TAAS recently crossed the mark of 100 Million views on YouTube as it recorded a total of 101.6 Million views in the month of August and counting.

The channel managed to engage 3.1 Million Minutes of its total viewers for the month of August 2021, which is comparatively more than 2.5 times views with respect for 35.6 Million views which they received in the month of November 2020.

Keeping the current analytics of viewership in mind that an individual’s average social media usage is 2 hours per day, the channel focused their energy to create quality content in order attract the attention of the audience through social media rather than going through mainstream methods.

Commenting on the achievement of the 100 Mn milestone Nilesh Khare, Editor and Business Head, ZEE 24 TAAS, said “It’s a clear indication that ZEE 24 TAAS content is directly connecting with the people as we are giving hyper local and unique original content to the audience on our various platforms. This is just a beginning and in the future, we will surely have many more milestones and records coming for ZEE 24 TAAS. Looking at the festive season ZEE 24 TAAS will bring in special programming on the channel starting with special Ganpati Aarti till Anant Chaturdashi and exclusive programming on Ganpati Aarti by Marathi Celebrities every day till the end Ganpati Festival. ZEE 24 TAAS shall continue to hold Vikas Maharashtracha series where Industry experts and stakeholders will gather on one platform to discuss various aspects of growth and development, across Maharashtra State in the month of September.”

ZEE 24 TAAS has taken digital entertainment to a different level in India with versatility in its shows and programmes and even after achieving the aforementioned milestone there is no stopping for the channel.

You have had a long leadership role in Viacom18. How has it helped in implementing the broadcast learning on Q India ?
The one thing that has been the most exciting part of my career is that I have been fortunate to be part of start-ups which went on to become successful companies. My stint at Viacom18 as one of the founder members of COLORS back in 2008 or be it at Sony TV in 1995, were milestones in my career. And now here at the helm of the new entrant - The Q, we are one team on a joint mission with the same vision of building a brand that is unique and never seen before. Success is a given if you have the right specialists who think like Intrapreneurs and that is the biggest learning from my experience.

How has been The Q India journey in India so far?
The Q has been one of the unique brands to experiment and think differently from its inception by curating & powering content from the internet for Young audiences across platforms. We have been the fastest growing GEC in recent times. It's something our Founders and teams are very proud of.

There is an increasing affinity in India to local languages? How do you intend to cater to this Indian audience?
We have a successful brand in The Q in Hindi and are keenly looking at all opportunities in the media space. In the near future you will see many more announcements and and true to us, many firsts.

What are the programming strategy and the TG you are targeting and your expansion plans for India?
The Q is the only channel which is powered by Digital Creators & Social Media Influencers and programmed for Young India. Television that is anytime, anywhere & any screen. This will always be in our DNA in whatever content and platforms we get into in the near future.

Could you share your marketing plan or mix for the Indian market?
We are excited about kick starting the marketing campaign for our new Crime Show "Jurm Ka Chehra" in the coming weeks and other comedies & format shows to make The Q a destination for "Zara Hatke" entertainment.

The Best Businesses Are Built Around Passion. What are your views on this?
I would not think any other way. Passion will never ever go out of fashion. Our teams breathe this every moment in everything we do.

On a personal note, what have been the highlights of your career so far? Your key learnings?
Like I mentioned earlier, I am an adventure seeker and love trying out new challenges. I have left organizations at their peak and taken the plunge into newer vistas. You find your tribe and the energy levels of being in it together is another level of thrill.

Zee Punjabi has successfully completed one year on the auspicious occasion of Lohri. How has been the response from the land of people with Vadde Vadde Sapne?

We are delighted to note the extremely positive response the channel has received since its launch, Punjab has welcomed us with open arms. We’re grateful that we have played a small role in entertaining people and keeping their spirits up in these exceptionally trying times by continuing to provide them with the best of content. Our shows have struck a chord with the viewers for their authenticity and rootedness, and at the same time dazzled viewers by presenting the biggest stars of this Industry who have time and again been on our platform. We are thrilled to share that we will soon have the cricketing icon Harbhajan Singh on our channel, who will host a unique game show starting September.

COVID-19 has thrown major challenges. How are you re-attracting viewers to your TV Channel and finding new sources of revenue?

