.”

    Overall, in look and feel, the channel has tried to merge in the youthful and historically rooted signages for the channel, creating a mass appeal. It will be dominated by pop culture icons, taken both from the TV and digital world and some classic elements of traditional dance and music will create an additional rustic vibe. The sonic identity of Zee Vajwa is a fresh take on traditional Maharashtrian sounds of duff, sitar, tomtom, etc.

    But is it the right time to launch another pay TV offering when the market sentiment is slow and advertisers are spending very carefully?

    Agarwal stated that the intention of launching the channel is to offer something different to the market, which had a lot of scope. “But I also think that we are seeing positivity in the market and it seems like a huge opportunity for us,” she added. 

    Zeel chief revenue officer Ashish Sehgal exuded confidence that Zee Vajwa will also prove an interesting platform for advertisers  – even in these cash-strapped times. Said  he:  “Our growing viewership and revenue share in Maharashtra is a reflection of our successful journey so far. Our objective has always been to provide holistic surround to our consumer/customer and  in Maharashtra, with Zee Vajwa, we see an opportunity for us to not only strengthen our music cluster but further gain viewership/revenue shares as well. We are excited to dial up the impact for advertisers this festive period.”

     Another challenge that the channel might have to face is the increasing popularity of digital options like apps and streaming platforms. 

    “The Indian market, when it comes to music streaming is still heavily dominated by TV channels. Firstly, when it comes to apps, the experience is more personalized and inward. But when it comes to sharing with the whole family, television will remain the preferred choice. Secondly, on digital platforms, you have to go and search for the kind of music you want to listen to, but with our playlists, we are taking that hassle away.” 

    The channel will soon kickstart a high-decibel marketing campaign across TV, digital, and other platforms, utilising the strength of existing Zee platforms.

  • Zee Café celebrates 20 years of we-time moments

    Zee Café celebrates 20 years of we-time moments

    MUMBAI: A journey of unparalleled entertainment, of togetherness and of shared experiences; it’s been a thrilling 20 years for Zee Café, a name that is synonymous with the best of English entertainment. Zee Café has truly shaped the content choice of entire generations as it discovered unexplored International content for us. Over the years, the channel has featured the latest international content that has inspired, stimulated and entertained us. On its 20 year milestone, the channel invites its audience to hangout with Zee Café and join in the celebrations as it completes 20 years of ‘We-Time’ with its viewers.

    Bringing this emotion alive, Zee Café has launched a special campaign video that glides through time and showcases how the channel has inherently been a part of our lives and has inadvertently shaped us over the years. The visually striking video beautifully depicts this journey through the experiences of girl from an Indian family who grew up watching Zee Café. Through a series of relatable illustrations, the film highlights moments in her life that are inspired by the iconic shows on Zee Café, that have become a signpost of her life stages, similarly playing a part in shaping life and lifestyle for their viewers from around the country.

    Celebrating 20 years of non-stop entertainment, Zee Café strives to share bundles of joy and smiles with some of the best shows that make for an absolute delight to watch together with friends or family. Weekends are no longer a bore with entertainment to keep you hooked all through the day! From compelling dramas that keep you on the edge to light-hearted sitcoms, and from cut-throat battles series to inspiring superhero saga – the line-up has it all!

    Speaking on the milestone, ZEEL Prathyusha Agarwal, chief consumer officer said, “The number 20 truly speaks volumes for the strength of Zee’s English Cluster backed by our loyal partners and an ever-evolving audience base who have consistently supported us in our endeavor. Being one of the pioneers in English entertainment in the country, it brings us immense joy to have impacted people’s lives and shaped the culture over the years with the finest ‘glocal’ content showcased on the channel.”

    She further added, “India is the world’s second largest English-speaking country and as per BARC, English entertainment caters to 170Mn+ viewers (BARC @ All India 2+ U+R, Week 01'20- Week 29' 20). We observed through a video study that short form digital video content consumption in English is growing and there are 60Mn viewers who regularly consume snippets of English content on-the-go. This suggests that English isn’t just a language or a medium of consumption but a means to think and express that’s far more intrinsic with this audience. To our consumers who lead a fast-paced lifestyle and have a global outlook, our compelling programming has served as a window to the world and our 20 years campaign beautifully encapsulates this relationship with our discerning viewers. Today, with the explosion of content and platforms, it has led to a greater and a more central role for television as the medium of discovery for latest international content. There is a need for careful curation of content on television that lends to co-viewing, making TV for a great community experience which could emerge as the big differentiator.”

