GECs
VOA to launch Urdu programme in Pakistan
MUMBAI: The Voice of America (VOA), will launch an Urdu current affairs programme on Geo TV today. The current affairs programme titled, Beyond the Headlines (Khabron se Aage) will run from Monday to Friday at 7:30 pm.
This programme, which covers topics such as international developments, technology, politics, education, sports, and entertainment, will be also be aired on selected international satellites, including AsiaSat (Virtual Channel 409) and IOR (Virtual Channel 420). Popular television personality and former PTV anchor, Aneka Osman, has been roped in to host the show.
“We look forward to opening this important new channel of communication between the American people and Pakistan. This new programme, together with our expanded radio service, demonstrates our growing commitment to reach the people of Pakistan with new, engaging programmes on both radio and TV,” said Steven J Simmons, a member of the Broadcasting Board of Governors, which oversees all US international radio and television services.
VOA director, David S Jackson, said, “Beyond the Headlines will focus not only on the big issues of the day, but also on features, business, and culture stories that illuminate the world we live in. For example, we’ll show how Pakistanis live and work and go to school in the US. We want to provide a unique mix of stories that viewers can’t find anywhere else.”
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.