TV viewership has infact grown during the pandemic with more people being confined at home, so the challenge for us has been keeping people entertained and delivering content that serves as an escape. We’ve had shows with local deities like Maa Chintapurni in Mawan Thandiyan Chawan with Karan Mehra, thrillers like Ankhiyan Udeek Diyan with Parmeet Sethi, laugh riots like Hasseyan Da Halla hosted by the iconic Jaswinder Bhalla and engaging chat shows like Dil Diyan Gallan hosted by superstar Sonam Bajwa.

What are the interesting trends and insights which are very unique to the Punjabi GEC/Movie viewership?

People love entertainment in all forms, the market has been growing for the last few years driven by the launch of new channels in GEC, music & movies in the Punjab market.
Punjab is also a land which takes things in its stride and adds a dash of humour to everything. You will notice this in our shows as well and also in the fact that comedies are on the channel frequently.
Another important factor is the bhakti that people have and the fact that devotional content does well in the market
Another interesting trend we have noticed is that children consume a lot of TV in Punjab which is higher than the average time spent by children in India overall.

Zee Punjabi has brought a strong line up of fiction and non-fiction shows with story lines inspired by the land of Punjab. What has been the audience reaction?

The reaction has been positive, we have had our shows consistently in the top 5 shows of Punjab by impressions (BARC data) and our non-fictions have dominated the weekends in the original telecast band. Fictions like Khasmnau Khani, Mawan Thandiyan Chawan, Ankhiyan Udeek Diyan and non-fictions like Jazbaa, Dil Diyan Gallan, Antakshari, Hasseeyan Da Halla have created quite the impression on the audience. We are humbled by the response and endeavour to work hard to offer best in class entertainment to Punjabis everywhere and be the gold standard for Punjabi language TV.

There is a growing demand in regional markets for disruptive content, both in fiction and non-fictions. What are your plans for Zee Punjabi?

Our plans are to bring superior content to this market that caters to the taste of Punjabis. With shows like Mawan Thnadiyan Chawan, Ankhiyan Udeek Diyan, Jazbaa and Dil Diyan Gallan we have created a differentiated platter for viewers which has been readily lapped up. Our future shows include a family comedy – Tedha Meda Sadda Vedha , an inspirational story of overcoming gender bias in Geet Dholi – Sufne Di Thaap & a fun game show Punjabiyaan Di Dadagiri hosted by the national icon Harbhajan Singh

Share your thought process behind roping in Harbhajan Singh, Jassi Gill, Jaswinder Bhalla, Neeru Bajwa, Sonam Bajwa, Parmeet Sethi for Zee Punjabi?

We have our ear to the ground and are intimately connected with our viewers. Our insights told us that viewers wanted to see the biggest icons and pride of Punjab on their TV screens day in and day out. It is a credit to the strength of our platform and network that we’ve managed to rope in some of the biggest stars of Punjab and get them on our shows to keep our viewers constantly entertained.

Regional Channels may become the flagships of broadcast network. Your thoughts?

The industry is witnessing significant growth of regional language content consumption as regional channels celebrate the rich heritage of various states of our remarkably diverse nation. I believe regional TV is symbolic of our diversity and heritage and is the crown jewel of the Indian TV industry.

On a personal note, what have been the highlights of your career so far?

I have been incredibly lucky to have launched brands, channels and worked on challenger brands and led them to leadership, the journey is the reward. From launching IMFL liquor brands to international liqueurs to TV channels, it’s been an enriching and rewarding journey across diverse markets from Pan Indian brands to regional TV channels across Bengal, Odisha and now Punjab which I believe will become a strong a pillar for our Company.

Mamta Sharma And Shaheer N Sheikh Collaborate To Recreate Saajan Film Song As First Project Under Ishtar

Leading Indian music record label company, Venus Music from the Venus Worldwide conglomerate is now acquired by leading Paris based digital company Believe. As part of this 100% acquisition Venus Music will now be rebranded as Ishtar. The acquisition covers all music rights of Venus Music which has a strong catalog of non-film music as well as Indian film music and entails categories such as Bollywood, regional, pop, classical, ghazals, qawwalis, devotional and instrumental. As part of this strategic move, Venus Music will now not be limited to dominance in the domestic circles but will also parallelly enjoy global leverage through Believe’s extensive international affiliations.

