GECs
How GECs plan to light up viewers’ Diwali
MUMBAI: Diwali, the festival of lights, symbolises homecoming as well as new beginnings. Whether or not one subscribes to the mythological or religious significance of this festival, it cannot be denied that it’s a time of togetherness, of spreading happiness and good cheer. In a similar fashion, Hindi and regional GECs have curated special programming to light up Diwali for their viewers.
As we cope with the new normal, TV channels are keeping the festive spirits high with their best programs, presenting viewers with a perfect opportunity to spend this golden time with their families and binge watch their all-time favourite shows. We list down their Diwali line-up this year:
Zee TV:
During Diwali there is a special festive event on the cards for fans of the channel’s top-rated shows Kundali Bhagya and Kumkum Bhagya. During the day, audiences can look forward to the telecast of special awards shows and events like Zee Cine Awards 2020, Zee Rishtey Awards 2019 and the film, Good Newwz. The network will also premiere its highly anticipated collaboration with Balaji Telefilms, Brahmarakshas 2, on the weekend after Diwali.
Kya hai woh ateet ka kaala raaz, jo laaya hai Kalindi aur Angad ko paas? Jaanne ke liye dekhiye #Brahmarakshas2, 22nd November se, Sat-Sun, raat 9 baje, sirf #ZeeTV par. #PhirJaagUthaShaitaan #Binder @pearlvpuri #NikkiSharma pic.twitter.com/lu1OxGfJ5A
— ZeeTV (@ZeeTV) November 13, 2020
Colors Marathi:
Colors Marathi has curated a special Diwali programming line-up for its viewers. From November 13 to 16, the channel has in store special episodes of its most popular fiction shows like Jeev Zala YedaPisa, Sukhi Mansacha Sadara, Sundara Manamadhye Bharli, to name a few. To drive the audience’s festive sentiment a notch higher, the channel will also host a special singing Diwali show named Ghei Chanda on 15 November at 12 noon, featuring renowned Indian classical vocalists Mahesh Kale and Rahul Deshpande.
#SubodhBhave#RahulDeshpande @maheshmkale#GheeiChand#ColorsMarathipic.twitter.com/R9yuS77raf
— Colors Marathi (@ColorsMarathi) November 12, 2020
Romedy Now:
Lighting up this Diwali with the best visual treat for viewers, Romedy Now has brought ‘Diwali Delights’ through 1 to 14 November, every night at 9 pm. The property will air some of the most wholesome Hollywood rom-coms such as Marley & Me, First Daughter, Love & Other Drugs, Down With Love, Burnt and Bride Wars.
Peter lives a dull life with a job he doesn't like and to make it worse, his girlfriend dumps him. Watch him turn his life around and live a dream Bigger Than The Sky on #DiwaliDelights tonight at 11 PM. #BiggerThanTheSky pic.twitter.com/1sYe8PBMFD
— Romedy NOW (@RomedyNow) November 12, 2020
Colors Kannada:
On the non-fiction front, the channel will air special event Jodi Deepavali on 15 November at 1 pm. Couples from Kannada television and cinema will come together and celebrate with fun tasks, rib-tickling gimmicks, songs, and dance to make it a special Deepawali. The show will be hosted by Kannada television’s most energetic and enthusiastic anchor, Akul Balaji. The fun doesn’t end there, as the channel will also air Baahubali at 4:30 pm on 15 November.
As a special Diwali gift for viewers, Colors Kannada aims to spread love with the launch of Hoo Male on 16 November at 9 pm.
#HooMale #ColorsKannada # # pic.twitter.com/cUQ6qJ9Qgx
— Colors Kannada (@ColorsKannada) November 9, 2020
Dangal TV:
To celebrate Diwali, Dangal TV has shored up its primetime viewing with the debut of mythological series Devi Adi Parashakti on 9 November. The show has been produced by Swastik Productions and will be telecast Monday to Saturday at 9 pm.
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## #DangalTV #DangalTVChannel #DeviAadiParashakti # # #tvseries #tvshow #tv #actor #tvshows #drama #serietv #television #religious #shiva pic.twitter.com/uiKv3WBQIV— Dangal TV Channel (@DangalTV) November 13, 2020
Big Ganga:
Ganga Deewali Carnival is Big Ganga’s hot ticket property for this time of the year. The four-day multi-entertainment, multi-celebrity festivity will begin 10 November and culminate on 14 November.
Colors Tamil:
With its special Diwali line-up, Colors Tamil aims to provide viewers with an added reason to look forward to the festivities. In the non-fiction category, the channel has curated special Diwali episodes for Sindhanaigal Simplified and for their recently launched show Colors Kitchen.
Sinthanaigal Simplified with Gurudev Shri Shri Ravi Shankar will have popular actor Yugi Sethu engaging in a refreshing conversation about life and spirituality on Saturday, 14 November 2020 at 11:00 am. This special Diwali episode is also the show’s finale. Following this, Colors Kitchen will spice up the celebrations at noon, with Chef Damu, Chef Shreya and Colors Tamil artists cooking up a delectable festive feast.
