GECs
Zeel licenses home-grown format ‘DID’ to Thailand’s broadcaster
MUMBAI: Zee Entertainment Enterprises Ltd (Zeel) has created a broadcast history by finalizing a syndication deal with JKN Global Media Limited Thailand for its home-grown format, Dance India Dance (DID).
It is a known fact that prime-time content in India has been laced with popular international formats, which are regularly imported and licensed by Indian TV channels from international broadcasters, production houses or format owners.
While Indian content being aired or repurposed on TV channels across the world is quite common, this particular syndication deal is a landmark achievement since it’s the very first time that a format created in India has been licensed internationally. The Indian content industry’s contribution to ‘Make in India’, literally.
Zeel MD and CEO Punit Goenka said, “At Zee, we have always believed in developing in-house formats. It was our belief in the concept of Dance India Dance that led to its growth from the regional to the international platform. Through this partnership with JKN Global Media Limited, DID will not only reach out to the South-Asian diaspora but the local, mainstream audiences in Thailand as well.”
“Going forward, we hope to license not just Dance India Dance but our other home-grown formats to the international markets,” Goenka added.
Commenting on the partnership, JKN Global Media Thailand MD Andrew Suteestarpon said, “I’m very pleased to develop the well-known format show called Dance India Dance into the local version. With the collaboration of Zee, I strongly believe in the professional team and the corporate experience that can lead JKN Channel into achieving a high success rating with Dance Thailand Dance.”
Zeel global head syndication Sunita Uchil added, “We are very proud that our home-grown format Dance India Dance will now reach 22 million homes in Thailand through JKN Channel. Over the years, there has been an increasing demand for Indian content and we have endeavored to meet this demand by offering a wide array of entertainment content through customized services like dubbing and subtitling in foreign languages under the Zee Bollyworld umbrella. This deal embraces our global positioning of ‘Vasudhaiva Kutumbakam – The World is My Family’ and reinforces Zee Bollyworld’s leadership as the ‘one-stop shop for Indian entertainment content the world over.’”
MUMBAI: Lights, camera… connection because this time, the game isn’t just about winning, it’s about who’s with you. Sony Pictures Networks India is gearing up to launch a new reality game show, Tum Ho Naa, expanding its unscripted slate with a format that promises both emotion and engagement.
The show will premiere soon on Sony Entertainment Television and stream on Sony LIV, with Rajeev Khandelwal stepping in as host. Known for his measured screen presence and selective choices, Khandelwal’s return to television adds a layer of familiarity and credibility to the upcoming format.
While specific details of the gameplay remain under wraps, the positioning suggests a reality format that leans as much on emotional resonance as it does on competition, an increasingly popular blend in Indian television, where audiences are gravitating towards content that offers both stakes and storytelling.
Khandelwal, reflecting on his return, noted that his choices have often been guided by instinct rather than convention, describing Tum Ho Naa as a project that feels “close to the heart”. His association also signals Sony’s continued focus on anchoring new formats with recognisable faces who bring both relatability and depth.
The launch comes at a time when broadcasters are doubling down on original non-fiction formats to drive appointment viewing, even as digital platforms expand parallel reach. By placing the show across both linear television and OTT, Sony appears to be aiming for a dual-audience strategy capturing traditional viewers while engaging digital-first consumers.
As the countdown to premiere begins, Tum Ho Naa positions itself not just as another game show, but as a reminder that sometimes, the biggest prize on screen isn’t the jackpot, it’s the journey shared along the way.
