ITV

Tag: Zindagi

  • Life OK topples Colors; Sab inches closer to Sony

    Life OK topples Colors; Sab inches closer to Sony

    Updated: 7:32 PM

     

    MUMBAI: In the week 29 of TAM TV ratings, there is finally a new entrant. Zeel’s new general entertainment channel (GEC), Zindagi, has entered the race garnering 28,700 GVTs, up from 27,013 GVTs. Most of its offerings have seen mixed reactions.

     

    Zindagi Gulzar Hai reported 346 TVTs, down from 415 TVTs, Noorpur Ki Raani scored 197 TVTs, down from 282 TVTs, Kaash Main Teri stood at 262 TVTs, up from 252 TVTs and Kini Girhein Baki noticed 209 TVTs, up from 167 TVTs.

     

    For the rest of the GECs, it has been an incredible week, with almost all witnessing a rise in the viewership. The main highlight, apart from Zindagi, is Life OK which once again rose up to the third position, toppling Colors. It garnered 361,347 GVTs, up from 324,996 GVTs while Colors dropped with 347,095 GVTs, up from 342,279 GVTs.

     

    What worked wonders for Life OK? Almost all its properties saw an upward trend when it comes to ratings. The channel’s most famous property, Savdhaan India noted 2,806 TVTs, up from 2,530 TVTs, followed by Mahadev with 2,042 TVTs, up from 1,720 TVTs, Tumhari Pakhi registered 1,795 TVTs, up from 1,439 TVTs and Shapath garnered 2,490 TVTS, up from 2,119 TVTs.

     

    As for Colors, though the channel observed a rise in the viewership, it couldn’t manage to hold on to its third position. Some of its shows performed better than the previous week, while some lost the plot. Thus, Sasural Simar Ka noted 4,670 TVTs, up from 4,366 TVTs and Balika Vadhu stood at 4,431 TVTs, up from 3,902 TVTs. Talking about its non-fiction properties, The Anupam Kher Show saw a drop in the ratings and recorded 2,360 TVTs, down from 2,591 TVTs, Comedy Nights with Kapil garnered 6,812 TVTs, down from 7,615 TVTs and Jhalak Dikhlaja witnessed 5,637 TVTs, up from 4,246 TVTs.

     

    Coming back to the numero uno, Star Plus, it once again crossed the 700 million mark by registering 711,977 GVTs, up from 673,330 GVTs. The channel’s chart topper Diya Aur Baati Hum is reaching new heights week after week. It noticed 10,488 TVTs, up from 9,510 TVTs and so has Mahabharat which scored 9,413 TVTs, up from 7,066 TVTs. On the other hand, the channel’s third popular show Yeh Rishta Kya Kehlata Hai witnessed a drop and stood at 8,303 TVTs, down from 8,412 TVTs.

     

    Zee TV enjoys its number two position with 436,478 GVTs, up from 424,522 GVTs. Jodha Akbar noticed 9,331 TVTs, up from 7,598 TVTs, Kumkum Bhagya recorded 6,586 TVTs, up from 6,261 TVTs, Doli Armano Ki observed 4,215 TVTs, up from 3,828 TVTs. The channel’s non-fiction property, India’s Best Cine Stars Ki Khoj witnessed a fall in the viewership and noted 2,337 TVTs, down from 2,608 TVTs.

     

    Sony Entertainment Television (SET)fell by a few points but retained its number five position with 270,480 GVTs, down from 279,384 GVTs. CID scored 3,688 TVTs, down from 4,394 TVTs. Maharana Veer Pratap saw a rise in the ratings and observed 3,498 TVTs, up from 3,056 TVTs. The new entrant Yudh garnered 1,199 TVTs, up from 977 TVTs.

     

    Sab stood at number six with 267,631 GVTs, up from 248,304 GVTs. The channel’s chart topper Taarak Mehta Ka Ooltah Chashmah recorded 7,187 TVTs, up from 6,460 TVTs and Balveer also witnessed a hike in the viewership and stood at 2,223 TVTs, up from 1,924 TVTs.

