Assignment on marketing management Zee Telefilms Ltd.

Breaking the Jinx

Segmentation, Targeting & Positioning

Submitted by: Rahul Kamath K 111202050, SEC A Introduction

Zee telefilms commenced its entertainment in the year 1992 and became Indias first Hindi General Entertainment Channel, Zee TV in October 1992. After its

success in the initial years, Zee lost its position of market leader to new players like Sony TV in 1995 & Aaj Tak in 2000. Star TV also grew substantially to be the number 1 entertainment channel in India. The company was in crisis and also deteriorating so the CEO of the company felt that they needed to improve their programming content to capture the mind share of the new Indian consumer.

The History of Indian Television

The Television came to India in 1959 & for almost two decades the Government of India used Doordarshan, the national network, as an instrument of Social change & produced programs which focused on issues like national integration, agricultural development, literacy, education, health & family welfare. It mainly focused on socio-economic development & education. The shows in Doordarshan were Ramayan, Mahabharatha which took the TRPs to the top. However things began to change during the 1980s, when the Asian Games were held in Delhi & were broadcast on DD in the year 1982. In 1984 DD Metro channel was added to provide an exclusive entertainment for the urban viewers. In this decade there was just one segment of viewer that is the Great Indian Family. 4 programs ruled the TV i.e. Ramayana, Chitrahaar, News & Hum Log. Till the late 1980s, DD was the biggest player in the TV channel industry, in fact the only player.

Private Cable & Satellite Television

Satellite TV came to India in early 1990s by which Star TV launched its 4 channels in the year 1991. However the market was not ready to accept these channels as they were fully English & the mass of the viewership of India was Hindi speaking. When elections came in 1998 news became big news & NDTV evolved which was the first independent news channel. Zee too had to set up its independent news channel & both were fast gaining in popularity. In the 21st century, the TV industry had become more specific and realistic. The Hindi & English speaking markets are separated. Content remains king on general entertainment channels. The market had only three major competitors Star, Sony & Zee.

The Zee Story

ZEE was promoted by Subhash Chandra, one of Indias leading entrepreneurs, who sought to establish Zee as an infotainment company which focused on the convergence of media & communications. Initially in 1990s 4 serials ruled Zee TV which was: Banegi Apni Baat, Tara, Amaanat & Zee horror show. With the increasing purchasing power of the Indian consumer & the demand for more variety, new domestic & international channels entered the industry offering a wide range of programming content across different genres. Later as the years passed by Zee added many more channels in its bouquet such as Zee Music, Zee Cinema, Zee News, Zee Studio, Zee Caf, Zee Marathi, Zee Bangla & other regional channels. Despite all these initiatives, Zee was fighting a losing battle against the newly launched national & international channels by Sony & Star group in the late 1990s. To revive itself, Zee entered into a joint venture with Turner Ltd. In December, 2001, this garnished its bouquet with international channels like CNBC, Cartoon Network & Zee Studio.

The Downfall of Zee

The Indian viewers evolved with the passing of years. Their expectations increased from the channels & this created a tough competition for the channels. Sony jump started with lot of shows based for younger generations like Heena, Hum Sab Ek Hain, CID, Sparsh, Alpviram etc, by which Sony started to gain its Market Share of viewership in 1999. Then came the era of KBC in 2000 which was hosted by MR.Amitabh Bachan which was a hit & Star Plus ruled outstandingly with no competition from either of the two groups at all. In 2005 Star Plus gained the number 1 spot in the Market Share of Viewership, since then Star has retained its number 1 spot. The main reason for Zees ratings falling down was because of the fact that it showcased weak programming content which did not plead the audience at all. The overall feel, presentation & look were also not very soothing & pleasing. Sony & Zee always competed for the number 2 position as Star always occupied the top position. In and out Sony had an edge over Zee as its programs were of better quality & the content was also good.

Zees Undoings
Zee wasnt aware that people watched shows with which they could associate with. People watched programs & not channels. Zee lacked in both mindshare & market share as compared to Sony. Zee also lacked in innovative ideas which were indicated by other channels by showing reality shows like KBC & Indian Idol. Internal competition was also prevalent inside Zee bouquet. For example Zee Studio & HBO, CNBC & Zee Business. Viewers like to watch more than one type of programs on a channel. So the success of such channels will depend on how well they can cater to the demand of the consumers with varying tastes, as well as variety in programs of the channel according to the preference of the viewers.

Zee Reacts

In 2000 Zee tried to revamp its current look, feel & presentation by adding 26 new programs & removing all the old ones, but this declined their image further rather than improving it. In 2006 the serials Saath phere & Kasam Se gained popularity & moved Zee to a higher position. Zee Cine Awards & presence of Bollywood Superstar SRK improved its brand image. But the major comeback of Zee was due to a revamped Antakshiri & Sa Re Ga Ma Pa Challenge which catered to a larger audience & provided an interest in the audience and also popularized the channel. As there were many viewers. Zee is honoring women by Zee Astitva Awards. Zee has also captured the global market with its Zee Cine Awards. The Zee Caf is working on Indian Sit-coms showcasing Mumbai Social circuit & its glamour.

Q) The company ZEE can do well in and get a higher equation in terms of

segmentation, targeting and positioning. I think the company should more focus on getting entertainment shows o reality shows as SONY and STAR focusses on reality shows by which the ZEE channel can improve its TRPs and also can gain market share and reach to the top. The ZEE channel should mainly focus on younger generation and also more on women as there are the backbones of the Indian television. ZEE channel should also position its viewers by giving religious programs for old age people and also fashion trend shows for young viewers and also should keep an eye over the timings of the show as it shouldnt contradict with old and young age viewers.