Zee Entertainment is upbeat about the regional space and this is why the network recently launched four new regional channels including Zee Bioskope, a Bhojpuri movie channel.
But is Bhojpuri a strong market for the TV space?
Amarpreet Saini, Business Head, ZEE Biskope and BIG Ganga, ZEEL, said, “The Bhojpuri market has seen significant growth. In comparison to other regional market, it is relatively new and it has also been inhabited by fewer channels. It (Bhojpuri) has taken its time to grow, but in the last two to three years, it has seen 80-85 percent growth in viewership which shows the hunger for authentic Bhojpuri content, and also gives an indication that there is far more room to grow.”
Along with viewership, advertisers are also showing interest in the Bhojpuri space.
“In the last three years if content consumption has seen 85 percent growth, then adex (advertising expenditure) growth has been almost 30-33 percent during the same period in the Bhojpuri market. If more vernacular content is in place then the advertisers’ interest for the market grows manifold,” said Samrat Ghosh, Cluster Business Head, East, ZEEL.
How is Zee Placed in this market?
Currently, ZEE commands 25 percent of viewership, said Saini.
“Bihar and Jharkhand are primarily Hindi speaking markets. Hindi viewership combined with GEC (General Entertainment Channel), movies and some music channels, is 70-80 percent, and Bhojpuri will be 15-20 percent of the overall viewership pie. But in the last three years, especially in the last year, we have seen significant growth in Bhojpuri viewership and a decline in Hindi viewership,” he added.
While a movie channel by ZEE in Bhojpuri is new, the network already had in place a GEC called BIG Ganga. Now, a lot of BIG Ganga’s content will be used for Zee Biskope.
ZEE is banking on its library which includes over 300 movies and a blockbuster of the last five years and content featuring the top three superstars of the Bhojpuri cinema -- Nirahua, Pawan Singh and Khesari Lal Yadav.
But ZEE is not alone in the Bhojpuri movie space and faces competition from channels like Bhojpuri Cinema TV, B4U Bhojpuri. Saini however, is confident of ZEE’s new addition.
“When we studied the market, we realized a significant gap because there are movie channels but they are generic in nature and content is not curated. We have created specific bands studying where what kind of viewership prevails. We have family entertainment for morning band, romantic dramas and comedies for afternoon and for evening band when the density of male viewership increases, we have action films. Plus, there will also be premiers every week which is being under served,” said Saini.
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