ITV

Tag: Zee Anmol

  • BARC week 3: Zee Anmol drops to No. 4; Sony out, DD National in

    BARC week 3: Zee Anmol drops to No. 4; Sony out, DD National in

    MUMBAI: Zee Entertainment Enterprises Ltd’s (ZEEL) free-to-air channel Zee Anmol, which received a major fillip with the release of the rural inclusive data from Broadcast Audience Research Council (BARC) India last year, has been slowly climbing down the rungs in the opening weeks of 2016.

     

    After making an entry in the third spot in the maiden all India (urban + rural) data last year, Zee Anmol climbed up the charts, even managing to pip markets leader Star Plus to claim the No. 1 slot last year. With the rise of Colors in the closing weeks of 2015 to the top slot, Zee Anmol continued its hold on the second position.

     

    However, in week 2 of 2016, Star Plus climbed to the second spot, which pushed Zee Anmol to the third rung. And now in week 3, Zee TV has climbed up to the third position, pushing Zee Anmol to the fourth place in the Hindi GECs’ pecking order.

     

    On the other hand, Colors continued to lead the genre though it saw a decline in ratings, while Star Plus maintained its second spot in week 3 of BARC all India data.

     

    The third week of BARC saw DD National re-entering the Top 10 Hindi GECs list, while Sony Entertainment Television made an exit.

     

    Colors grabbed the leadership position with 701098 (‘000s) as against 762023 (‘000s) in the previous week. Following it was Star Plus with 681775 (‘000s) in the second slot.

     

    Zee TV climbed up to the third position with 647201 (‘000s), while Zee Anmol stood at number four with 638381 (‘000s).
     

    Star India’s FTA channel Star Ustav maintained its place in the fifth place with 437498 (‘000s), followed by Life OK in the sixth slot with 427374 (‘000s).
     
    Sony Pal with 394987 (‘000s) and Rishtey with 393743 (‘000s) stood at the seventh and eighth positions respectively.
     

    Sab TV bagged the ninth place in the genre with 361055 (‘000s), while DD National made its presence felt at the tenth position with 329478 (‘000s).

  • ‘Digitization helped us become Maharashtra’s No. 1 channel in reach:’ Bavesh Janavlekar

    ‘Digitization helped us become Maharashtra’s No. 1 channel in reach:’ Bavesh Janavlekar

    MUMBAI: Even as the third phase of Dgiital Addressable System (DAS) is witnessing implementation issues across some states, the completion of Phase I and II has changed the broadcasting landscape to a large extent. One of the first genres to feel the benefits of digitization are the regional channels.

     

    Speaking to Indiantelevision.com about the same, Zee Talkies business head Bavesh Janavlekar says, “Earlier visibility of the channel was an issue in some of the areas but now with digitization, we don’t face that problem. Digitization helped us become the number one movie channel of Maharashtra and Phase III will also contribute considerably towards it.”

     

    In the Marathi regional channels’ genre, Zee Talkies was in second spot in week 2 of Broadcast Audience Research Council (BARC) India data. Speaking about the strategy to stay on top in the pecking order, Janavlekar says, “We ensure that when it comes to our channel, we continue to have high points, which are relevant to our audience. We also make sure that the audience remains engaged with our brand. It’s not only about watching Zee Talkies but also living it. Last year we had a contest in August – September wherein we received approximately 1.3 crore votes with people participating in our month long activity. One doesn’t get these kinds of numbers in Hindi mainline channels and hence the engagement is very important.”

     

    While many free to air channels like Zee Anmol and Star Utsav benefitted with the roll out of BARC’s rural data, Janavlekar says that Zee Talkies’ viewership numbers drastically reduced in the all India data. Before the industry starts trading on the BARC all India data, which will in turn also see a change in advertising rates, the channel has addressed this issue with BARC. “We are in conversation with BARC to deal with the issues that we are facing. Ad rates on the Marathi regional genre have not really gone up,” he says.

     

    Over the last couple of years, multiplexes have contributed immensely in the blossoming of regional cinema, specially Marathi films. While being critically acclaimed, movies have also been money churners at the box office. Some have even won National Awards. What’s more, this year the Marathi movie Court was India’s official entry to the Oscars. In the light of this development, the satellite rights of Marathi films have also seen a rise of approximately 10 – 20 per cent.

