GECs
Viacom reworks Asia strategy
Viacom Incorporated, which has been toying with the idea of setting up operations in India to give its channels other than MTV a push, has left that job to its subsidiary MTV Networks Asia.
Viacom, which has MTV, children’s channel Nickelodeon, Nick at Night (for older kids), VH1 and Black Entertainment Television under its umbrella in the US, has left it to MTV Networks Asia to handle all operations related to its channels.
The first on the agenda is Nickelodeon, which has been struggling to gain a toehold in the Indian market. We will probably see VH1 also making its entry sometime in the middle of the year.
Nickelodeon, for which a major thrust is planned over the coming months, will be handled by MTV India in tandem with Zee Telefilms. MTV and Zee have set aside their differences over how the channel is to be marketed and pushed through and the results will become evident in the next couple of months, Sanjeev Hiremath, MTV’s distribution head, says.
Nickeledeon is being sold in India as part of Zee’s Direct to operator (DTO) package and and the distribution of set boxes are going on at a brisk pace, Hiremath said. “However, ad sales will be handled by our team,” he pointed out.
“MTV is looking after the other South Asian markets like Pakistan, Sri Lanka, Bangladesh and Nepal,” Hiremath said.
Sainath Aiyar, head corporate communications Zee Telefilms, said Nickelodeon was getting preferred carriage on Siticable (part of the Zee group) and was airing on the Zee TV channel twice a day which was already increasing its visibility. Nickelodeon appears in the 8:30 am to 9:30 am morning slot and the 4:30 to 5:30 pm evening slot.
Aiyar, however, admitted that the programmes, which replaced Disney Hour in same slots, didn’t have the kind of viewer recognition that the Disney programmes enjoyed. “It will still be a while before Nickelodeon establishes itself,” Aiyar said.
GECs
Rose and Shine as &TV Decodes India’s Love Language
Valentine’s campaign turns quiet gestures into grand moments.
MUMBAI: In India, love rarely arrives with violins. More often, it shows up as a cup of tea, a fixed light bulb, or a joke cracked at the right moment. This Valentine’s Day, &TV decided to put that unsaid affection centre stage. With its campaign titled ‘India ka Love Language’, the channel has stepped beyond the screen to spotlight a cultural truth: in Indian households, love is frequently understated, particularly by men. It is expressed not through sweeping declarations but through everyday gestures, silent support and routine acts of care.
To translate that insight into action, &TV rolled out an on-ground activation across Delhi, choosing a single rose as its symbol. But this was no grand, cinematic spectacle. The idea was simple. Hand someone a rose. Pass it on to a person who matters. Let the gesture do the talking.
The activation was designed to feel organic rather than orchestrated, nudging people to acknowledge affection that often goes unspoken. Instead of performative romance, the campaign leaned into familiarity, warmth and the quiet humour that defines many Indian relationships.
At the heart of the initiative sits Bhabiji Ghar Par Hain! 2.0, a show that mirrors this philosophy. Known for its playful banter and everyday dynamics, the sitcom captures relationships where fondness is woven into jokes, misunderstandings and shared routines. The line, “Aapke pyaar ke liye ek anokha tohfa, Sahi pakde hain!”, fits naturally into this world, making the show an extension of the campaign’s emotional pitch.
Zee5, chief channel officer, &TV and business head for Hindi Kaveri Das said the idea was to celebrate the kind of affection that rarely makes headlines but defines real life. She noted that in Indian culture, love is often quiet, especially when it comes from men who may not always articulate it. The initiative, she said, was an attempt to acknowledge that silent affection and bring it into the open.
By taking a television thought into a real-world setting, &TV has turned Valentine’s Day into less about spectacle and more about sincerity. In a season crowded with grand gestures, the channel’s message is disarmingly simple: sometimes, the strongest “I love you” is the one that never needed saying.
