News Broadcasting
Zee Turner says mera gaon, mera market share
NEW DELHI: With a view to consolidate its market share in rural India, and provide family entertainment to TV households, Zee Turner, the distribution arm of Zee Telefilms and Turner International India Pvt. Ltd., has launched special initiatives targeting the rural markets across India, including increasing the dealer network to over 400.
These initiatives, targeted at reaching out to viewers in remote areas and small towns and cities across the country, will offer cable operators the option of providing viewers with popular channels at a very competitive pricing.
Commenting on the company’s latest initiative, an official release quotes Zee Turner COO Siddharth Jain as saying, “Of the 43 million cable and satellite universe in India, 15 million lie in the rural sector. This offers a huge potential and an opportunity to tap the rural market. Our rural drive will not only provide better options of entertainment to the viewers and better business opportunities to the cable operators, but also help us in consolidating our market share in this largely untapped market.”
Road shows are also being planned for the rural markets, wherein the channels will be taken to small villages with the objective of reaching out to people and giving them a first hand viewing experience.
“We endeavor to take our content offering to the grassroots level and be available in every C&S household, whether in urban, semi-urban or rural India. To this effect, we have also expanded our dealer network to over 400,” added Jain.
The new packages have been created keeping in mind the economic profile, demographics and viewers’ choice. The operator can therefore choose any channel from the Zee basket (Zee TV, Zee MGM, Zee English, Zee Cinema, Zee Music, Alpha channels, etc), the release added.
Andhra Pradesh (AP) has been given a special focus in this initiative. According to Jain, “Andhra Pradesh, with a total of 7.3 million C&S households, is the single largest contributor to the Indian C&S households figure. While the urban contribution to such households is 46 per cent, rural contributes 56 per cent, which clearly indicates a huge potential in the AP rural market.”
As a part of the AP rural initiative, Pogo, the kids channel after Cartoon Network, has been introduced with a two-hour Telugu feed to it. This makes it very lucrative for the cable operator both in urban and rural markets because of its regional content. Along with this channel, the cable operator can choose freely from any two channels from the Zee basket (Zee MGM, Zee English, Zee Cinema, etc).
Tamil is another option that the channel is exploring. As a kick-off to Pogo’s localization strategy, viewers will be introduced to the new faces of Pogo on a new, hip zone, called Prime Pogo, from 6 August.
Prime Pogo will engage viewers with the channel through online contests, phone-in competitions, viewer letters, celebrity guests and special reports on amazing kids from across India. It will also feature a selection of the best shows ranging from Round the Twist and the Sleepover Club to Mr. Bean and Walking With Beasts.
News Broadcasting
CNN-News18 to host Kolkata Town Hall on Hooghly River
‘Bhalobasa Bengal Inspiring Bharat’ event on April 20 brings cultural icons, trailblazing women and leaders aboard a cruise to celebrate Bengal’s enduring influence.
MUMBAI: Bengal is about to make fresh waves on the Hooghly and this time the current is pure conversation. CNN-News18 is taking its iconic Town Hall format to the waters of the iconic Hooghly River on 20 April 2026 with a special edition titled ‘Bhalobasa Bengal – Inspiring Bharat’. The floating event will celebrate the state’s rich cultural legacy and how its ideas, creativity and spirit continue to shape the rest of the country.
The unique riverside setting draws on Bengal’s history as a cradle of reform, art and intellectual thought. The speaker line-up mirrors that diversity: cultural heavyweights Mithun Chakraborty and Sreenanda Shankar will share the stage with trailblazing “Devis” such as Tanya Sanyal (India’s first woman firefighter in aviation), Ipsita Chakraborty (Kolkata’s first woman bartender) and Reshma Nilofer Visalakshi (Nari Shakti awardee and marine pilot). Music will flow through the celebrated pianist-vocalist duo Sourendro and Soumyojit, while public life and governance will be represented by Smriti Irani, Leander Paes, Saira Shah Halim, Keya Ghosh, Rekha Patra, Roopa Ganguly and Babul Supriyo.
CNN-News18, editorial affairs director, Rahul Shivshankar, said the event honours voices that carry Bengal’s legacy forward. Smriti Mehra, CEO – English & Business News, Network18, added that Bengal’s stories resonate far beyond its borders, especially as the state heads into polls.
From the first woman to battle flames in the skies to legendary actors who shaped Indian cinema, the gathering promises a rich mix of inspiration, courage and candid dialogue. In a city where culture has always flowed as freely as the river itself, CNN-News18 is turning the Hooghly into a floating forum for ideas that matter.
Tune in on 20 April on CNN-News18, CTV and YouTube to catch Bengal’s heartbeat in full flow.
