News Broadcasting
Cartoon Network block to replace Nickelodeon on Zee TV 1 September
MUMBAI: Indian kids fled Zee TV ever since it lost the Disney animation block to Sony Entertainment and replaced it with Nickelodeon programming. Somehow it seemed that Nickelodeon characters and fare had failed to click with them to the extent that Disney cartoons, The Power Puff Girls, Tom and Jerry, Superman and The Flintstones do. At least some of the kids that Zee TV lost are likely to return come 1 September courtesy an alliance between partners in India the Zee Network and Turner.
The two have further cemented their relationship by signing an agreement to launch an exclusive Hindi Cartoon Network programming block on Zee TV branded Cartoon Network on Zee. The block will air twice daily (8:30 am9:30 am and 6:00 pm7:00 pm) Monday through Saturday. It will also air at 8:00 a.m. 9:00 am and 6:00 pm. 7:00 pm. on Sundays. The block directly replaces the slot which is currently occupied by Nickelodeon.
Nickelodeon India, meanwhile said it was parting ways with Zee to “focus on its 24-hour channel, which has taken rapid, successful strides in the recent past.” The channel claims it is now available in more than 12 million homes across India.
Says Turner International India managing director Anshuman Misra: As leaders in kids entertainment, it has been our mission to elevate animation to the level of general entertainment. The launch of Cartoon Network on Zee is a significant step in that direction.
He adds: It is also a vital strategy as we continue to aggressively localize the Cartoon Network brand and product offering in India.”
Says Zee Network group broadcasting CEO Sandeep Goyal: “Kids 4-14 and young mothers are important demographics for a general entertainment channel. The association with the Cartoon Network brand and the introduction of some of the worlds best animated content on Zee TV will enable us to better serve these audiences during key day parts.
With the launch of Cartoon Network on Zee, Hindi language programmes drawn from the animation majors vast library of over 10,000 cartoons will be available to Zee TVs 30 million households in addition to Cartoon Networks existing loyal viewers on the 24-hour channel.
Among the cartoon characters and shows which will feature in the Cartoon Network on Zee include: Scooby-Doo, The Mask, The PowerPuff Girls, Dexter’s Laboratory, Pinky and the Brain, Samurai Jack, The Real Adventures of Johnny Quest, The Flintstones, The Jetsons, Tom and Jerry Kids, Superman, Captain Planet, Ed, Edd N Eddy, The Rod Runner Show, Courage the Cowardly Dog, Sheep in the Big City, Mike, Lu & Og, Sylvester and Tweety, Mysteries and Batman-The Animated Series.
News Broadcasting
Senior media executive Madhu Soman exits Zee Media
Former Reuters and Bloomberg leader says he leaves with “no regrets” after brief stint at WION and Zee Business
NOIDA: Madhu Soman, a veteran of global newsrooms and media sales floors, has stepped away from Zee Media Corporation after a short stint steering business strategy for WION and Zee Business.
In a reflective LinkedIn note marking his departure, Soman said his time within the network’s corridors was always likely to be brief. “Some chapters close faster than expected,” he wrote, signalling the end of a nearly two-year spell in which he oversaw both editorial partnerships and commercial strategy.
Soman joined Zee Media in 2022 after more than a decade abroad with Reuters and Bloomberg, returning to India to take on the role of chief business officer for WION and Zee Business. His mandate was ambitious: bridge the newsroom and the revenue desk while expanding digital and broadcast reach.
During the stint, Zee Business reached break-even for the first time since its launch in 2005, while WION refreshed programming and strengthened its digital footprint across platforms such as YouTube and Facebook.
But Soman suggested the cultural fit proved uneasy. Describing himself as a “cultural misfit”, he hinted at deeper tensions between editorial instincts shaped in global newsrooms and the realities of India’s television news ecosystem.
Before joining Zee, Soman spent more than seven years at Bloomberg in Hong Kong as head of broadcast sales for Asia-Pacific, expanding the company’s news syndication business across several markets. Earlier, he held senior editorial roles at Reuters, overseeing online strategy in India and managing Reuters Video Services from London.
His career began in television and wire reporting, including a stint with ANI during the 1999 Kargil conflict, before moving into digital publishing as India’s internet media landscape took shape.
Now, after nearly three decades in broadcast and digital media, Soman is leaving Delhi NCR and returning to his hometown, Trivandrum.
Exhausted, he admits. But unbowed. And with one quiet line that sums up the journey: he didn’t sell his soul — because some things, after all, are not for sale.