Vivek Raina, Managing Director, Believe India states, “This rebranding exercise represents a significant step in the company’s evolution. The reputation and equity built by Venus Music over the years is an asset for Believe and with this rebranding, it will evolve the service offerings through new content creation, independent artist association, promotions across television and media, music distribution and other media in India and overseas market. We are also looking at leveraging the catalog to promote and support talent as well as music”.

This announcement will be helmed with the release of the very first project under the newly formed moniker by Indian playback singer Mamta Sharma best known for her tracks ‘Munni Badnaam Hui’ and ‘Fevicol Se’ in the film Dabangg. Titled ‘Mera Dil Bhi Kitna Pagal Hai’, the brand-new track will release on the Ishtar YouTube channel and all leading digital stores on 5th August 2021. The track is a reprised version of the original song from the 1991 super-hit romantic drama ‘Saajan’ that featured Madhuri Dixit and Sanjay Dutt. Popular television actor Shaheer N Sheikh and singer Mamta Sharma will share screen space in the music video of the reprised track which has been directed by Ashraf Ali.

Mamta Sharma states, “My new release is a recreation of the iconic song ‘Mera Dil Bhi Kitna Pagal Hai’ from the movie Saajan, which released 30 years ago and still continues to hold such a memorable spot in all our hearts. Being an avid Madhuri Dixit fan, this is a project that is very close to my heart and is my humble ode to her legacy. I had a great time putting this project together. Shaheer is extremely hardworking, humble and cooperative. Bad-Ash has done a flawless job with the lyrics while Ashraf Ali has brilliantly captured the essence of the track in the video. I hope the listeners love this recreated version of the track.”

Shaheer N Sheikh states, “I had a great time shooting the video with Mamta Sharma as the song is one of my personal favorites. A song which released 3 decades ago gave ‘romance’ a whole new meaning at that time and till today, it lives on in our hearts! I remember watching the film for the first time and I totally fell in love with the on-screen characters. Mamta and I have tried to capture every sentiment attached with the song, recreating this popular track from Saajan and hope our fans will appreciate the effort.”

Fans will now be able to access highlights of the match, in-play clips, player of the match, best catches, best wickets, and much more on Facebook Watch

Facebook, today announced its partnership with Sony Pictures Networks India (SPNI) to showcase highlights and videos from the Indian national cricket team’s upcoming tours of Sri Lanka and England. This will kickstart with the first ODI against Sri Lanka on July 18 and will span up till the fifth Test match against England from September 10-14. The partnership includes match highlights and videos across three ODIs, three T20Is, and five Tests, being showcased on Facebook Watch.

Connecting millions of fans with their favourite match moments and sports icons, the wide range of content will include match highlights, in-play moments with best catches, best wickets, and man of the match amongst others. Being featured on the Facebook page of the sports channels of Sony Pictures Networks India, fans will be able to catch up on action they missed and talk about or share the top moments with their friends and family.

Speaking on the announcement, Mr. Manish Chopra, Director and Head of Partnerships, Facebook India, said, “Sports, including cricket, is an integral part of our efforts towards building and enabling video experiences that connect people and build community on Facebook. And we are delighted to partner with Sony Pictures Networks India (SPNI) to bring the most exciting moments from the Indian cricket team’s upcoming tours of Sri Lanka and England, to Facebook Watch. We are positive that bringing the action from the matches will further bolster the conversations and engagement amongst cricket fans from across the globe.”

Mr. Manish Aggarwal, Head – Growth and Monetisation, Digital Business, Sony Pictures Networks India said, “We are excited to partner with Facebook to bring highlights and videos from the Indian cricket team’s upcoming tours of Sri Lanka and England. Our association with Facebook will enable us to extend thrilling content to cricket enthusiasts and drive further engagement around what happens on the pitch.”

Facebook Watch is built with the belief that watching video can help people to connect with each other more deeply. Facebook is constantly working towards building and enabling video experiences that connect people, and cricket is an integral part of building the social viewing experience on the platform and bringing the community together.