MAM
GEC battle: Sony, Colors, Zee heat up competition for 2nd spot
MUMBAI: There is no business like Hindi GEC (general entertainment channel) business. Just when media pundits were expecting some stability in the Hindi GEC order, the battle has started brewing, again. But this time for the second spot.
While Star Plus continues to lead the genre, albeit losing a few GRPs (gross rating points) per week, the race for the second spot is up for grabs.
The last seven months has seen Sony Entertainment Television (Set) and Colors locked in a see-saw battle, with Zee TV watching on the sidelines. But for the week ended 25 February, Zee TV toppled Colors to regain the No. 3 spot.
Now though Colors is back to No. 3, the difference between Set, Colors and Zee is that of one and five GRPS respectively, as per TAM data for the week ended 3 March (C&S, 4+, HSM).
Set closed the week with 212 GRPs, after losing 15 GRPs from the previous week. Colors, after adding 11 GRPs, ended the week with 211 GRPs.
Zee TV, though, is back in the race, even if it has slipped to No. 4 again by losing 16 GRPs. It closed the week with 206 GRPs.
Star Plus remained on top with 259 GRPs, shedding 20 GRPs. In the prior week before that, it had lost 19 GRPs.
Sab, meanwhile, remained at No. 5 with 131 GRPS in its kitty (last week 134).
Life OK added 6 GRPs to end the week with 87 GRPs (last week 81).
Imagine TV closed with 65 GRPs (last week 63), while Sahara One lost 8 GRPs to end the week with 45 GRPs (last week 53), according to TAM data.
MAM
Lego brings Messi, Ronaldo, Mbappé, Vinicius together
Campaign clocks 314 million views ahead of FIFA World Cup 2026 buzz.
MUMBAI: Four legends, one frame and not a single tackle in sight. Lego has pulled off a crossover few thought possible, uniting Lionel Messi, Cristiano Ronaldo, Kylian Mbappé and Vinícius Júnior in a single campaign ahead of the FIFA World Cup 2026 only this time, they’re building dreams brick by brick.
Titled “Everyone wants a piece”, the campaign features the quartet assembling a Lego version of the World Cup trophy, before placing miniature versions of themselves atop it, a playful nod to football’s ultimate prize. Shared widely across social media, the ad carries a pointed disclaimer: it is not AI-generated, a subtle but telling signal in an era where even reality is often questioned.
The numbers tell their own story. The campaign has already crossed 314 million views on Instagram across the players’ accounts, with fans hailing it as a rare, almost nostalgic moment particularly for the reunion of Messi and Ronaldo, whose last shared campaign ahead of the 2022 World Cup became one of the platform’s most-liked posts.
Beyond the film, Lego is extending the play with exclusive, player-themed sets tied to each of the four stars, part of a broader football-led programme designed to ride the global momentum building towards 2026. The idea, as echoed by the players themselves, leans into the parallels between football and play experimentation, creativity, failure, and triumph.
Messi described the sets as a way to bring on-pitch moments into an imaginative, hands-on world, while Ronaldo called the transformation into a Lego figure a rare honour, blending sport with storytelling. Vinícius, meanwhile, struck a more personal note, recalling childhood moments of building with Lego and framing creativity as a universal language that transcends borders.
The timing is no accident. With the 2026 World Cup set to run from June 11 to July 19 across the United States, Canada and Mexico, and featuring an expanded 48-team format, global anticipation is already building. Argentina, led by Messi, will enter as defending champions, adding another layer of intrigue.
For Lego, the campaign does more than celebrate football, it taps into its mythology. Because when icons become figurines and rivalries turn into play, the beautiful game finds a new kind of pitch. one built, quite literally, by hand.