     

    “While there has been a rise in satellite rights acquisition price of Marathi films, there have been only a few examples of movies crossing a certain threshold. But undoubtedly the movies are doing well and an increase in box office collections, is good news for us,” informs Janavlekar.

     

    Explaining the dynamics of acquisition costs, he says that while the acquisition price of South Indian movies would be almost similar to Hindi movies, Marathi consumption was very exclusive. “There is a very minuscule population that watches only Marathi movies and 90 per cent of Maharashtrians in Maharashtra watch Hindi channels. However, that is not the case in the South, where only about 10 per cent of the population would watch Hindi channels,” he says.

     

    On the programming front, Zee Talkies launched a first of its kind short film format for the audience of Maharashtra with Talkies Lighthouse. The band was launched earlier this month wherein a series of handpicked short films are telecast in a 90-minute format.

     

    The short films will be showcased by television and theatre actor Lalit Prabhakar and Neha Mahajan from the Coffee Aani Barach Kahi fame.

     

    “There are lot of beautiful Marathi movies in short format and the access to those films was primarily confined to the digital space. Being the number one movie channel in Maharashtra, we thought of giving a larger platform to those stories and storytellers to reach out to the audiences. Another objective was to unearth new talent for the industry via this initiative. We believe this is the right time for us to experiment,” says Janavlekar.

     

    Come February, Zee Talkies will also invite people to participate in a contest after the series of short films are telecast. The contest will run from 20 February – 20 March and will ask people to send in their short films. The channel is planning to hold an on-ground film festival of the shortlisted entries. 

     

    Zee Talkies has roped in Hero Motocorp – Duet as the presenting sponsor along with Mcvities and Whisper as the co-powered by sponsors for Talkies Lighthouse. Apart from these, the channel also has Dish TV, Parachute and Santoor as associate sponsors.

     

    “The response has been good as many P&G brands for the show including Gillette and Olay came onboard. While the whole initiative was not commercially driven, I think we need to have a case study to have a rigorous sales pitch for the next year. In terms of advertising, we are very fortunate that P&G brands came on board. However, having said that, there is a long way to go in terms of brands coming on board for such formats,” says Janavlekar.

     

    Experiential marketing is the buzz word these days and not the one to be left behind, Zee Talkies has also adopted that route while targeting its audience. “We focus more on engagement activities and contests. Apart from that, we try to do a lot on the digital platforms around Zee Network’s properties. We don’t really go for print advertisement,” he says.

  • ‘Digitization helped us become Maharashtra’s No. 1 channel in reach:’ Bavesh Janavlekar

    ‘Digitization helped us become Maharashtra’s No. 1 channel in reach:’ Bavesh Janavlekar

    MUMBAI: Even as the third phase of Dgiital Addressable System (DAS) is witnessing implementation issues across some states, the completion of Phase I and II has changed the broadcasting landscape to a large extent. One of the first genres to feel the benefits of digitization are the regional channels.

     

    Speaking to Indiantelevision.com about the same, Zee Talkies business head Bavesh Janavlekar says, “Earlier visibility of the channel was an issue in some of the areas but now with digitization, we don’t face that problem. Digitization helped us become the number one movie channel of Maharashtra and Phase III will also contribute considerably towards it.”

     

    In the Marathi regional channels’ genre, Zee Talkies was in second spot in week 2 of Broadcast Audience Research Council (BARC) India data. Speaking about the strategy to stay on top in the pecking order, Janavlekar says, “We ensure that when it comes to our channel, we continue to have high points, which are relevant to our audience. We also make sure that the audience remains engaged with our brand. It’s not only about watching Zee Talkies but also living it. Last year we had a contest in August – September wherein we received approximately 1.3 crore votes with people participating in our month long activity. One doesn’t get these kinds of numbers in Hindi mainline channels and hence the engagement is very important.”

