MAM
Zee Marathi explores unconventional revenue streams
MUMBAI: Zee’s Marathi channel, Zee Marathi, is playing on the advantage it has as a regional channel by using non-traditional methods to lure local advertisers. The channel charges the advertisers whose products are profiled in its Sunday afternoon shows Home Sweet Home and Shopping Shopping.
Apart from this, Zee Marathi has initiated classified advertising through text scrolls.
While Home Sweet Home features prominent real estate companies and builders, Shopping Shopping caters to various local advertisers such as jewellery firms and apparel outlets. The spot duration varies from two to five minutes. Depending on the duration, camera work and content, Zee Marathi charges anything between Rs 50,000 to Rs 3,00,000 for the slots. The channel runs classified scrolls, which feature local products and services, from 7 am to 12 pm and then from 10:30 pm onwards.
“This is part of our strategy to expand our revenue generation opportunities. Our classified advertising targets local firms which perceive television advertising as a costly affair. The facility is open to local advertisers only,” says Zee Marathi business head, Nitin Vaidya. According to Vaidya, the channel recently telecast an one hour edition of Home Sweet Home as a special package to keep up with the growing demand.
“In the last six months, Mumbai and Pune have witnessed a boom of sorts in sectors such as real estate and shopping. The retail sector has been solely explored by the print media. We wanted to change that and establish television as a cost-effective medium for local advertisers. Since the last three months, we have roped in about 50 clients, says a Zee spokesperson.
Zee Marathi had introduced the scroll-based classified ad feature early in 2004 on an experimental basis. According to Vaidya, now,scroll advertising has become a permanent feature in the channel. “We have even set up a separate team to sell classified advertising. Our clientele includes various jewellery outlets and real estate firms,” he says.
Zee Marathi has also brought in an overall hike in its ad rates by 40 per cent. The spot rates for our premium properties have increased by 300 per cent. For example, the channel recently sold 10 seconds slots for Zee Marathi Awards and Shwaas for Rs 15,000 while the normal rates for those time slots are Rs 5,000.
Brands
Honda Motorcycle & Scooter India revs up with 63.69 lakh units in FY2026, posts 9 per cent growth
The two-wheeler giant closes the fiscal year on a strong note, with March 2026 delivering a blockbuster 29 per cent year-on-year surge
GURUGRAM: Honda Motorcycle & Scooter India has ended FY2026 in fine fettle. The two-wheeler maker recorded total sales of 63,69,504 units in the April 2025 to March 2026 period, a 9 per cent jump over FY2025, driven by sustained customer demand, improving market sentiment and a sharp focus on strengthening its presence across key segments.
The year’s finale was nothing short of spectacular. In March 2026 alone, HMSI shifted 5,49,145 units, a blistering 29 per cent growth over March 2025. Domestic sales for the month stood at 5,12,303 units, with exports contributing a further 36,842 units.
Zoom out to the full year and the picture is equally robust. Of the 63,69,504 units sold in FY2026, domestic sales accounted for 57,49,275 units, while exports came in at 6,20,229 units. The performance reflected a balanced showing across both markets, underpinned by a strong product portfolio and HMSI’s consistent emphasis on quality, reliability and customer satisfaction.
The company, which operates across 7,000-plus touchpoints in India, also underscored its commitment to road safety, pointing to its “Safety for Everyone” vision and the deployment of technologies such as ABS, CBS and rider-assist features across its range.
Twenty-nine per cent in March. Nine per cent for the year. For Honda in India, FY2026 was a very good ride indeed.
