Guest Article: Namaste and Vannakam to Television 2.0
Democracy has found its way to the Television screen said Zee Turner’s Dinesh Jain, adding, if Television 1.0 was about India; Television 2.0 is about Bharat. It is about a Bharat that lives beyond the big cities, and both of these reasserting its distinct identity. A Bharat that demands content in its own myriad languages.

When AR Rahman signs off the biggest acceptance speech of his life with “Ella puzhugum iruvan orruvanikein”, is there a message beyond just the English translation he quickly offered? When Chidambaram intersperses his prim English budget speech with liberal references to the famed poet Saint Thiruvalluvar, is he signaling the growing importance of a crucial constituency?
While the answers are a subject of a pointed interview, clearly these are signs of a growing confidence of an Indian in his or her local identity. In these examples, both proud Tamilians speaking their mother tongue. Never has India been this aware of what many would call their first identity. Never before has the local tongue been flouted with such passion.
The resurgence has not left the television industry untouched.
Television entertainment is currently at an interesting crossroad. Things were this exciting last when the first big change was happening; when Indians started demanding TV content in Hindi, their own language, from a C&S system that was only broadcasting English from Hong-Kong. That’s when Zee TV came in and changed the rules of TV viewing. Ever since then, the C&S households in India grew at nothing less than 20 per cent a year and surely expanded the base of Hindi GEC viewers. However, this assertion of identity has not remained stationary. The boom of TV in Hindi has set grounds for what can undoubtedly be called Television 2.0.
If Television 1.0 was about India; Television 2.0 is about Bharat. It is about a Bharat that lives beyond the big cities, and both of these reasserting its distinct identity. A Bharat that demands content in its own myriad languages. While Hindi GEC continues to, and for the foreseeable future, will continue to take rapid strides, it is the regional language content that will fuel the next big leap in television in India saying “Amar monoranjan amar bhashaye bhalo lage…”.
Close to 70 per cent Indians speak vernacular and very clearly they also want to be entertained in the language that they speak at home and with family. The television industry, as always, has been quick to respond. Even in this early phase, there are as many as 30 regional channels on air, feeding the dishes and cables of the Marathi, the Tamil, the Bengali, and several such, no longer niche, consumers. Why no longer niche? One-fourth of India’s total television consumption is already taking place in regional languages, and sure as dawn, will only multiply further. In a position of advantage, at the helm of India’s most powerful and experienced pan-India distribution player, I can predict this share to go up from a current 50 per cent in the total GEC pie very soon.
My evidence is the tremendous success our own language GEC cluster has experienced in rather quick time. Zee Turner has nine successful GECs as against a ‘6’ and ‘4’ with some others. Six of these nine are already regional language channels – each witnessing a furious growth in reach and viewership.
In Maharashtra, for instance, Zee Marathi, which is also the king of Zee Turner’s language GEC cluster, has a majority genre share of 55 per cent. It has overtaken the Hindi GEC that is nationally the highest TRP gainer by a whopping margin of 40 per cent. Zee Bangla similarly has the highest share of 36 per cent in its State. In both these markets, Zee enjoys three to four programmes among the top five viewed, according to TAM and exchange4media ratings.
Let me take you to the intensely competitive Southern markets. Andhra Pradesh is the country’s largest C&S State. With Zee Telugu, we changed the way audience viewed content there. With a steep rise in TRPs, Zee Telugu has succeeded in toppling the long standing No. 1 of channel of Andhra Pradesh several times in specific time bands.
Zee Kannada in Karnataka is also already in the top 3, not too far behind its rivals Udaya TV and ETV Kannada. Though very much in its infancy, Zee Tamizh is another channel geared to storm the Tamil Nadu market.
Much like the billions of regional ears that wanted to hear their own language on TV, the audience for English, that watched its options dwindle over the years, is finding its own chorus too. The unique content of Zee Café that has built a niche, but extremely loyal viewer base, is just the tip of the iceberg. What will now really pad up the English GEC segment for Zee Turner is Turner’s new offering ‘Warner Brothers’.
So what does the future foretell? Well clearly, democracy has found its way to the Television screen. For quite some time, television in India was following Henry Ford’s dictum on his Model-T; “Any customer can have a car painted any colour that he wants so long as it is black”. Television 2.0 is all about a vibrant palette of colours. And it is the consumer who is calling the shots.
“Aata jagane rangeet zhale”… Life has now become colourful.
(Dinesh Jain is CEO of Zee Turner.)
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E4M Our strategy is to target younger audiences through Sports: Rajiv Dubey, Dabur
The Head of Media at Dabur India spoke exclusively to exchange4media on the World Cup, associating with Indian Idol, the company’s digital spending and much more
With quirky campaigns, memes and moment marketing, timed with the ongoing World Cup and particularly the India-Pakistan matches, Dabur India has got considerable consumer attention for its popular brands – Red Paste, Cool King Hair Oil, Chyawanprash, Dabur Vita and the recently launched Bae Fresh Gel toothpaste.
The 140-year-old company is going big on key sporting events, World Television Premiere (WTP) movies and reality shows. It is now gearing up to become the title sponsor of popular talent show ‘Indian Idol’ on Sony TV for the first time, shared Rajiv Dubey, who leads the media strategy at Dabur.