  • Digitisation has enhanced industry’s transparency levels: Zeel annual report

    Digitisation has enhanced industry’s transparency levels: Zeel annual report

    MUMBAI: In June 2013, Zee Entertainment Enterprises (Zeel) unveiled its new corporate identity ‘Vasudhaiva Kutumbakam’.

     

    It was inspired by ‘The World is my Family’ philosophy with an all-new positioning which creatively integrated and crafted with the brand logo. The annual report of the media and entertainment conglomerate for 2013-14 incorporates its ‘One Zee, One Anthem’ philosophy.

     

    The vibrant and stakeholder-friendly annual report gives an insight into the media house highlighting how its reach and viewership share has grown from strength to strength.

     

    Zee’s evolution as a global media brand is vindicated by its 730+ million viewers across 169 countries. This apart, it also added one more channel, Zindagi, to its list taking the toll to 33 for its domestic channels. Zindagi, launched on 23 June, showcases content from Pakistan and has the tagline ‘Jodey Dilon Ko’. It also launched another brand ‘&’.

     

    With the strategy to offer specific content to relevant markets, the powerhouse also added two more international channels to its kitty – Zee Bioskop in Indonesia and Zee Nung in Thailand. It is pushing boundaries forward to realise its vision of being a leading global media powerhouse by the year 2020.

     

    Apart from this, the company also launched Zee Music Company entering into the country’s Rs 960 crore music market.

     

    The three key value drivers for brand Zee are pioneering, prudent and predictability. And these have helped it contribute 26 per cent of the corporate brand to the enterprise value as of 31 March 2014.

     

    In the last five years, Zee’s revenues grew at 15.30 per cent CAGR. The consolidated revenue during FY 2014 grew by 20 per cent y-o-y to Rs 46,024 million.

     

    In a message to shareholders, Zeel chairman Dr Subhash Chandra highlights that even though there is a question mark on India’s domestic growth and there persists a general climate of pessimism, the company’s experience and expertise has helped it grow and overcome roadblocks to unleash their creativity.

     

    “Digitisation has been instrumental in enhancing the industry’s transparency levels. The phase I and II roll out restructured the industry’s standards. With consumers ready to pay for quality content, complete digitisation will entail multiple benefits, such as industry growth, transparency and increased ARPUs for industry players,” he said in the annual report.

     

    54 per cent of revenue is generated through advertisements while 63 per cent of the total distribution expense comes from operational cost.

     

    Zeel MD and CEO Punit Goenka spoke about the future of India’s M&E industry. “Currently valued at Rs 417 billion, it poised to reach Rs 885 billion by 2018 as per the latest KPMG report. Zee will continue to raise the bar in terms of content innovation, operational excellence and global footprint to sustain its industry leadership.”

     

    With the total strength of more than 2200 people at the company, the annual report shares views of other management teams as well as outsiders like Shahrukh Khan, Sam Balsara, Rishi Jaitly among many others.

     

    The 32nd annual general meeting of the company will be held on 18 July at 11 am in Nehru Auditorium in Mumbai.

     

    Annual reports are not just numbers; they are a piece of handiwork through which a company can promote itself, its prospects to its various stakeholders.  AICL Communications is in-charge of making Zeel’s report more interactive rather than just plain vanilla.

  • Zindagi brings two new shows –Noorpur Ki Rani and Maat

    Zindagi brings two new shows –Noorpur Ki Rani and Maat

    MUMBAI: Zindagi, which launched with shows from Pakistan in the first phase, will treat audiences to new shows every month. The channel is merely three weeks old and is already gearing up to launch two new shows as its hugely acclaimed shows Aunn Zara came to an end yesterday and Zindagi Gulzar will end on 18th July. And, keeping its promise to offer fresh programming every month, Zindagi has two new show launches this month – Maat& Noorpur Ki Rani – in place of both the shows.   

