GECs
Star Gold inches ahead gradually
Classic Hindi movie channel Star Gold, which was launched last month, is gradually clawing its way back into Indian viewers homes, thanks to a push from the Star TV Network distribution team.
According to Star Gold head Raj Nayak, the channel was languishing for a fortnight but now has managed to get about 55 per cent penetration in Delhi and Mumbai, almost 100 per cent penetration in Kanpur and Lucknow, and 85 per cent in Ahmedabad.
“We have got a deal in place with Seven Star. We expect a resolution with InCable soon. Even RPG in Calcutta should get sorted out,” he says. “I’m looking at a penetration of about what Star World has for Star Gold in the next 15 days.”
Three video on wheels (VOW) Vans are expected to go around in 70 towns in Punjab, Madhya Pradesh, Rajasthan and Bihar over the next week promoting Star Gold. “It’s a channel headed in the right direction,” he says. “We will occupy our rightful place in the cable and satellite television universe.”
GECs
Zee scales syndication with global tie-ups, 350 plus channel MCN
Vertical, dubbed and audio formats boost digital reach
MUMBAI: Zee Entertainment Enterprises Ltd. is giving its content library a fresh passport. The company has stepped up its syndication push, signing global partnerships, experimenting with new-age formats and building a multi-channel network that now spans more than 350 channels.
With the newly secured MCN licence, Zee can manage, distribute and monetise content across leading digital platforms at scale, strengthening its presence in the fast-growing creator and short-form ecosystem.
To keep pace with changing viewing habits, the company is also reshaping its content into formats built for the small screen in your hand. In a tie-up with micro-drama platform Story TV, select titles are being reworked into vertical, short-duration episodes tailored for mobile-first audiences.
Beyond India, the syndication team is widening its global footprint with foreign-language dubbing and regional partnerships across Europe, Africa and Latin America, opening up fresh markets for Indian stories.
Zee is also tapping into the audio boom. It has begun licensing audio remake rights for legacy properties such as Zee Horror Show, with several more titles lined up for audio-first adaptations.
On the digital front, the company has made progress in monetising non-exclusive rights for library films, while converting select shows and movies from horizontal to vertical formats to improve discoverability on short-form platforms.
Zee Entertainment Enterprises Ltd. business head syndication Vinod Johri, said syndication has emerged as a strong growth lever for the company. He noted that the combination of a large MCN network, global partnerships and new formats such as vertical video and audio is helping build a future-ready engine that extracts more value from the content library.
Together, these moves signal a platform-agnostic approach to storytelling, as Zee repackages, localises and redistributes its IP across geographies, formats and screens, ensuring its catalogue keeps working long after the first broadcast.