    ZEEL English Cluster business head Kartik Mahadev said, “As the campaign says, the past 20 years have been incredible, and we can’t wait to spend many more with the Zee Café tribe. As one looks back at the journey, its been marked by a few breakthroughs but equally important are the continuous everyday efforts of curating great content and enhancing the consumer experience. The contribution by several teams over the years and our committed studio partners have been instrumental in shaping the English entertainment landscape in the country. With innovations like Along with the US, Uncut, binge-watch as a format and ‘subtitles’, that we take for a given today, the channel has been able to build an engaged and discerning audience. We have brought the best of Zee Café’s content together to mark the occasion and give our audience the opportunity to binge the best shows. We are excited about the content line up ahead for the year with shows such as The Titan Games Season 2, MasterChef and Grey’s Anatomy in the pipeline.”

    He further added, “The lockdown has showed us that the viewers choose to watch television for the curated content experience it provides, to not just individuals but the entire family. In the post lockdown world, where we are spending most of our time in our homes, it’s the together moments with family and friends that is keeping us positive and spirited. Zee Café is recognizing the role that television plays in bringing people together, sparking conversations and with this campaign we celebrate these occasions through a montage of We-Time moments.”

    With an all new season power-punch packed reality show like The Titan Games and with DC comics led superhero Supergirl slated to air, Zee Café buckles up for an exciting and thrilling rodeo ride ahead this August.

    So, hangout with your friends and family and partake in the celebrations as Zee Café celebrates 20 Years of We-Time

  • ZEEL partners with leading CPG brands for campaign #BanegiBaatSaathSaath

    ZEEL partners with leading CPG brands for campaign #BanegiBaatSaathSaath

    MUMBAI: Celebrating the spirit of solidarity and the joy of being back, Zee Entertainment Enterprises Ltd (ZEEL) has announced its content comeback via an innovative partnership with leading CPG brands. ZEEL collaborated with leading brands – Nestle Maggi, Amul Lassi, PepsiCo, Red Label, Cadbury Dairy Milk, ITC Dark Fantasy to gear up the nation for the 13 July, the date of its daily content comeback on Zee TV. Four other HSM channels, & TV (HGEC), Zee Marathi, Zee Yuva (MGEC) and Zee Punjabi (PGEC) are also making their daily content comeback on the same day.

    With a massive outdoor teaser campaign, people took to social media channels wondering what the #13thkitTaiyyari was about. The banter between the brands on Twitter left people even more curious on why they should be stocking up for 13 July with many more brands and companies jumping into the fray building up the excitement for the D-Day. ZEEL has again brought together some of India’s most-loved brands in an extraordinary partnership celebrating the coming together of viewers, partners and fresh episodes with the promise, #BanegiBaatSaathSaath.

    The #BanegiBaatSaathSaath promise has been rolled out across media and to all of ZEEL’s partners along with a film, which is an ode to the entire TV industry coming together to entertain its viewers. ZEEL strongly believes that the challenges we all faced in the first half of 2020 are just like a twist in the tale before the interval and when we all rally together we can achieve the impossible and create an extraordinary second half. 

    ZEEL chief consumer officer Prathyusha Agarwal said, “With the resumption of production, we are excited to bring fresh content for our consumers. The last three months have caused a significant stir amongst the mood of the nation. People are increasingly investing time in entertainment to cope with the uncertainty prevailing around. TV has been the greatest common unifier and respite in this lockdown and as content creators, we acknowledge that it is a huge responsibility we carry. For us, understanding the pulse of our consumers and customers and delivering delight is an obsession, which is what we are attempting to do both with this campaign and in crafting all our stories for the second half 2020. The stories we bring will aim to uplift the mood of the nation and provide our viewers respite through all that they are going through. Zee has and will always stand by its viewers and all its partners and is looking forward to holding hands and turning on the light at the end of this tunnel and are confident that we will once again provide valuable experiences to our partners and viewers.”

    ZEEL chief growth officer advertisement revenue Ashish Sehgal said, “With the resurgence of fresh dose of content, we would like to celebrate the spirit of camaraderie with all our stakeholders – cherished viewers and advertisers – to brighten and cheer up with engaging content. Brands will once again have the opportunity to resonate and pave their way into the minds of their consumers in this new environment. At ZEEL, we have not only seamlessly weaved stories for brands with relevant influencers and have been at the forefront in creating an integrated platform-agnostic solution for our advertisers/brands but ensured that they are part of our communication as well. This has led us to partner with our brands in unique ways and create value for them and #13kitaiyyari is another testimony to the power of partnerships, more importantly, brand partners are an integral part of the communication when we are reconnecting with our consumer.” 