     

    While many free to air channels like Zee Anmol and Star Utsav benefitted with the roll out of BARC’s rural data, Janavlekar says that Zee Talkies’ viewership numbers drastically reduced in the all India data. Before the industry starts trading on the BARC all India data, which will in turn also see a change in advertising rates, the channel has addressed this issue with BARC. “We are in conversation with BARC to deal with the issues that we are facing. Ad rates on the Marathi regional genre have not really gone up,” he says.

     

    Over the last couple of years, multiplexes have contributed immensely in the blossoming of regional cinema, specially Marathi films. While being critically acclaimed, movies have also been money churners at the box office. Some have even won National Awards. What’s more, this year the Marathi movie Court was India’s official entry to the Oscars. In the light of this development, the satellite rights of Marathi films have also seen a rise of approximately 10 – 20 per cent.

     

    “While there has been a rise in satellite rights acquisition price of Marathi films, there have been only a few examples of movies crossing a certain threshold. But undoubtedly the movies are doing well and an increase in box office collections, is good news for us,” informs Janavlekar.

     

    Explaining the dynamics of acquisition costs, he says that while the acquisition price of South Indian movies would be almost similar to Hindi movies, Marathi consumption was very exclusive. “There is a very minuscule population that watches only Marathi movies and 90 per cent of Maharashtrians in Maharashtra watch Hindi channels. However, that is not the case in the South, where only about 10 per cent of the population would watch Hindi channels,” he says.

     

    On the programming front, Zee Talkies launched a first of its kind short film format for the audience of Maharashtra with Talkies Lighthouse. The band was launched earlier this month wherein a series of handpicked short films are telecast in a 90-minute format.

     

    The short films will be showcased by television and theatre actor Lalit Prabhakar and Neha Mahajan from the Coffee Aani Barach Kahi fame.

     

    “There are lot of beautiful Marathi movies in short format and the access to those films was primarily confined to the digital space. Being the number one movie channel in Maharashtra, we thought of giving a larger platform to those stories and storytellers to reach out to the audiences. Another objective was to unearth new talent for the industry via this initiative. We believe this is the right time for us to experiment,” says Janavlekar.

     

    Come February, Zee Talkies will also invite people to participate in a contest after the series of short films are telecast. The contest will run from 20 February – 20 March and will ask people to send in their short films. The channel is planning to hold an on-ground film festival of the shortlisted entries. 

     

    Zee Talkies has roped in Hero Motocorp – Duet as the presenting sponsor along with Mcvities and Whisper as the co-powered by sponsors for Talkies Lighthouse. Apart from these, the channel also has Dish TV, Parachute and Santoor as associate sponsors.

     

    “The response has been good as many P&G brands for the show including Gillette and Olay came onboard. While the whole initiative was not commercially driven, I think we need to have a case study to have a rigorous sales pitch for the next year. In terms of advertising, we are very fortunate that P&G brands came on board. However, having said that, there is a long way to go in terms of brands coming on board for such formats,” says Janavlekar.

     

    Experiential marketing is the buzz word these days and not the one to be left behind, Zee Talkies has also adopted that route while targeting its audience. “We focus more on engagement activities and contests. Apart from that, we try to do a lot on the digital platforms around Zee Network’s properties. We don’t really go for print advertisement,” he says.

  • Colors maintains stranglehold on No. 1 position: BARC week 2

    Colors maintains stranglehold on No. 1 position: BARC week 2

    MUMBAI: Colors has kept its stranglehold on the No. 1 position in the Hindi general entertainment channels (GECs) genre in week 2  Broadcast Audience Research Council (BARC) all India data. 

     

    Star Plus pipped last week’s No. 2 – the free to air (FTA) channel Zee Anmol – to climb up to the second spot, thus pushing the latter to the third position.

     

    Colors grabbed the leadership position with 762023 (‘000s) followed by Star Plus, which saw a rise in ratings with 727809 (‘000s) as against 699211 (‘000s) in the previous week.

     

    Zee Anmol at the third spot stood with 682983 (‘000s) as against 719713 (‘000s). 

     

    Though Zee Entertainment Enterprises’ flagship Hindi GEC Zee TV saw a fall in ratings, it maintained its claim on the fourth spot with 636989 (‘000s) as against 681259 (‘000s) in the previous week. At fifth spot was Star India’s FTA channel Star Ustav with 506714 (‘000s), followed by Life OK in the sixth slot with 425798 (‘000s).

