‘Z’ Whats Next will be a recurring initiative to showcase the culturally rooted storytelling and tech-driven innovations from the house of Zee
Zee, one of India’s most iconic and beloved media brands, reaching 854 million viewers across 208 million households, entered a bold new era with the launch of its new brand identity and powerful brand promise “Yours Truly, Z”. To further fuel its momentum and reaffirm its role in this diverse industry, Zee launched an industry-facing initiative – ‘Z’ Whats Next – to showcase the network’s transformation into a content-tech powerhouse.
‘Z’ Whats Next is an industry-first initiative where Zee brought its partners to the bold new era with a front-row seat to innovations, evolving vision and reimagined entertainment for the industry. It spotlighted everything Zee is building for a world where content moves freely, across platforms, devices, and hearts, powered by creativity and technology, rooted in culture as a bedrock in equal measure. For marketers, it served as a window into how storytelling can evolve from a 30-second ad to a character-led movement, while signalling how Zee is not just responding to change; they are designing it, and inviting partners to build the future of Indian entertainment with them.
In an evolving landscape, while the way people consume content is changing, Zee reiterated how television remains the country’s most powerful storyteller, reaching hundreds of Mn’s every day. And while audiences today are platform-fluid, Zee has been adapting to its viewers’ needs on a real-time basis. It is creating content that travels from television to OTT to social, with characters, formats, and narratives that move seamlessly across platforms. In line with the trend and Zee’s promise of being the leading content and tech powerhouse, the network strategically unveiled two new hybrid channels, Zee Power and Zee BanglaSonar at ‘Z’ Whats Next.
‘Z’ Whats Next also highlighted how Zee has emerged as the top choice of entertainment for viewers across the country for years now with a bouquet of 50 channels in 11 languages. It reiterated how Zee’s world is made up of powerful, culturally resonant brands, created for a Bharat that is confident, expressive, and always moving forward. The network caters to every language of Bharat – emotionally, visually, and linguistically. Their stories are also rooted in hyperlocal realities and subcultures, celebrating identities that are specific, yet universally understood. And at the heart of these stories are characters who influence lives. They are Dilfluencers – shaping emotions, conversations, and behaviours in the real world!
Adding more about the new initiative and the launch of channels, Kartik Mahadev, Chief Marketing Officer, ZEEL, added, “With ‘Z’ Whats Next, we are reimaging entertainment through the lens of culture, creativity and technology. The ‘Z’ brand continues to stand as a cultural cornerstone for Bharat. It’s a brand that evolves with its audiences while staying anchored in their realities, dreams and aspirations. The launch of Zee Power and Zee BanglaSonar further symbolises this vision, highlighting our conviction in the strength of Language markets and our commitment to delivering future-forward content that resonates deeply, reflects the pulse of a changing India.”
Zee Power is a next-generation Kannada hybrid channel designed for Karnataka’s younger, and semi-urban audience. The new channel fuses bold, urban storytelling with aspirational formats, delivering a high-energy content experience that truly embodies the voice of today’s Kannadigas. It will officially launch on-air in August 2025 with an extensive multimedia campaign covering all districts of Karnataka. The initial programming line-up will include five fiction shows, and one daily non-fiction show along with daily movie showcases and occasional World Television Premieres.
Speaking about the launch of Zee Power, Siju Prabhakaran, Chief Cluster Officer – South and West, ZEEL, said, “As market leaders in Karnataka, a region with 99% TV penetration, Zee has a deep understanding of audience sentiment and their cultural nuances. We realise Kannada viewers are not homogeneous today, and differentiated content preferences are emerging, leaving a clear ‘white space’ for progressive, high-intensity narratives. Echoing viewer needs, we’ve developed a robust dual-channel strategy with Zee Kannada continuing to cater to our core family audience, while Zee Power captures a different beat with sharper, grittier, and more contemporary content lens. For us, Zee Power is not merely expanding our regional footprint, it is our way of redefining the landscape of Kannada television.”
Zee BanglaSonar, on the other hand, is a first-of-its-kind hybrid channel for Bengali-speaking audiences across India. Blending fiction, non-fiction, films, and new formats, Zee BanglaSonar is built for the culturally rooted, yet modern viewer. The brand encapsulates relatable, and deeply local approach. It will also be officially launched on-air in August 2025 and will have an extensive multi-media campaign covering Kolkata along with all districts of Bengal.
Thrilled to launch Zee BanglaSonar, Samrat Ghosh, Chief Cluster Officer – East, North & Premium Cluster, ZEEL, said, “West Bengal is a burgeoning TV market specially in the Bengali General Entertainment Category. It is ready for innovation and a fresh take on entertainment. Zee BanglaSonar launch has been strategically envisioned to complement our flagship channel Zee Bangla by catering to evolving and diverse audience base through differential content offerings. Zee BanglaSonar is being strategically launched, not only with a diverse programming slate, but also with content curated for the male audience. With the launch of Zee BanglaSonar we are about to unlock untapped potential through engaging storytelling that is rooted in tradition and relatable across our fiction, non-fiction and movies, delivering a truly differentiated experience.”
As the Zee Network continues to champion new India’s diverse narratives and connect with audiences across every screen, it also aims to solidify its role as a dynamic content-tech powerhouse which is evolving with cutting-edge innovation and reimagining the future of entertainment.