    The philosophy of Banegi Baat Saath Saath brought together viewers and partners in a one-of-a-kind initiative where we partnered with six leading brands and asked consumers to stock up and do #13thkiTaiyyari. In partnership with Publicis Worldwide India, the #13thkitaiyyari campaign panned out in two phases. The first phase created intrigue when six leading CPG brands asked people to stock up via billboards in Mumbai and Delhi that led to a high buzz on-ground as well as piqued curiosity on digital as everyone took to social media to figure what 13 July was about. It was later revealed that the brands had partnered with ZEEL asking consumers to stock up as they would serve as a perfect accompaniment to families watching all their favourite shows resuming on ZEEL channels.

    Lowe Lintas CCO Sagar Kapoor said, “We want to reinforce the power of unity and remind everyone that if we come together we can conquer any barrier. The film made for Banegi Baat Saath Saath is a tribute to the industry’s resilience and its commitment to entertain the vast audience it caters to. The message we want to reverberate is that of hope in sight and encourages everyone to rally together to craft a better second half as we come back from the very short interval!”

    Publicis Worldwide India managing director Srija Chatterjee added, “While we were preparing for the big come back Zee TV campaign, we had this germ of an idea, it was all about bringing multiple brands together to co-create cheer and tremendous excitement, as we know that our dear Zee TV viewers are indeed eagerly waiting for their favourite shows to come back with fresh episodes. We developed #13thKiTayyari and this was a testament of true collaboration between the ZEEL team who got in touch with the brands and the Publicis team who delivered this campaign from start to finish in a matter of just three days. This is probably the first time that so many brands were coming together in one campaign.”

    Laqshya Media CEO Atul Shrivastava said, “We are thrilled to partner with ZEEL for their comeback announcement. The power of the outdoor medium with the might of the partner brands and the ZEEL network created a tremendous buzz on-ground around the campaign. The message of solidarity from ZEEL resonates with the partners and viewers alike and we look forward to more fruitful associations through the coming half of the year.”

    A lot of the storylines will come back to induce a sense of positivity and bring back strong heroes that people turn to for companionship. A collective force of 5000+ people have come together to bring 100+ fresh stories, every day in 11 languages, which take inspiration from the consumer sentiment and echo their anticipations.

    While channels like Zee Bangla, Zee Kannada, Zee Sarthak, Zee Keralam, Zee Telugu have already started and are entertaining viewers in regional markets delivering around 100+ hours of content per week, the four HSM channels – Zee TV, &TV, Zee Marathi and Zee Punjabi go live on 13 July. With a strong understanding of the entertainment preferences of the consumer and keeping their evolving needs at the fore, the channels are returning with a diverse mix of content which caters to the entire family.

  • ZEEL lauds DPOs, urges online payment mechanisms via multilingual campaigns

    ZEEL lauds DPOs, urges online payment mechanisms via multilingual campaigns

    MUMBAI: In these difficult times caused by the Covid2019 pandemic, entertainment and information keep floating into our television sets despite the shelter-in-place mandate. Although the TV viewership growth slowed down in the sixth week of the Covid2019 disruption, it is evident that audiences across India are consuming more content than during the pre-crisis period. While the spike has been attributed to various factors, the “real heroes” who are ensuring the flow of content have been undervalued: the distribution platform operators (DPOs).

    A few days back, the ministry of information and broadcasting (MIB) also urged Direct-to-home (DTH) operators, multi-system operators (MSOs) and local cable operators (LCOs) in a letter to continue to provide uninterrupted services to their subscribers and cooperate with other players within the distribution chain. Despite health risks, the DPOs have kept working on ground. 

    How ZEEL honours distribution partners through multilingual campaign

    Zee Entertainment Enterprises Ltd (ZEEL) has come forward to pat its distributors on their backs. The network has rolled out two digital campaigns commending cable and DTH operators. One of the promos features Bollywood Badshah Shah Rukh Khan watching TV in a hall, superimposed with his own voiceover which thanks the ”superheroes” on account of whom Indian audiences are able to watch the superheroes of the screen in the comfort of their homes even as the pandemic is wreaking havoc. For the second short film, ZEEL’’s top TV stars were roped in and they are seen thanking and clapping for the entire workforce employed with LCOs, MSOs and DTH platforms for the effort they are putting into ensuring that viewers at home stay connected, informed and entertained.

