Ciao '14 | Research was key before we launched Zindagi, says Datta

The Hindi GEC world has been seeing a lot of new premium channels. These channels have got a lot of differentiated content. While there are some channels that cater to only Indian content, there is one channel which has for the very first time got Pakistani content to the Indian audience and it had been able to build a fabulous connect with the Indian audience.

Zindagi which is at a very amateur stage in the Indian broadcasting industry has set its benchmark by the differentiated original content. The channel being a part of one of the initial players in the broadcasting industry (Zee Entertainment Television), this channel has witnessed a lot of changes in the industry.

In our quest to know mpre about the future of this channel, Adgully caught up with Priyanka Datta, Business Head for Zindagi.

2014 which has seen a lot of changes in the broadcasting industry. In spite of all the changes there have been some key milestones that the channel has reached. Priyanka Datta gives us some insights on the same. She said, “The biggest milestone for us this year has definitely been the launch of Zindagi. The channel has created lot of firsts in the Indian television industry. One of the firsts and key milestone for us has been the change in television programming trend which has triggered the demand for finite shows that do not span over years. These shows cater to audiences with progressive mind-sets.”

Indeed the channel has been growing ever since it was launched mid this year. Speaking about the growth in their genre, Datta tells us, “With the launch of Zindagi, we have managed to emerge as a category creator with India’s first and only Premium Hindi Entertainment Channel. The channel has been received well  by its viewers for its content, sophistication in language, actors and brilliant narration of stories – something that the audience has found relatable and close to reality.”

The channel which was launched on 23rd June 2014 is still at a very early stage of its growth. Datta opined “The response to the channel has been encouraging and the audience has warmly accepted us. The positioning of the channel has managed to attract premium advertisers for its audience.”

According to industry experts zindagi is touted to be a premium Hindi GEC, commenting on their approach Datta said, “We did a lot of research before launching the channel. Our focus, from the beginning, has been on getting quality content on the channel which is apt for the audience with progressive mind-sets. Some of the differentiators on Zindagi are that all the dramas on the channel have finite episodes, a definite beginning and end, each show has its own OST, and the shows are shot at real locations as opposed to studio sets that are prevalent in shows on all the GECs in India and many more.”

From the time of iits launch till date the channel has launched some markey shows like Zindagi Gulzar Hai, Aunn Zara, Humsafar, Maat & Aaina Dulhan Ka which have got rave reviews from the audience. 

The channel has made some intresting efforts too in the digital front. Datta tells us about some of the marketing and digital strategies that have worked for them. She said, “Considering the audience that will appreciate the Zindagi content we have made concentrated efforts to target the SEC AB audiences across all platforms. During the launch we had a 360 degree campaign covering TV, Print, Radio, OOH and digital. We have been very consistent on the Digital front since then and we have built a very loyal base of followers on social media platforms. The enthusiasm of our viewers can be gauged from the fact that we trended No 1 across India for close to 13 hours on our launch day on twitter. A recent study that we did with Ormax showed that the recall of Zindagi was close to many established channels in the Hindi GEC space.”

Sharing some insights on the response from the audience, Datta said, “The response from viewers has been phenomenal and we are overwhelmed at the positivity and appreciation to each show received from audiences across India.  Social networking sites are abuzz with praise for the shows. It’s been close to 6 months since the launch and all actors on Zindagi have already become household names. What has appealed to our audiences the most is the finite nature of shows and it’s fresh, relatable and well scripted content.”

On a concluding note, Datta tells us some good things and trends for 2015. She said, “One of the trends that seem a possibility in 2015 is bringing in finite shows that seem to have been triggered by the show formats on Zindagi. Once, BARC kicks in, the TV industry will see a lot of change, so that will be something to look forward to.” By Archit Ambekar | Twitter: @aambarchit