     

    Rishtey with 365968 (‘000s) and Sony Pal with 339073 (‘000s) stood at the seventh and eighth position respectively.

     

    While Sony Entertainment Television grabbed the ninth spot in the genre with 325509 (‘000s), Sony’s comedy channel Sab TV fell to the tenth spot with 323649 (‘000s).

  • Colors maintains stranglehold on No. 1 position: BARC week 2

    Colors maintains stranglehold on No. 1 position: BARC week 2

    MUMBAI: Colors has kept its stranglehold on the No. 1 position in the Hindi general entertainment channels (GECs) genre in week 2  Broadcast Audience Research Council (BARC) all India data. 

     

    Star Plus pipped last week’s No. 2 – the free to air (FTA) channel Zee Anmol – to climb up to the second spot, thus pushing the latter to the third position.

     

    Colors grabbed the leadership position with 762023 (‘000s) followed by Star Plus, which saw a rise in ratings with 727809 (‘000s) as against 699211 (‘000s) in the previous week.

     

    Zee Anmol at the third spot stood with 682983 (‘000s) as against 719713 (‘000s). 

     

    Though Zee Entertainment Enterprises’ flagship Hindi GEC Zee TV saw a fall in ratings, it maintained its claim on the fourth spot with 636989 (‘000s) as against 681259 (‘000s) in the previous week. At fifth spot was Star India’s FTA channel Star Ustav with 506714 (‘000s), followed by Life OK in the sixth slot with 425798 (‘000s).

     

    Rishtey with 365968 (‘000s) and Sony Pal with 339073 (‘000s) stood at the seventh and eighth position respectively.

     

    While Sony Entertainment Television grabbed the ninth spot in the genre with 325509 (‘000s), Sony’s comedy channel Sab TV fell to the tenth spot with 323649 (‘000s).

  • Colors remains No. 1 in BARC week 1

    Colors remains No. 1 in BARC week 1

    MUMBAI: Colors continued to lead the Hindi general entertainment channel (GEC) pack  with a rise in ratings and secured the leadership position in the first week of 2016 according to Broadcast Audience Research Data (BARC) India ratings.

     

    On the other hand, free to air channel (FTA) Zee Anmol and Star India’s Hindi GEC Star Plus were the only channels, which failed to garner positive ratings in week 1.

     

    Colors claimed the pole position with 756549 (‘000s) against 744923 (‘000s) in week 52.

     

    Zee Anmol witnessed a fall in ratings and grabbed second position with 719713 (‘000s) against 742876 (‘000s) in the previous week followed by Star Plus, which stood at number three with 699211 (‘000s) against 712114 (‘000s).

     

    Zee TV maintained its claim on the fourth spot with 681259 (‘000s) followed by Star India’s FTA channel Star Ustav in the fifth slot with 462298 (‘000s) and Life OK at number six with 421720 (‘000s).

     

    Rishtey stood at number seven in week 1 with 390305 (‘000s), while Sony Pal climbed up at number eight with 352393 (‘000s). Sab TV was down to number nine with 334235 (‘000s).

     

    Sony Entertainment Television maintained its presence in the top 10 Hindi GECs at the tenth position with 328025 (‘000s).

  • Sun TV retains numero uno position; Colors & Star Plus gain: BARC week 52

    Sun TV retains numero uno position; Colors & Star Plus gain: BARC week 52

    MUMBAI: Even though it saw a decline in ratings, Sun TV continued to lead across genres and maintained its leadership position in the final week of 2015. While Colors and Star Plus were on the second and third spot respectively witnessed rise in ratings, according to Broadcast Audience Research Council (BARC) All India data for week 52.

     

    Sun TV garnered the first spot with 1031406 (000Sums) as against 1089988 (000Sums) in the previous week, followed by Colors in second position with 790994 (000Sums) as against 766353 (000Sums) in week 51. 

     

    Star Plus in the third place also witnessed a rise with 774166 (000Sums) as against 732209 (000Sums) in the previous week.