    Ideation of the campaign

    ZEEL chief consumer officer Prathyusha Agarwal has said that their creative partner Lowe Lintas worked very closely with their teams on the concept and the execution of the applause film. The ubiquitous mobile phone was innovatively deployed as actors across channels of the network came together to create this extraordinary salute. Moreover, several solutions were deployed to ensure that the post-production work could be done seamlessly. She also noted that the entire concept to production was completed in record time and the major investment was all the people coming together and pouring their heart and soul into creating the film.

    “In line with the rising trend of movie-watching, as part of this campaign we also used the concept of creating a parallel between superheroes and the true super heroes of this lockdown – our distribution partners. This was entirely a movie footage-based film made across languages executed by the teams at ZEEL. In the true spirit of being ‘Extraordinary Together’ we at ZEEL have viewed this adversity as an opportunity to innovate creatively and come up with methods of executing communication even while most stakeholders have been at home,” she added.

    Agarwal says that consumers have been confined to their homes, making TV entertainment an ‘essential service’ infusing positivity and uplifting the mood of the nation. She added that ZEEL wholeheartedly applauds the undaunted efforts of distribution partners across the country through this multilingual campaign.  “As the entire ecosystem is fast moving towards digitization and lower contact, we see this contextualized campaign in each genre and region as a strong trigger for the long due behaviour change towards prompt and proactive online subscription payments,” she added.

    How ZEEL is working closely with DPOs; encouraging online payment mechanisms

    ZEEL chief revenue officer and affiliate sales Atul Das expressed his faith in the long and valuable partnerships with all of the distribution partners making them ‘Extraordinary Together’. According to him, it is this extraordinary partnership that has been instrumental in ensuring that the consumers have been able to enjoy uninterrupted entertainment.  He also added that ZEE recognizes and deeply appreciates the challenges that the distribution partner fraternity has faced as a result of the Covid-19 lockdowns.

    “We had observed that in the changed environment, our distribution partners had been keen to promote contactless payments and online recharge.  We have taken a step further to extend our unflinching support by promoting the online recharge option through our vast network of national  and regional channels with an intention to communicate with them in their local languages. Through this campaign, we also expressed our heartfelt thanks to each of our DPOs, and would like to assure them of our continued support and are committed to work closely with them in the days to come,” he added.

    He stated that ZEEL supports the digitisation endeavours of its partners by encouraging consumers to move towards online payment mechanisms. According to him, the campaign is their effort of extending partnership to help distribution associates by ensuring that the message quickly reaches billions of consumers. This in turn allows DPOs to continue to provide their services seamlessly to consumers, he added.

    How the DPOs respond to ZEEL’s online recharge campaign

    Tata Sky MD and CEO Harit Nagpal: “ZEEL was amongst the first to respond to remind customers to recharge in time, during the lockdown, so that they can remain connected to the world outside their homes.  We are happy that ZEEL partnered with us and other DPOs to come out with a consumer campaign to acknowledge the contribution of DTH partners, and also to encourage consumers to make online payments through the Tata Sky app & website.”

    IndusInd Media & Communications Ltd. (IN Digital & NXT) CEO

    Vynsley Fernandes: “Encouraging consumers to make monthly subscription payments in a contactless manner via online mechanisms has now emerged as a priority for our industry. ZEEL’s online recharge campaign is a reflection of a true partnership approach that comes in at a time when the whole of the industry is adjusting to new ways of collecting subscription payments online. We really appreciate ZEEL’s support to promote this campaign through their network channels at this critical hour.”

    Digiana Projects Pvt. Ltd chairman and managing director Sukhdev Singh Ghumman:

    “We as partners are fully committed to ensure that consumers get uninterrupted access to all content. Through the online recharge campaign, ZEEL has made a pioneering effort in spreading the message to consumers on how to keep the entertainment going while staying in the safety of their homes. We have also played the promos on our local channels to promote the campaign. We thank ZEEL for their wonderful initiative.”

    Asianet Digital Network Pvt. Ltd. president and CCO Shankar Narayan:

    “Online payment mechanisms have emerged as a new normal not just in metros but in regional markets as well. ZEEL with its strong regional presence has truly been very supportive with the multilingual and culturally relevant online recharge campaign for our market. We really appreciate the support that the Zee Network has extended towards making this initiative into a full fledged national campaign.”

    Along with these leading players, several other distribution partners from across the country including Haldwani Digital, Darsh Digital Patna, Cable Combine Communications Siliguri, Skynet Allahabad, KCBPL, Kolkata and many others have  expressed their deep appreciation for ZEEL’s online recharge campaign that is now on-air across the network channels.