GECs
Sony Sab’s resolution for 2021: Being happy
MUMBAI: Hindi GEC Sony Sab is bidding adieu to 2020 with a message of hope and good health from MD psychiatrist Dr Anjali Chhabria, highlighting why being happy should be one resolution everyone needs to make for 2021.
The new brand video invites audiences to refocus on health as we enter the new year. It further shines a spotlight on how positive content can act as a stimulus that helps alleviate stress, improves mental well-being as well as immunity.
With its impressive line-up of fresh programmes and light-hearted value driven content ranging from daily family comedy, fantasy fiction to path breaking concepts, the channel is dedicated to promoting an enjoyable family-viewing experience leading to a healthy and happier life for all its viewers.
In an unprecedented year, television provided an opportunity to families to bond, with consumption surging by 40 per cent during lockdown (BCG-CII report). A living room brand, Sony Sab launched unique and exciting shows in 2020. Tera Yaar Hoon Main, which focuses on a father-son relationship, gained popularity for its realistic portrayal of the Indian family unit, while Kaatelal & Sons, a story about two young girls bucking gender roles, continues to be a hit with viewers. The most recent offering Hero Gayab Mode On, a sci-fi tale of a young man finding an extraordinary power to help him defeat evil forces, opened to great reviews for its fresh storyline and breath-taking visuals. The channel is now gearing up for the launch of Wagle Ki Duniya, a celebration of the aspirations of today’s middle class, the story takes a leap forward and is set in today’s time with the new generation of Wagle and family.
Sony Sab business head Neeraj Vyas said, “At Sony Sab, we create shows that not only entertain our viewers but also bring them joy. If there’s anything that 2020 has taught us, it would be to stay hopeful, happy and healthy. Therefore, as we enter the new year, we all need something to relieve the stress and help us take a refreshed view of our health and well-being. We are glad to partner with Dr Anjali Chhabria, who also accredits a happy and positive outlook as the secret to good health, mind and body. Through our content we continue to provide audiences the opportunity to bond and regale with their families, to laugh and to simply spread the happiness.”
MD psychiatrist Dr Anjali Chhabria said, “At a time when we’re surrounded by overwhelming negativity and incredible stress, being happy can help to a great extent. Happiness is the antidote to stress and sometimes we need an external stimulus to feel happy. Sharing a good laugh while immersing oneself in a funny story, spending time with loved ones– can all help us feel happy. And it has been proven by various studies time and again, happy people are healthy people. Happiness and health go hand in hand. And that is what we need as we step into the new year. A future filled with happiness and health to help us overcome the difficult year we’ve all had.”
GECs
Zee scales syndication with global tie-ups, 350 plus channel MCN
Vertical, dubbed and audio formats boost digital reach
MUMBAI: Zee Entertainment Enterprises Ltd. is giving its content library a fresh passport. The company has stepped up its syndication push, signing global partnerships, experimenting with new-age formats and building a multi-channel network that now spans more than 350 channels.
With the newly secured MCN licence, Zee can manage, distribute and monetise content across leading digital platforms at scale, strengthening its presence in the fast-growing creator and short-form ecosystem.
To keep pace with changing viewing habits, the company is also reshaping its content into formats built for the small screen in your hand. In a tie-up with micro-drama platform Story TV, select titles are being reworked into vertical, short-duration episodes tailored for mobile-first audiences.
Beyond India, the syndication team is widening its global footprint with foreign-language dubbing and regional partnerships across Europe, Africa and Latin America, opening up fresh markets for Indian stories.
Zee is also tapping into the audio boom. It has begun licensing audio remake rights for legacy properties such as Zee Horror Show, with several more titles lined up for audio-first adaptations.
On the digital front, the company has made progress in monetising non-exclusive rights for library films, while converting select shows and movies from horizontal to vertical formats to improve discoverability on short-form platforms.
Zee Entertainment Enterprises Ltd. business head syndication Vinod Johri, said syndication has emerged as a strong growth lever for the company. He noted that the combination of a large MCN network, global partnerships and new formats such as vertical video and audio is helping build a future-ready engine that extracts more value from the content library.
Together, these moves signal a platform-agnostic approach to storytelling, as Zee repackages, localises and redistributes its IP across geographies, formats and screens, ensuring its catalogue keeps working long after the first broadcast.
