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Zee TV today announced it was ready and willing to take on the best that Star had to dish out while unveiling the relaunch of the flagship channel of the group. Twenty-four new programmes, a new logo and a Rs 150-million marketing and promotional blitz will precede what is an all-out assault by Zee to regain its former status as the numero uno channel of Indian cable and satellite television.
Monday, August 27 at 7:30 pm is when the new initiative starts beaming, says Sandeep Goyal, group broadcasting CEO, Zee Telefilms
The programming putsch was put together after an intensive audience research exercise conducted by Quantum Market Research. After taking into account factors like who‘s watching what and when, age of viewer, male or female, rural or urban population and how new products would be benchmarked against the competition, Zee is introducing 24 new programmes covering the entire range of viewers‘ choice across genres and time bands.
Viewer feedback provided the fodder required, which had to primarily include the following ingredients: Exotic overseas locations, other marital relationships, music-based shows, tangled love stories and interactive show formats. All the 24 programmes being introduced incorporate one or more of the five factors.
The promotional spend for the new look programmes will be a whopping Rs 150 million spread over a month, the biggest budget spent by ZEE so far for marketing. This is in addition to the promotions running on all the channels of Zee group. "Outdoors, print, radio, the internet, cross promotion on our TV channels. We will resort to everything to ensure that the shows get top of mind awareness with viewers," marketing director Partha Sinha said.
The piece-de-resistance of the new programming line up will be India‘s first audience participation fiction show Aap jo bolein haan to haan,aap jo bole naa to naa. It is India‘s first interactive show, a daily live drama on morals, ethics, emotions and gripping turning points where the audience will use online voting to determine the end of each story, Goyal said.
Produced under licence from GloboTV of Brazil, is called You Decide It in its English avatar. The show will have three to four breaks with a total program running time of about 45 minutes. This program will air from 27 August, Mondays to Wednesdays at 10 pm.
When asked as to what had happened to the reality show launched with much fanfare as part of a 17-programme initiative in March, Goyal said the rains had held up the set shoot. He however refused to set a date on when the show could be expected to air.
The new shows are: Razzmatazz, a dance show, a musical extravaganza which will be compered by actor Arshad Warsi, premiers on Sunday 2 September at 11 am.
 Razzmatazz only on Zee TV Every Saturday |
 Baazi Kiski on Zee TV Every Sunday |
Baazi Kiski, an exciting gameshow anchored by Ashutosh Rana also premiers at 9 pm on Sunday, 2 Sept
Niilaamghar a bid and win game show to air on Saturdays & Sundays at 7 pm will begin airing from 1 September. Hosted by Shekhar Suman, formerly of Movers & Shakers fame, boasts a unique 360 degrees set similar to a pizza. This will be divided into six sections with six sections, a kids room, a family room, an office room, a bedroom, a garage and a kitchen. The audience will sit on the respective sets, with the host going around to all the various sets. The audience can bid for any item in the set, and after replying to the necessary questions the best bid will claim the prize. This is a genuine warm, entertaining game show with no big money involved.
The exotic location shows include:
Dollar Bahu. Extensively shot in exotic locales in America, it portrays life in the US and in India. It is based on a novel by Sudha Murthy, and will air on Thursdays and Fridays from 30 August at 10:30 pm.
Sansaar. It traverses the five continents of UK, Australia, New Zealand , US and South Africa following the lives of a Indian family living in the UK to air from 2 Sept 2001 at 8 pm.
Sarhadein. A story of a love affair which develops between two software engineer colleagues, an Indian girl and a Pakistani boy, based in Singapore to air from 7 August, Mondays to Fridays at 11pm.
Dewaane to Deewane Hai, a story of a musically talented young man‘s journey from London to India with dreams of making it big in the music world and becomes a superstar, to air on Monday to Wednesdays at 7:30pm.
Among the other serials to air on prime time are Hip Hip Hurray - Series II from 27 August on Thursdays and Fridays at 7:30 pm. This is the continuation of the earlier popular series, with the bunch of friends stepping into college life and the trials and tribulations they go through.
Ek Tukda Chand Ka. A dream romance between a small town girl and a famous singer similar to the film Abhimaan, sponsored by Hindustan Lever. To air Mondays to Fridays at 8 pm starting 27 August.
Justujoo. A story of love, lies and heartbreaks as a simple woman deals with her husband‘s infatuation with her own younger sister, airing on Tuesdays at 8:30 pm starting 28 August.
Mujhe Dor Koi Khinche. A story of an elder sister who sacrifices her life and dreams to look after her younger schizophrenic sister, airing from 31 August, Fridays at 8:30 pm.
Kohi Apna Sa. A story of three inseparable friends who marry into the same family - produced by Balaji Telefilms. The three friends even swap children with each other to have peace and bring the broken family together. To air on 27 August, Mondays to Fridays at 9:30 pm.
Ateet. A story of unfulfilled love spread over two lifetimes, a story of reincarnation, and how love conquers even death, to air from 30 August 2001, Thursdays and Fridays at 10 pm.
Shree 420. A fictionalise account of India‘s most wanted conmen and their misdeeds to air from 31 August Fridays & Saturdays at 11 pm.
Festival of Love. A series of short love stories in the 21 st century to air from Mondays to Fridays.
Three properties that Zee hopes to develop are the India Teen Queen to be launched early September, Cutie Pageant, for children in the age groups 0-1, 2-5, 5-8 and Mr and Mrs India - to be launched in November.
There will also a be daily movie at 3 pm, five days a week.
Queried as to whether the shows didn‘t have a slant directed at NRI‘s, Goyal said only four of the 24 shows were with foreign locales as the principal ingredient.
The new serials will be given a gestation period of six weeks before a review of how the shows are doing was made. If any changes are required they will be done, Sinha said. All the shows have been scripted for an average 52-show run Sinha said.
NEW LOOK: Zee is giving their channels a complete new VO with new graphics, new music, Sinha said.
They are rejuvenating themselves with a new ID, with a high-decibel advertising campaign across the country.
The war begins 27 August.
