GECs
Thema targeting cable delivery in India
NEW DELHI/MUMBAI: European broadcaster Thema TV, which has five channels in its stable, is targeting India and Asia aggressively through DTH and cable platforms and has lined up Baby TV and lifestyle channel Wine TV for launch later this year.
According to a senior executive of the France-based Thema TV, “India seems to be an exciting market and we would be looking at being available on the DTH platform(s) as well as cable networks here.”
At present in India, Thema TV has a non-exclusive distribution agreement for Trace MCM, Euro News and Euro Sports News with Dish TV, which is 20 per cent owned by Zee Telefilms. Trace MCM, the urban music channel, was launched recently via Dish TV.
The Thema TV executive, in Delhi for the formal launch of EuroNews on Dish TV’s DTH platform on Tuesday, added that though the Indian cable TV market looks a bit “fragmented and complex,” has the potential generating revenue.
“For the time being, we are looking at investing in Asia and India region. We expect revenues to flow in later,” he added.
In this regard, Thema is open to the idea of setting up a formal office in India for marketing and distribution purpose in partnership with Indian partner(s). “We are studying the options,” the company executive explained.
In a bid to test the Indian market —- “even if we manage to get a small slice of the cable TV market here” —- Thema TV is poised to launch Wine TV in July via Thaicom 3 and later Baby TV in an encrypted form for cable ops to pick up the signals.
Though Thema TV and EuroNews senior execs insisted talks are on with Indian cable networks for carriage of Euro News on cable networks as a pay channel, some cable ops, present at the launch party at the French Embassy in Delhi, clarified that they would not be interested in another pay channel, especially when “bandwidth and infrastructure is limited.”
However, Thema TV, a tripartite venture amongst two European media companies and a France-based entrepreneur, who holds 80 per cent equity stake in this less- than-a-year-old company, is excited about the fact that Baby TV, a channel designed for pre-school kids, would definitely have a “market in Asia, especially in a country like India.”
Interestingly, Thema is exploring possibilities of being available on other DTH services as and when they come up in India, including Space TV and Sun group’s proposed direct broadcast service. But Indian pubcaster Doordarshan’s subscription less DTH platform, DD Direct Plus, is still not on the European broadcaster’s radar screen, despite it being “an interesting concept.”
Meanwhile, EuroNews is hoping that it would be able to make a dent in the Asian market where it has invested till now close to half a million dollar, mostly on transponder lease cost.
EuroNews is Europe’s news channel covering world news from a European perspective in a choice of seven languages. It broadcasts simultaneously in English, French, German, Italian, Portuguese, Russian and Spanish.
Launched on 1 January 1993, as the first multilingual pan-European news channel, EuroNews claims to be reaching 155 million households in Europe, The Middle East, Africa, Asia and North and South America via cable, digital satellite and through terrestrial channels.
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.