     

    On 13th July at 8:55 PM, Noorpur Ki Rani, replaced the refreshing rom-com Aunn Zara and is a story of paradoxes brought out by contrasting characters of Noorie and Princess Rania. Orphaned at a young age, Noorie comes from an impoverished background and goes through turbulent times before her life takes a magical turn and she finds a new life in the palace. On the other hand, Princess Rania, the owner of the palace, is brought by fate to circumstances she never imagined possible. The gorgeous Sanam Baloch will enact the character of Noorie and it also stars the veteran actor, Naumaan Ijaz in a central role.

     

    Maat, which will replace the mature love story Zindagi Gulzar Hai will air at 8:00 PM slot starting July 19th, is the story of two sisters, Aiman and Saman who are poles apart. Aiman is generous and Saman is the mean sister who always tries to snatch whatever her sister has. The story takes a turn when Saman claims her right on something that is very dear to Aiman giving rise to very interesting twists and turns. With viewers raving about the natural talent and irresistible good looks of Fawad Khan, Sanam Saeed, Osman Khalid Butt and Maya Ali, the new show, Maat will bring to Indian Television, two of Pakistan’s most talented actresses– the beautiful Aminah Sheikh and the vivacious Sabah Qamar.

     

    Tune into to Zindagi every day, Monday to Sunday 8:00 PM onwards!

     

  • Zindagi: A lesson in the art of selling

    Zindagi: A lesson in the art of selling

    MUMBAI: “Selling is an Art. It is a complex, challenging, and for many, a very rewarding profession. Just like an artist, becoming an accomplished sales professional also takes time and experience. It is no different from any other profession. Yes, I am essentially saying that we are artists in our own right,” says the author of ‘Everyone’s in Sales’, Todd Cohen.

     

    And Zeel chief sales officer Ashish Sehgal is a master artist. He not only successfully sold the never-before-seen content to his clients, but sold it at a premium rate!

     

    Zee Entertainment with its latest offering, Zindagi, carries forward its new philosophy ‘Vasudhaiva Kutumbakam – The World is my family’. The channel, launched on 23 June, brings international content especially Pakistani shows to India.

     

    To get advertisers on board, the channel and its chief sales head invited all stakeholders for a screening of the shows.

     

    The process started by April end when the 100 plus stakeholders were shown the content which was to be aired on the channel for the next four months or so. Mumbai, Delhi and Bengaluru were the cities chosen for the road shows. “Without sounding boastful, the merit of the content made the task easy for us. The community liked what they were watching and hence, got hooked on to it,” says Sehgal.

     

    The man and his team had no pre-set list of clients they wanted to approach. What they did was, called upon everyone to watch the content and then left it on them to come on board or not. Personal invitations were sent to the client base which suited the channels’ ‘premium’ content, giving them a new ‘premium mass’ category to advertise on.

     

    What makes Zindagi a premium? With ‘Jodey Dilon Ko’ tagline, the channel aims to showcase real, friendly, vibrant and premium stories to engage and interact with its audience through diverse shows written by award-winning novelists and literary stalwarts. Scripted to be finite plots, these stories are first polished and then shot, unlike the Indian daily soap dramas that drag on forever. Each series, of an average of 20-25 episodes, are also shot in real life locations across the world, as opposed to closed studio sets.

     

    Brands that wish to target the segment have the opportunity now to reach out to their core target group as no other GEC currently caters to the progressive mind-sets.

     

    The channel not only searched for the right content which Zeel’s MD Punit Goenka felt would click with the audience, but also conducted in-depth research across cities in India to understand the consumer extensive demographic profiling for advertisers. All this, to give advertisers an opportunity to increase customer engagement.

