Colour, dance, culture keep Zee TV popular
JUST OVER a year ago South Africans were introduced to Zee World, a channel on DStv dedicated to bringing mainstream African viewers the best in Bollywood movies, series, food, kids’, talent and lifestyle shows, for their viewing pleasure.
During this time it has managed to rake up a staggering eight million in viewership, far exceeding its original expectations.
Presenting at the Zee TV Africa round table meeting on Wednesday, chief executive, Harish Goyal, said the channel’s exponential growth was due to the high demand for Indian programming.
“We have 52 percent of black South Africans, 29 percent coloureds, 14 percent Indian and five percent of whites tuning in to Zee World. It has done amazingly well and is proving to be a great investment by consistently ranking number two in general South African entertainment channels,” he said.
Zee TV, a part of Indian-based content giant Zee Entertainment Enterprises Limited (Zeel), has become a global force in entertainment since its launch in 1992. It shows in 169 countries, with more than 959 million viewers worldwide. It owns 3 500 movie titles and has 210 000 hours of television.
The decision to start a second channel in South Africa was based on research carried out for three years prior to the actual launch.
“We found that people in South African and India have similar traits. In India we had dowry, while Zulu-speaking people in Africa have lobola. Family values are also similar, the eldest child takes care of the younger siblings, this happens in South Africa as well. When we asked our audience why they enjoyed our programming, they said it resonated with them because of the colour, dance and culture,” said Goyal.
He also mentioned that although he had only been in South Africa for seven months, he had learned a lot and was surprised and proud to see how South Africans Indians held on to their culture despite being in South Africa for generations.
“Languages have been lost but the thirst to stay true to the Indian culture and customs is still very strong.
He said over the years Zee had evolved to become the undisputed market leader in the Hindi general entertainment category, through their qualityoriented programming and marketing strategies.
“It provides wholesome viewing, catering to every member of the household and brings families together in their living rooms to enjoy these special shows. The shows resonate with its audiences to the point where Bollywood fashion trends depicted in the programmes are followed and sought after by the viewers, as well as the Hindi language. African Indians, having lost their languages over the past few generations in Africa, are now taking a huge interest in learning their indigenous languages and Zee TV becomes a medium to assist,” he said.
With out giving much away, Goyal promised more great entertainment this year, as he grows the Zee brand.