To pump up the fun spirit of Diwali further, Colors Tamil is also set to present the world television premiere of Chitiram Pesuthadi – 2 on 14 November at 4 pm. A multi-starrer film, Chitiram Pesuthadi – 2 is a hyperlink drama that encompasses four gripping stories which take place in a time frame of 48 hours.
Further, adding sparkle to its original programming in the fiction category, Colors Tamil has curated a special Diwali line up for its shows Amman, Idhayathai Thirudathey and Uyire.
#Diwali2020#Manishajith#Nirosha!#ColorsKitchen @Sri_TS | @chefdamu | #ChefShreeya | #RedChocolatePattasu | #ColorsTamil pic.twitter.com/mxCrNV3vS2
— Colors Tamil (@ColorsTvTamil) November 10, 2020
Colors Bangla Cinema:
Colors Bangla Cinema will rejoice in the festivities of Kali Pujo and Bhai Fonta by showcasing special movies from 14 to 16 November. The channel will air blockbuster films such as Chore Chore Mastuto Bhai, Adorer Bon-Dadar Adesh and Inquilab-Greftaar to entertain its viewers during Diwali.
Zee Biskope:
On the eve of Diwali, Zee Biskope has lined up the world television premiere of Aandhi Toofan, co-presented by Nestle Munch. It will air on 13 November 2020 at 6 pm.
Nickelodeon:
Nickelodeon is all set to make sure that kids and their families enjoy the festive weekend through a host of exclusively crafted fun entertainment and engagement experiences.
To start off, the channel will premiere a made for television movie headlined by kid’s favourite toon Shiva called Rise of the Technosapiens. Set to premiere on 14 November 2020 at 11.30am, the action-adventure film will take kids on a roller coaster ride with super kid Shiva.
Diwali Dhamaka Weekend ft. toons' ke action, jokes, aur lots more!
Toon in on 14th and 15th Nov, 8 AM onwards, only on Nick India.#Diwali #DiwaliWeekend #Action #Fun #Masti pic.twitter.com/cvP2MpTCst— NickIndia (@NickIndia) November 13, 2020
GECs
ZEEL overhauls sales structure to chase growth across TV and digital platforms
New structure sharpens digital push as viewing habits fragment fast
MUMBAI: Zee Entertainment Enterprises Ltd. is reshuffling its sales playbook as it looks to keep pace with a fast-changing media landscape, where audiences are scattered, screens are multiplying and advertisers are following the data.
According to media reports, the rejig is anchored in the company’s push to build a more integrated, data-led monetisation engine, one that can straddle both traditional television and fast-growing digital platforms with equal ease.
At the heart of the move is a reworked sales architecture designed to deliver cross-platform solutions. With connected TV gaining ground and digital consumption surging, ZEEL is aligning its teams to move quicker, think broader and sell smarter.
The restructuring is being led by chief operating officer, advertisement revenue, Sandeep Mehrotra, at a time when the company says it is seeing tremendous growth. The idea is simple: match the right talent to the right opportunity in a market that is anything but static.
As part of the overhaul, several long-serving executives have been elevated to chief sales officer roles across regions and content clusters. Sanjoy Chatterjee will head the east market, while Gunjarav Nayak takes charge of the west along with high-margin verticals such as hmg, brand works, intellectual properties and digital sales. Rajnish Gupta will oversee bengaluru and chennai markets alongside the kannada and tamil clusters.
In other key moves, Divjyot Dhanda will lead hyderabad and kochi markets and manage zee tv, zee keralam and the telugu cluster. Roshan Vasu Kotian will supervise a diverse portfolio including Zee Marathi, &tv, Zee Punjabi, Zee Anmol, Big Magic and Zee Biskope.
The company is also strengthening its bench, appointing national sales heads across retail, regional clusters, digital and brand solutions. Ankur Kapila’s appointment to lead digital sales signals a sharper push into a segment that continues to outpace traditional formats.
Behind the scenes, dedicated strategy and operations roles have been carved out for both linear and digital businesses. Nitin Shetty, Rajkiran Shrivastav and Priya Nambiar will take on key responsibilities to ensure the new structure runs with precision.
The broader aim is clear. ZEEL wants a bigger slice of advertising budgets that are steadily drifting towards digital and connected TV ecosystems. By integrating its offerings, the company hopes to deepen client relationships while unlocking new revenue streams.
The new structure takes effect immediately, with Mehrotra continuing to report to chief executive officer Punit Goenka and steer the company’s advertising revenue strategy. Senior executive Laxmi Shetty will support the transition, with her revised role expected to be announced soon.
In a market where content is everywhere but attention is scarce, ZEEL’s latest move is less about rearranging the org chart and more about staying in the game.