     

    The three main sponsors on board – Fogg, AskMe and Fortune (Edible oils and foods)  – have signed partnership packages which allow a brand to sign a deal for 45 days. The channel didn’t want to sell inventories the regular way and thus came up with special packages for advertisers. “This helps brands as well because they get the mileage they want from us,” highlights Sehgal while elaborating that the launch of the marketing campaign highlighted the names of the sponsors as well.

     

    Apart from that, the channel also had other packages for spot buys which will help brands to exploit the curiosity generated. The idea here was to allow a brand to showcase its advertisement anytime and between any shows.

     

    Post the 45-day period, once the ratings are clear, the partnership pattern will change. “We are working on innovative packages for our clients and will soon announce them,” adds Sehgal without revealing much.

     

    However, according to various planners the channel which got the main three sponsors for 4 to 5 crore each, will sell its inventory at the rates charged by non-fictional shows on other GECs.

     

     “The packaging, content, fresh faces have all worked well for the new channel. Even the publicity and noise level it has created is ever-increasing. So, if they charge premium rates they are signaling the industry that it is premium and worth it,” says a planner while adding, “However, one will have to wait for the ratings and advertisers depend on it. If the ratings don’t show the problems will start. Let’s wait and watch…”

     

    The channel, however, is optimistic about its future and believes that the clients too will continue to come on board.

  • Zee to go the whole hog on Zindagi

    Zee to go the whole hog on Zindagi

    MUMBAI: There is no dearth of channels to choose from in India. Even with nearly 400 general entertainment channels (GECs) in various languages currently operating, Zee Entertainment Enterprises Ltd  (Zeel) believes that its new offering – Zindagi –that goes on air from 23 June, will be a league apart from the existing Hindi GECs including its own Zee TV.

    “People’s tastes are evolving and so we have to create a standard for our offerings. There is a need for categorisation in Hindi GECs too. Many audiences in SEC A, SEC B and metros want good shows but don’t get them. This number represents about 40 per cent of the total audience but their time spent is less than 20 per cent to 25 per cent because they don’t get such good shows back-to-back.  Zindagi seeks to create a new category here,” says Zeel chief content and creative officer Bharat Ranga.

    The channel is the brainchild of Zeel chief creative special projects Shailja Kejriwal who has spent close to two years viewing and handpicking global content that can resonate with Indian audiences. “I was bored with what I was creating myself,” she says. “This channel is a great opportunity to see another culture which isn’t much different from ours. We will begin with the best shows from Pakistan because it has the greatest language affinity and then go on to co-producing our own shows depending on viewer feedback,” she adds. The channel will soon also telecast Pakistani movies.

    Content on the new channel isn’t limited to our neighbouring country. Shows from Bangladesh, Sri Lanka, Turkey, Latin America and Iran are also in the pipeline. Unlike the now extinct channel from Sahara-Firangi  – that aired dubbed international content, Zee will be recreating international shows with Indian and Pakistani talent. The shows that have story affinity but not language will be remade and not dubbed. “So we will buy the licences for these shows and co-produce it using Indian and Pakistani producers, actors, directors, writers etc. Alongside we will also produce telefilms in a similar manner,” informs Kejriwal.

    According to Kejriwal, telefilms are a necessity whether or not they get TAM ratings. “It will give an opportunity to new talent and new stories to be shown. When serials run for more than three or four years, they don’t leave space for new talent,” says she.

    Zee also has plans for commissioned shows that will be created in both India and Pakistan. “So while we will have some Pakistani production houses making shows exclusively for Zindagi:  shot, written and directed in Pakistan, there will also be shows that will be created here in India,” adds Kejriwal.

    The channel aims at tapping those viewers who are open to variety in the content they consume. “It is not a homogenous viewing nation anymore. Many people want to see limited series and we will cater to them,” reveals Kejriwal.

    The show timings are different from the usual ones. If one sees the channel profile, while Zindagi Gulzar Hai begins at 8:00 pm, Aunn Zara will go on air at 8:55 pm and Kaash Main Teri Beti Na Hoti at 9:45 pm every day of the week. While some shows will be weekly, a few will be dailies.  The other shows in the channel programme bouquet include: Kitni Girhain Baqi Hain and Mera Naseeb.