     

    FTA channel Zee Anmol stood at the fourth spot with 743524 (000Sums) followed by Zee TV on number five with 710332 (000Sums). Star Ustav with 468039 (000Sums) grabbed sixth slot across genre.

     

    ETV Telugu with 465946 (000 Sums), Sony Entertainment Television with 442280 (000Sums) and Life OK with 411779 (000Sums) bagged the seventh, eighth and ninth berths respectively.

     

    On the other hand, Maa TV stood at the tenth spot with 411779 (000Sums).

  • Colors maintains No. 1 position in BARC week 52

    Colors maintains No. 1 position in BARC week 52

    MUMBAI: Closing 2015 on a high, Colors managed to retain its numero uno position and continued to lead in the Hindi general entertainment channels’ (GECs) genre in the last week of the year.

     

    While free to air (FTA) channel Zee Anmol managed to secure its second slot, Star Plus was perched on the third slot in week 52, according to Broadcast Audience Research Council (BARC) All India data.

     

    Colors grabbed the first spot with 744923 (000Sums) followed by Zee Anmol with 742876 (000Sums) and Star Plus in the third place with 712114 (000Sums).

     

    Zee TV witnessed a marginal decline in ratings but maintained its claim on the fourth spot with 651175 (000Sums) as against 669655 (000Sums) in week 51.

     

    Star India’s FTA Star Ustav saw fall in ratings and stood at the fifth spot with 464803 (000Sums) as against 514354 (000Sums) in the previous week followed by Life OK in sixth place with 396615 (000Sums) and Rishtey on the seventh rung with 379529 (000Sums).

     

    Sab TV stood at number eight with 328873 (000Sums), while Sony Pal garnered the ninth spot with 323119 (000Sums).

     

    Sony Entertainment Television was down to the tenth spot with 314286 (000Sums). 

  • Colors climbs up ahead of Zee Anmol to claim top slot: BARC week 51

    Colors climbs up ahead of Zee Anmol to claim top slot: BARC week 51

    MUMBAI: The battle for the top slot amongst the Hindi general entertainment channels (GECs) has opened up like never before. Every week with the spin of the wheel, a new triumphant winner comes up. The Broadcast Audience Research Council (BARC) India’s top spot in the Hindi GEC category has become a race between three key players namely Star Plus, Colors and the free-to-air (FTA) channel Zee Anmol.

    After toppling Star Plus in week 50 to become the number two channel in the Hindi GECs, Colors has now staked its claim on the No. 1 slot in week 51 after toppling Zee Anmol from its leadership position.

    Dethroning Zee Anmol, Colors bagged the leadership position with 725881 (000Sums). While Zee Anmol was pushed to the second slot with 712825 (000Sums), Star Plus witnessed a fall in ratings but managed to grab the third slot with 676890 (000Sums) against 707219 (000Sums) in week 50.

    Zee TV grabbed the fourth spot on the chart with 669655 (000Sums) followed by Star Ustav on the fifth spot with 514354 (000Sums), while Life OK was in sixth place with 437469 (000Sums).

    Sony Entertainment Television with 342689 (000Sums) stood at number seven.

    With no change in last three position Sab TV with 323214 (000Sums), Rishtey with 286712 (000Sums) and Sony Pal with 239700 (000Sums) bagged the eighth, ninth and tenth spots respectively.

  • 2015: The year of nip & tuck for Hindi GECs

    2015: The year of nip & tuck for Hindi GECs

    MUMBAI: Ratings, ratings from the BARC, who’s the leader of them all?

    ‘Twas the question on many a lips as the new Indian television ratings body –  Broadcast Audience Research Council India launched earlier this year and within just a few months of operations created waves in the industry by throwing up All India data comprising urban and rural numbers. The dynamics of the Indian television market changed and old programming and marketing strategies were scrapped for newer ones. Many a channel executives went back to the drawing board to figure out what India wanted to watch on television.

    The year 2015 was also when Hindi general entertainment channels (GECs) slugged it out to attain the top slot by moving away from the typical saas-bahu sagas and explored other genres from horror to mythology to reality in order to provide viewers with wholesome entertainment. The fight had never been tougher for as the year drew to a close, it was nip and tuck as to which channel would lead the ratings race week on week. The undisputed leader of the genre – Star Plus could no longer be complacent as Zee Entertainment Enterprises Ltd’s (Zeel) underdog Zee Anmol gave the market leader a run for its money.

