GECs
Countdown begins for IIFA Awards 2005
MUMBAI: The IIFA awardees can look forward to picking tulips in Holland this time. The International Indian Film Academy (IIFA) awards 2005 is all set to rock Amsterdam. At a Press conference held in Mumbai today, IIFA announced its plans for this year’s event.
The IIFA Weekend 2005 will be held in Amsterdam from 9-11 June. The awards ceremony will be held on 11 June. One of the highlights of this year’s IIFA Weekend will be the FICCI-IIFA global business forum, which is scheduled for 10 June. The forum will cover topics including cinema and broadcasting, civil aviation and tourism industry.
IIFA is also looking at incorporating India’s regional film industry in the event. To begin with, it will have a Bengali film along with the Marathi Oscar entry Shwaas featured in the film festival. An IIFA official said the organisation was seriously looking at instituting awards for regional films as well.
IIFA brand ambassador Amitabh Bachchan unveiled the list of nominees for the awards, on the occasion.
IIFA Awards will also feature a celebrity cricket match, a film festival and a world film premiere. The film festival will feature popular movies including Swadesh, Veer Zaara, Dhoom and Mein Hoon Na, apart from critically acclaimed films The Little Terrorist and Shwaas.
As reported earlier on Indiantelevision.com, Star Network will broadcast the awards exclusively across the globe. This is the first time Star is associating with IIFA.
Bachchan riding the bike presented to him by IIFA. Cycling is the favourite pastime in Amsterdam.
‘I am Amsterdam’ will be the key message promoted around the global campaign of IIFA this year. The organisers think the event will build a long standing relationship between Indian cinema and the people of Amsterdam and open up immense opportunities for the Indian film industry as well as the Amsterdam film industry.
MSN, in conjunction with the IIFA Academy have launched an online contest, which will bring winners from among the Web community to the IIFA Weekend to participate in the action with the stars and discover the sights and joys of the Netherlands. Voting for the IIFA Awards – Popular Categories will commence on msn.co.in/iifa and indya.com from 1 May and will continue till 31 May.
GECs
Zee tops fiction charts across six languages with strong show lineup
Broadcaster secures nearly half of top 10 spots as fiction strategy pays off
MUMBAI: Fiction is proving to be Zee Entertainment Enterprises Ltd’s winning script. The broadcaster has emerged as the dominant force in television fiction, occupying an average of five spots in the top 10 charts across six major language markets.
Across Hindi (Pay), Marathi, Bangla, Odia, Kannada and Telugu general entertainment channels, the company commands a 48 per cent share of the top 10 fiction rankings, according to BARC data for weeks four to seven of 2026 among urban audiences aged 15 and above.
The strong showing reflects the company’s renewed focus on storytelling driven by cultural insight and local relevance. With family viewing still centred around prime time, Zee continues to attract more than 20 per cent viewership share across genres in this high engagement window, outperforming competitors.
Zee Entertainment Enterprises Ltd, chief content officer Raghavendra Hunsur, said the results underline the effectiveness of the company’s sharply defined multilingual content strategy.
“The achievement is a firm testament to our content strategy across languages, which is clearly resonating with viewers,” Hunsur said. “Fiction shows remain the heart of entertainment. We will continue building both fiction and non fiction offerings that are authentic, engaging and rooted in local storytelling.”
The company’s Hindi flagship channel Zee TV has placed four relatively new launches among the top 10 shows in the Hindi Pay GEC category. These include Tumm Se Tumm Tak, Ganga Mai Ki Betiyan, Vasudha and Lakshmi Nivas, all introduced within the past 18 months.
Regional markets are delivering equally strong performances. Zee Marathi has recorded a 470 basis point rise in market share to 34.7 per cent in January 2026 compared with January 2025. Four of its shows, Kamli, Taarini, Veen Doghatli Hi Tutena and Lakshmi Nivas, feature among the top 10 in the Marathi GEC genre.
In eastern India, Zee Bangla has reclaimed leadership in the Bangla GEC segment in week seven of 2026, driven by five shows in the top 10 including Parineeta, Taare Dhori Dhori Mone Kori, Jowar Bhata, Amader Dadamoni and Chirodini Tumi Je Amar. The top ranked show Parineeta draws inspiration from Gen Z insights, reflecting changing audience sensibilities.
Zee Sarthak continues its five year leadership streak in the Odia GEC space with shows such as Sathi Sata Janmara, Suna Jhia, Tu Khara Mu Chhai, Tuma Bina and Bhagya Rekha occupying the top positions.
In the south, Zee Kannada maintains its long standing dominance, leading the Kannada GEC market for seven consecutive years. Seven fiction titles including Karna, Lakshmi Nivasa, Annayya, Amruthadhaare, Naa Ninna Bidalaare, Adi Lakshmi Purana and Brahmagantu form the top 7 shows in the category.
Zee Telugu is also gaining ground, emerging as the biggest channel across genres in Hyderabad while strengthening its position in the Telugu GEC segment across Andhra Pradesh and Telangana. Shows such as Jagadhatri, Meghasandesam, Jayam and Chamanthi occupy four of the top 10 spots.
With its regional channels gaining traction, Zee says it will continue sharpening its content playbook, focusing on stories that reflect everyday lives while tapping into evolving viewer preferences across markets.