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Swapan Seth's new book 'COOL' is out
The book is a reflection of the author's 'eclectic taste across categories'
Advertising professional and art collector Swapan Seth has announced the launch of his new book COOL. The book is described as "a ready reckoner to the hip and the happening, of the known and the very unknown."
The book is a reflection of the author's "eclectic taste across categories: from boltholes to exotic hideaways."
COOL has been published by Simon & Schuster India and is available on Amazon.
Seth is an ad veteran with a long and illustrious career in the industry. He became the youngest-ever Creative Director at Clarion at age 24. He was VP at 26 at Trikaya Grey. Two years later, he started his agency Equus.
He writes for publications such as The Economic Times, Hindustan Times and India Today. This is his second book and he has previously published THIS IS ALL I HAVE TO SAY.
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Disney Star signs 9 sponsors for Asia Cup PAK
Charged by Thums Up, Nerolac Paint+, Amazon Pay, Jindal Panther, My11Circle, MRF, Samsung Galaxy Z Flip5, Wild Stone and Thums Up come on board
e4m Staff Disney Star has signed nine broadcast and digital streaming sponsors for the upcoming Asia Cup.
Charged by Thums Up, Nerolac Paint+, Amazon Pay, Jindal Panther, My11Circle, MRF, Samsung Galaxy Z Flip5, Wild Stone and Thums Up have come on board for the upcoming tournament.
As reported earlier by exchange4media, Disney Star has sought Rs 26 crore for the co-presenting sponsorship on TV and Rs 30 crore for Disney+ Hotstar.
According to industry sources, the associate sponsorship on Star Sports has been priced at Rs 19.66 crore, whereas for the ‘powered by’ sponsorship on Disney+ Hotstar, the broadcaster is seeking Rs 18 crore.
As per the information available with exchange4media, Disney+ Hotstar has three sponsorship tiers-- co-presenting (Rs 30 crore), powered by (Rs 18 crore) and associate sponsorship (Rs 12 crore). The broadcaster is offering an estimated reach of 120-140 million for co-presenting sponsors, 90-100 million for powered by and 60-70 million for associate sponsorship.
A spot buy for 10 seconds has been priced at Rs 25 lakh for the India vs Pakistan matches, while for the non-India matches, the ad rate for 10 second is Rs 2.3 lakh. The India matches plus the final for ODIs has been priced at Rs 17 lakh per 10 seconds.
Asia Cup is scheduled to be held from 30 August, 2023, to September 17, 2023.
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Sorted 360 wins creative & social media mandate of Reliance Mall
The agency will manage offline and online campaigns for Reliance Mall
Sorted 360, an integrated creative and social media agency, has won the mandate to providing brand solutions for Reliance Malls across India.
“Sorted 360 is set to enhance Reliance Malls' market presence with their unparalleled creative prowess and strategic thinking,” read a press release.
“Sorted 360's commitment to pushing the boundaries of creative communication aligns perfectly with Reliance Malls' ethos. With a pan-India presence spanning across 19 cities and growing, Reliance Malls has consistently captivated customers by offering an array of Reliance brands and third-party fashion & lifestyle brands. The mall has established an unparalleled connection with its patrons through superior quality, a remarkable value proposition, and an unmatched shopping experience,” it read further.
"We are thrilled to welcome Sorted 360 as our trusted partner in advancing our brand presence across the nation," said the Head of Marketing at Relaice Malls. "Their proven expertise in retail, shopping center management, and innovative creative strategies make them the perfect fit for our vision."
"Partnering with Reliance Malls is a testament to our commitment to shaping extraordinary brand experiences," remarked Prerana Anatharam, Co-founder of Sorted 360. "We are excited to leverage our strategic and creative acumen to further elevate Reliance Malls as the epitome of convenience, choice, and excellence."
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KlugKlug onboards Hemang Mehta as Country Manager for Indias
Mehta was most recently Head of Agency Relationships at Network 18 Media & Investments
KlugKlug has appointed Hemang Mehta as its Country Manager for India.
Mehta will play a pivotal role in driving KlugKlug's growth and expansion within the Indian market and be responsible for Sales & GTM Strategy
Prior to that, he has also represented organisations like Exponential (now VDX.tv), India Today Digital and Rediff.com. His expertise spans various domains including digital media sales, mobile marketing, media planning, and buying, social media marketing, and more.
Hemang Mehta expressed his enthusiasm about joining KlugKlug, saying, "I am thrilled to be a part of KlugKlug, a forward-thinking platform that is reshaping the influencer marketing landscape. As much as I look forward to collaborating with the exuberant team at KlugKlug, I am super excited to interact with the brands to deliver powerful data-backed Influencer solutions that will guarantee business outcomes."
Commenting on the appointment, Kalyan Kumar, Co-Founder and CEO of KlugKlug, stated, "We are excited to welcome Hemang Mehta to our team as the Country Manager for India. His extensive experience in digital media sales and marketing will be instrumental in driving our efforts to provide influencer marketing solutions to our clients. We believe Hemang's leadership will be key in scaling our operations and expanding our reach within the Indian market."
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