    Moreover, channels no longer have the luxury to run non-delivering shows. If a show isn’t working, it’s pulled off air. It’s as simple as that. Gone are the days when a show would endlessly run for years and years. Now, the fight is no longer limited to the top three – Star Plus, Colors and Zee TV. In light of the rural ratings data, free to air (FTA) channels like Zee Anmol, Star Utsav and Rishtey have managed to find their place under the sun and emerge in the list of the Top 10 Hindi GECs. Since week 41, FTA channels started dominating the Top 10 channels’ list. In just eight weeks’ time, Zee Anmol climbed up to the number one spot from the third position, pushing erstwhile market leader Star Plus to the third spot.

    On the programming front, if there was a genre apart from drama and reality shows that ruled the airwaves this year on Hindi GECs, it was mythology and historical shows. While some shows proved to be game changers for the channels, some failed to garner ratings.

    The year also witnessed some successful partnerships reunite. Star Plus and Amitabh Bachchan came together once again after a span of 15 years for Aaj Ki Raat Hai Zindagi. However, the hype that was created for the show subsided as quickly as the show’s content failed to impress the audience. On the other hand, actor Iqbal Khan, who started his television career with Ekta Kapoor’s show Kaisa Yeh Pyaar Hai on Sony Entertainment Television, made a comeback after 10 years with Pyar Ko Ho Jaane Do.

    Even as Priyanka Chopra rocked the international television circuit with her fiction debut in ABC’s high-octane drama series Quantico, closer home there was no dearth of star power on the small screen this year as movie stars from Bachchan, Shah Rukh Khan, Salman Khan, Shahid Kapoor, Hrithik Roshan, Sonakshi Sinha, Farhan Akhtar, Bipasha Basu, Arbaaz Khan to Malaika Arora Khan descended on television with a single minded vision to entertain the audience.

    Additionally, adaptations of international format shows, which have become an important part of Hindi GECs, also saw an increase this year. While adaptations of reality and non-fiction shows have been seen on Indian television for some years now, what was special this year was that for the first time, an international fiction format was adapted. India got its very own Everybody Loves Raymond in the form of Sumit Sambhal Lega. Other non-fiction adaptations that made their presence felt this year were India Poochega – Sabse Shaana Kaun?, Bigg Boss Season 9, I Can Do That, Aaj Ki Raat Hai Zindagi and Power Couple to name a few.

    The year 2015 also saw Zeel launching a new Hindi GEC under the ‘&’ brand name. Ten months into launch, &TV is striving to carve a niche for itself in the already busy GEC space.

    Let’s now take a look at some of the key happenings across the genre in 2015:

    Star Plus

    The beginning of 2015 was good for Star Plus as it performed well in terms of ratings according to TAM Media Research data. The happy saga continued for a few weeks even after the introduction of BARC data. However, from week 34 onwards, Star Plus witnessed many ups and downs and was in close competition with Colors. Come week 41, which was when BARC released its rural data, the channel faced double trouble with introduction of FTA channels in the tally. As per the latest week data, Star Plus stood in the third spot with Zee Anmol in the top slot followed by Colors.

    That said, 2015 will remain memorable for Star Plus as it roped in Bachchan as the host of Aaj Ki Raat Hai Zindagi.

    The channel’s long running show including Saath Nibhaana Saathiya, Yeh Hai Mohabbatein, Diya Aur Baati and Yeh Rishta Kya Kehlta hai are among the top five programmes of Hindi GECs.

    After the successful execution of Mahabharat, Star Plus launched another mythological show Siya Ke Ram on 16 November, which is produced by Triangle Film Company. A reality show called Dance Plus also made its presence felt on the small screen.

    The year gone by also saw a number of shows launching and going off air in a period of three – six months. Shows like Manmarziyan, Gulmohar Grand, Badtameez Dil, Kuch Toh Hai Tere Mere Darmiyaan and Tere Mere Shehar Mein were pulled off because of poor ratings.