    Kejriwal states that she purposely wanted play with the usual time slots on existing channels. “I was tired of the same 9:00 pm, 9:30 pm, 10:00 pm slots. Life isn’t clockwork, it is between all this. It isn’t that at 9:35 pm there is no life,” she says. All the shows on the channel are periodic with about 45 shows to be aired every year.

    The channel is available on all major DTH and cable TV platforms except for Sun Direct. The Rs 100 crore marketing plan entails a lot of outdoor, digital and print across the country in upscale areas with the concentration being in Uttar Pradesh, Bihar, Punjab and Haryana.

    Says Ranga, “& Pictures has taken six to seven per cent channel share within eight months post launch. We believe Zindagi will do the same especially with digitisation setting in. Rather than be a victim of fragmentation we want to lead it. Before viewers go to Star Plus, we want to capture them on Zindagi.”

    Speaking at a press conference, Pakistani TV actor Imran Abbas who will be seen as a lead in the show Mera Naseeb highlighted that Indian shows are very popular in Pakistan but awareness about Pakistani lifestyles is limited in India. “You will see something about Pakistan which you don’t see on news channels. People think that women in Pakistan only wear burqas which isn’t true. In fact even films don’t show the real side,” he says.

    During the launch phase, the channel is looking at targeting premium brands to associate as brand partners. Askme.com and Fogg have already been roped in  as sponsors.

    How do media planners view the channel? Says Maxus managing partner for north and east Navin Khemka, “Historically, Pakistani content was always popular in India and vice versa. Viewers will get to sample a fresh channel with fresh faces. It will be a breath of fresh air and if they like it they will get hooked to it. Whatever the channel does later on will depend on the mark it makes with the Pakistani shows. If the channel manages 70-80 GRPs in the beginning, that’s good news, but if it garners 100 GRPs then that’s great news!”

    With the launch of Zindagi, the network is fully focusing on its tagline ‘Vasudhaiva Kutumbakam’ meaning ‘The World is my Family.’ As Abbas puts it, “People need Visas to travel, stories don’t.”

  • IBN7 unveils special lineup for Christmas and New Year

    IBN7 unveils special lineup for Christmas and New Year

    MUMBAI: With the Christmas and New Year around, all channels are planning to package content differently to woo more viewers. Joining the bandwagon, Hindi news channel IBN7 unveils special programming to entertain the viewer this festive season.

    Beginning 24 December, the programming will have a mix of shows ranging from Bollywood gossips, laughter shows, and musical evening with the Indian Idol contestants and small screen child artists.

    IBN7 managing editor Ashutosh said, “We welcome the New Year with an array of programmes on IBN7 which has specially being designed keeping in mind our discerning viewers’ choice. We have tried to create an innovative package for our audience that would entertain them and reignite their emotions with the year end special shows.”

    On 24 December at 8 pm, the channel will air Director’s Cut, Aamir, wherein Bollywood actor Aamir Khan will talk about the upcoming release Ghajini and his rival Shahrukh Khan in the one-hour studio based show, hosted by Richa Anirudh. On 25th evening, a 30-minute special with Indian Idol contestants will be aired.

    On 28 December at 8 pm, the channel will show Amazing Kids in Zindagi Live. The special episode will feature kids who have set world records at a very tender age and have got themselves registered in Guinness book of world records.

    Hanstey Hanstey will wrap up all special episodes of some of its hallmark shows on 31 December at 10 pm and on 1 January at 10 am. 31 December evening will also see a special one-hour musical show featuring the Indian Idol contestants humming their favorite songs, share their on-stage experience and talk about the show, the judges and their future plans.

    The channel will also air Balika Vadhu special Zindagi Live on 4 January. The special episodes will bring popular child star Balika Vadhu’s – Anandi and her on-screen husband – Jagdish.