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.
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Tawana Burnett to lead social and influencer jury at Abby Awards 2026
Meta’s Apac leader takes the reins for Abby Awards, adding flair to social content
MUMBAI: Tawana Burnett, Meta’s Head of Top Accounts and Agencies for Apac, has been named jury chair for the new social content and influencer ,arketing category at the Abby Awards 2026, powered by The One Club | The One Show.
With a 25-year career spanning the US, EMEA, Latam, and Apac, Tawana has worked on campaigns for some of the world’s biggest brands and leading advertising agencies. At Meta, she guides CMOs, business leaders, and agencies on harnessing digital and emerging advertising solutions to accelerate brand growth.
Before joining Meta, Tawana led award-winning product teams at Intuit, LeapFrog, Johnson & Johnson, and Pfizer, helping launch iconic products including QuickBooks, Listerine, Advil, and ChapStick.
A champion of diversity, she was featured in Adweek’s Women Trailblazers in 2019 for mentoring more than 15 women-led startups and for her work on the #biascorrect campaign that promotes women in leadership. She was also recognised in Ad Age’s Global Leading Women Class of 2023, The List in 2024, and served as juror for Spikes Asia and Mad Stars 2024.
Tawana has held leadership roles in the Singapore Inclusion Council at Meta, the IAB SouthEast Asia & India Board, and currently serves on the boards of IAA SEA and the Ronald McDonald House in New York City. Originally from New York, she now lives in Singapore with her husband and daughter.
The Abby Awards 2026, presented by The One Club | The One Show, will be held during Goafest 2026 from 20 to 22 May in Goa, celebrating creativity across the region.