    Colors

    2015 has been a good year for Colors even as the tug of war with Star Plus to claim the leadership position kept both players on their toes. Many a times Colors successfully grabbed the lead position inching ahead of the market leader. So, what worked for the channel in 2015?

    Every year Salman Khan says he won’t host the next season of Bigg Boss and every year the channel manages to lure him back on the small screen’s biggest reality show. Colors launched the ninth season Bigg Boss Double Trouble with Khan. However, not wanting to disturb the timings of its prime time fiction shows, which was raking in the ratings, Bigg Boss 9 was placed in the late prime time slot of 10.30 pm on weekdays and 9 pm on weekends.

    Colors also experimented with its weekend time slot and launched the supernatural fiction show Naagin, which proved to be a game changer for the channel and was perched on the top rung of the ladder in week 50.

    Some of the other notable shows, which have been performing well for the channel are the historical Chakarvartin Ashoka Samrat produced by Contiloe Entertainment as well as two fiction shows produced by Rashmi Sharma Telefilms namely Sasural Simar Ka and Swaragini.

    On the non-fiction front, apart from Bigg Boss 9 Colors also launched the second season of its chat show The Anupam Kher Show: Kucch Bhi Ho Sakta Hai and the eighth season of Jhalak Dikhlaa Jaa Reloaded. Experimenting with a celebrity cooking show, Colors roped in Farah Khan and launched Farah Ki Dawat.

    While the year saw Colors acquiring some flagship properties like the IIFA Awards and the Box Cricket League, the earlier editions of which were aired on different broadcasters, the channel also launched its first live event property called Suro Ke Rang Colors Ke Sang to celebrate the world of Indian music industry.

    Zee TV

    The year saw Zee TV struggling to hold on to its position in the third and fourth slots. Even as the channel saw some instability on the ratings chart, the year was sprinkled with a few new launches. The channel, known for its original content formats like Dance India Dance, Sa Re Ga Ma and India’s Best Dramebaaz, experimented this time round with an international format called I Can Do That.

    In the fiction genre, the year saw launches like Kaala Teeka, Ek Tha Raja Ek Thi Raani, Sarojini, Laajwanti and Yeh Vaada Raha. On the other hand, the channel’s fiction show Kumkum Bhagya managed to garner high ratings and was amongst the top 5 shows across Hindi GECs.

    On the non-fiction front, Zee TV launched the second season of India’s Best Dramebaaz as well as the fifth season of Dance India Dance.

    Further strengthening its weekend, the year saw the channel experimenting with the slot with the launch of Neeli Chatri Waale produced by Ashwini Dhir at 8 pm on Saturdays and Sundays. Apart from this, the channel also took its Sunday programming a notch higher with the new adventurous show Janbaaz Sinbad in the 7 pm time slot.

    Zee TV also extended its weekday primetime shows to six days a week from Monday to Saturday. From 28 November onwards, the shows on the channel’s 7 – 9 pm time slot were also telecast on Saturdays.

    Sony Entertainment Television

    In the year 2015, Sony completed two decades of its broadcast operations in India. The year was marked by a new team, new shows and even a new name… 2015 can well be called as the year of everything new for Sony Entertainment Television.

    The channel’s mother company Multi Screen Media India was rechristened as Sony Pictures Networks India.

    That said, even though the channel launched many new shows in the year in a bid to strengthen its programming, unfortunately not one managed to create the much required magic for the channel. The channel has a long way to go if it wants to make its presence felt in the Top 5 Hindi GECs. As of week 50, Sony stood at number seven in the pecking order according to BARC data.

    On the programming front, the channel launched a couple of fiction shows like Parrvarish season 2 and Pyaar Ko Ho Jane Do. On the other hand, hopping on to the mythology bandwagon, Sony too launched two shows in the genre namely Suryaputra Karn and Sankat Mochan Mahabali Hanuman. Going by the popularity of the genre on Indian television, Sony might as well latch on these two shows and offer content that the Indian viewer is readily lapping up.

    On the non-fiction front, the channel launched the second season of Junior Indian Idol, which also saw the television debut of actress Sonakshi Sinha as judge along with Vishal Dadlani and Salim Merchant.

