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Zee TV to introduce four new programmes

Zee TV is introducing four new shows in March to strengthen its prime time programming and lining up a special mix of events, telefilms and movies on Saturdays to tap weekend audiences.

The 7.30 p.m. slot will become an interactive band with contest-based, phone-ins and game shows. Sa Re Ga Ma, will become more interactive. We are launching the band show by show. We hope to make the band an attention driver for our prime time shows. Laxmi Venkat, Programming Head, Zee TV

Zee will also launch a thriller band at 10 p.m. on weekdays from April to draw male viewers in the 25-plus age group. Now, it is airing programmes of different genres at that time slot. “A single show like Movers and Shakers gives Sony TV a consistent rating on the weekdays. We expect our thriller band to do that for us,” said Laxmi Venkat, programming head, Zee TV.

The 7.30 p.m. slot will become an interactive band with contest-based, phone-ins and game shows. Sa Re Ga Mar, Venkat said, will become more interactive. “We are launching the band show by show. We hope to make the band an attention driver for our prime time shows.” The channel is already airing countdown shows like Public Demand in that slot.

To strengthen the Sunday prime-time programming line-up, the popular serial Rishtey is being brought back to the 8.30 pm slot. Two shows (Saheeb Bibi Aur TV and Oh Daddy) are being launched in mid-March. Agnichakra, a movement against crime, continues at 10 p.m. A Sunday comedy band between 11-12 is being launched with two half-hour shows: Alvida Darling and Hotel Hindustan. Vishnu Puran will continue at 10 a.m. and enjoys moderate ratings. Said Venkat, “We tested mythology shows with Mahabharata. This opened up the Sunday morning viewership for us.” Zee TV is also introducing Saturday Specials in March to draw in the weekend viewers. The prime-time programming mix will include film events, telefilms produced by Zee and movies. The Zee Cine awards (technical and popular awards on March 4 and March 11) will be aired in Zee TV to boost the channel audience share.

Sony had earlier in January launched Weekend TV, a programming lineup for Sunday and Saturday. The aim: to tap audiences on days where viewers could spend more time in television watching. Zee TV has consolidated its afternoon viewership with the Darpan (2-2.30) band which has shows like Sanskar. Preceding that is the popular comedy show Hum Paanch.

The focus of the channel now is to strengthen its prime-time programming, media analysts said. A move in this direction is the launch of four new shows in the 9-10 pm time band: Kasak, Koshish, Ye Hai Mere Apne and Hukumat.

In May, Zee TV will celebrate Madhuri Dixit’s movies which will be aired every Saturday during the month. To improve ratings on Zee Cinema, the Lux Zee Cine technical awards will be telecast on the channel on March 5, a day after being aired on Zee TV. The Zee Cine popular award, however, will be simulcast on Zee TV and Zee Cinema on March 11. “Zee Network wants to make the best of its events and aims to improve ratings across its channels,” media analysts said.

Sibabrata Das