MUMBAI: Zee Punjabi has witnessed the most successful GEC launch in over four years. Within weeks of its debut in January 2020, the channel captured a third of the viewership pie and attained leadership as the most preferred entertainment destination for Punjabi-speaking audiences. Zee Punjabi has over 20 hours of original programming for the bilingual market of Punjab.
Zee north, west and premium channels cluster head Amit Shah revealed that the time spent on Zee Punjabi has exceeded that of national GECs, highlighting the strong connection that the channel has established with the Punjabi viewers. Said he: “Not only did we lead, but we have also aided market expansion in Punjab and invested in developing the creative ecosystem by encouraging the local talent of the region.”
Zee Punjabi business head Rahul Rao mentioned that the channel has so far launched six fiction and five non-fiction shows. Apart from this, it offers the best of Punjabi movies and is also hosting world television premieres on a regular basis.
The channel has a mix of fiction, non-fictions, movies and music and its core focus is to be authentic and relatable to the Punjabi diaspora by narrating the stories inspired by the region. Shah shared, “Punjabiyat is a way of life and our endeavour is to bring it alive on screen through our characters and shows. Be it Heer Ranjha or Tu Patang Main Dor – all the stories are deeply rooted in Punjab. In non-fiction, we did Sa Re Ga Ma Pa Punjabi to tap into the rich musical talent of Punjab and two comedy shows – Hasdeyan De Ghar Vasde with Gurpreet Ghuggi and Hasseyan Da Halla with Jaswinder Bhalla. We also have a music request show called Selfie Sitara and a cookery show called Swad Aa Gaya to offer holistic entertainment catering to every family member.”
The show Hasseyan Da Halla is telecasted every Saturday and Sunday from 7 pm to 8:30 pm. Elaborating more about the channel’s plan to keep the fun quotient alive on it, Rao said that the style of the programme is optimized to the current protocols in place, while the effort on their part is to increase the entertainment on-air to provide more enjoyment to the viewers.
The show is produced by Reliance Big Synergy. The series features a range of artists including Mintu, Lucky, Nisha Bano, Gurpreet Bhangu and a spectacle of celebrity guests. It has been written by the renowned Manoj Sabharwal.
Please Read More: Reliance Big Synergy’s new comedy non-fiction series to air on Zee Punjabi
Over the past several months, the industry has been going through unprecedented challenges due to the global pandemic and everyone has had to adjust to the new normal. According to Shah, audience preferences during the lockdown have changed and the consumers are turning towards slice of life, light-hearted content and shows and movies that reflect a spirit of hope and positivity.
“As responsible broadcasters, we have also realigned ourselves to the new normal and have commenced the shoot of original shows with stringent protocols crafted by all stakeholders in line with the respective state government guidelines,” he added.
Sets are being sanitized on a regular basis, shooting is taking place with an optimum crew, whose members use face shields, gloves, and other necessary safety equipment. Medical help is also made readily available, were there to be any exigency. As needed, the makers have also recrafted scripts to ensure that the logistics of the shoot can be managed within the constraints.
Shah further mentioned that even during the lockdown, when the availability of fresh content was low and the audiences’ demand for at-home entertainment was surging, Zee Punjabi grew by 16 percent, peaking at thrice the rate of the overall Punjabi GEC genre (5 per cent). Eventually, it has emerged as the number two channel. (2+, U+R). (Source: BARC-Nielsen reports on TV and Smartphone consumption during this crisis, Mar-Apr 2020)
As far as marketing and promotions are concerned, the channel has adopted a 360 degree strategy where its aim is to engage with viewers across all platforms – TV, print, digital, outdoors, radio etc. Rao said, “We are focused on sampling our content through all mediums. The core message of the channel – Jazba Kar Vakhon Da –embodies the spirit of Punjab and we are taking this to every household. The idea is to increase the sampling of our content across all modes, as availability of quality content in a language draws more viewers who can relate to that content, leading to a growth in engagement.”
As per the latest BARC data, Zee Punjabi’s Khasmanu Khani, Kamli Ishq Di and the airing of the blockbuster Filman featured amongst the top five programmes of Punjab.
Shah revealed that a lot of brands have associated with Zee Punjabi over the last few months. These include the likes of Dabur, Prestige, Loreal and Britannia. Said he: “With a strong presence in the Punjab market and a complete entertainment offering for the whole family, we continue to see a strong interest from varied advertiser segments.”
The festive season is a celebratory time on-screen and off-screen as families come together to rejoice special moments. This year, given the current situation, will be a bit different on the small screen. But through its specially curated content line-up for the festive season, Shah is leaving no stone unturned to entertain Zee Punjabi’s viewers. He concluded, “We have in-store special episodes of our shows and some exciting initiatives which we will unveil as we go forward.”
