GECs
Sony to launch Marathi GEC
MUMBAI: Sony Entertainment Television (SET) is prepping up to launch a new regional language general entertainment channel Sony Marathi. Sony’s Ajay Bhalwankar will lead the channel, according to a source at SET.
The channel is at the development stage and the company is building the team by hiring more employees for the new channel. The launch date has not been announced yet but the channel is likely to make its debut after March, said another source.
Sony is seeking to tap diverse regions of the country by expanding its offerings with a variety of content and by expanding its channel library. Sony Marathi will be the network’s second regional channel after Sony AATH, its regional channel.
SET had brought Bhalwankar on board as chief creative director in April 2014 to provide creative leadership and direction for SET and lead the programming and on-air production teams. The new channel will run under Bhalwankar guidance.
Recently, the good times have been rolling for Marathi channels as they are attracting good viewership. The Marathi GECs in the market that currently are doing well are Colors Marathi, Zee Marathi and Star Pravah. The genre has surprisingly turned out some of the most viewed channels in the television space. In week 41 in 2015, the genre had registered 242 million impressions, whereas in week 50 of 2017, the viewership was 594 million impressions, an increase of 145 per cent in the weeks compared.
Currently, Sony Pictures Networks India has SET, Sony SAB, Sony AATH, Sony TV HD, Sony SAB HD and Sony Pal in the GEC genre.
Also Read:
‘Prithvi Vallabh’ is 20% history, 80% mystery: Anirudh Pathak
Man Jit Singh, Andy Kaplan to depart Sony Pictures following restructure
‘Porus’ launched as ‘Digvijaya’ in Sri Lanka
Sports fans power 35-40% of traffic on SonyLiv
GECs
Z launches ‘Dilfluencer Moments’ to boost brand engagement across screens
New omnichannel format blends TV characters, storytelling and digital reach to boost engagement and affinity
MUMBAI: Zee Entertainment Enterprises Ltd (‘Z’) has unveiled ‘Dilfluencer Moments’, a new omnichannel media format designed to help brands cut through the clutter and turn audience attention into brand love.
With media access increasingly democratized, visibility alone no longer drives results. Shrinking attention spans and rising content noise have made memorability, emotional connection and action the real currency. Dilfluencer Moments addresses this by embedding brands into character-led, culturally resonant storytelling that travels seamlessly from TV to digital, social and creator ecosystems.
The format debuted with the “TumHoLovely” campaign on National Girl Child Day. Anchored in Hindi and Marathi shows, the campaign’s narrative extended organically across digital platforms, amplified by creators and community participation. A brand film featuring Sanya Malhotra further showcased how TV-originated cultural cues can spark broad engagement and virality. Within 24 hours, the campaign racked up 35 million total impressions, 20 million digital views, 2.5 million engagements and over 1,000 comments.
Laxmi Shetty, head – advertisement revenue, broadcast & digital, Zee Entertainment Enterprises Ltd, said, “As consumers turn away from interruption-led communication, advertisers need moments that feel culturally earned and emotionally authentic. Dilfluencer Moments delivers reach at scale through character-first content systems that connect with audiences personally, transforming storytelling into brand love.”
Kartik Mahadev, chief marketing officer, ‘Z’ & Zee 5, added: “Access alone is no longer an advantage; affinity is. Affinity comes from storytelling, familiar characters and moments that stay with audiences across screens. Dilfluencer Moments lets brands participate meaningfully in moments audiences already love, travelling organically across linear, digital and social platforms at scale.”
By anchoring campaigns in high-trust television moments and extending them into digital and social ecosystems, Dilfluencer Moments enables brands to generate organic engagement, amplify virality and convert attention into long-term emotional equity.
With its national scale, deep emotional storytelling and character-first approach, Z is offering marketers a powerful new way to build affinity, cut through clutter and create culturally resonant brand moments that stick.