    Even though the current fare on the channel may not be whetting viewers’ appetite, Sony has been known as a pioneer in bringing cutting edge programming to Indian television screens. After introducing shows like Indian Idol, Jhalak Dikhlaa Jaa and Khatron Ke Khiladi, the channel brought another international format -Power Couple to India. Produced by Colosceum Entertainment the show was adaptation of Israeli format launched on 12 December.

    Another major highlight for the channel has been its longest running show CID, which entered in its 19th year in 2015 as well as the hugely successful Crime Patrol,which is all set to follow suit.

    Sab TV

    Sony Entertainment Television’s sister channel Sab TV is one of India’s most loved comedy channel. Though many shows this year failed to garner sustainable ratings, the channel did not hold back when it came to experimenting with content.

    Sab’s comedy show Peterson Hill produced by Garima Productions, was pulled off air due to low ratings despite having a cast like Rohit Roy, Sucheta Khanna and Ashwin Mushran. What’s more, as a part of its programming strategy, the channel also pulled down four of its shows on 19 July this year. The first one to bite the dust was the weekend show Hansi Hi Hansi Mil Toh Lein, which was launched on 29 March. The second show titled Rumm Pumm Po hit screens on 6 June and was wrapped up within 43 days. The game show titled Sab Ka Sapna Money Money, which started from 26 April went off-air in four months too. Rukawat Ke Liye Khed Hai, which launched on 26 April, was the fourth show that ended on the same date.

    However, Sab TV also tried some new formats to keep the spirit alive. Taking the route of advertiser funded programming (AFP), the channel launched Chalti Ka Naam Gadi, which was produced by Deepti Bhatnagar production and funded by Maruti Suzuki.

    The channel’s longest running show Tarak Mehta Ka Oolta Chashma continued to impress the audience with its comic trails. Additionally, in the last year, Sab TV also made its maiden foray into a big ticket reality show called Comedy Superstar with celebrity judges.

    In terms of new offerings, Sab presented Yum Hai Hum, Sahib Biwi Aur Boss and Police Factory  to the audience in 2015.

    Life OK

    2015 saw multiple new show launches across channels and not to be left behind, Star India’s Hindi GEC Life OK too contributed its share to the ecosystem by brining in new shows, which worked slowly but steadily for the channel.

    Dream Girl, Zindagi Baki Hai Mere Ghost, Roshini, Ek Tha Chandar were among the few shows that were launched this year.

    &TV

    Zeel’s new Hindi GEC &TV began beaming from 2 March, 2015. Coming into an already cluttered space with established players in place, the newest baby in the Hindi GEC made its presence felt from the word go!

    It’s been only ten months since launch but &TV has already managed to carve a niche for itself. From the big bang launch of the Shah Rukh Khan hosted show India Poochega: Sabse Shaana Kaun? as its flagship property to its popular fiction drama Begusarai, the sailing has so far been smooth for the channel. In a span of ten months, &TV launched as many as 17 shows across genres.

    In the non-fiction category, the channel brought Deal or No Deal back on Indian television with Ronit Roy as host as well as launched the singing reality show The Voice India.

    This year, the popular television awards show – the 14th Indian Telly Awards 2015, which is hosted by Indiantelevision.com hopped on board &TV.

    In the fiction space, the year saw some fabulous shows like Ganga, Begusarai, Bhabhi Ji Ghar Par Hai, Yeh Kahan Agaye Hum, which managed to create the required magic for the channel.

    &TV also launched its first socio-mytho show Santoshi Maa produced by Rashmi Sharma Telefilms.

    What’s more, Bollywood diva Bipasha Basu also made her television debut this year on &TV’s horror show Darr Sabko Lagta Hai.

    As the industry readies to usher in 2016 as well as the completion of the third phase of Indian cable television digitisation, the mass entertainer Hindi GECs are well poised to go on a growth trajectory. Moreover, as the months go by, the All India ratings data by BARC India will also steadily provide a clearer picture of trends and analysis of what a diverse country like India is actually watching thus making it easier for the channels to put in place bespoke programming strategies.