MUMBAI: India's entertainment landscape is hotter than a Vindaloo, and Zee Entertainment Enterprises Ltd (ZEEL) is clearly leading the charge, particularly down South. Siju Prabhakaran, who is the chief cluster officer- South, gave Indiantelevision.com's Rohin Ramesh the lowdown on how the media conglomerate is not just keeping pace with, but setting the agenda in the rapidly evolving content game.

Zee's grand vision, dubbed "Yours Truly Z," isn't just a fancy catchphrase, it's a promise to be both a cultural and technological powerhouse. "The brand promise is true for every market," Prabhakaran declares, emphasising their commitment to tell great stories, to connect with our audience emotionally, capture the cultural nuances of each of the markets. Forget wishy-washy content, Zee's serving up narratives that genuinely resonate.

Gone are the days of just linear TV. While still a cornerstone, Zee is now charging headfirst into the digital realm with Zee5, crafting everything from "micro dramas", bite-sized, one-minute storytelling across seven languages – to mini-series and movies. "Whichever is the format, whichever is the platform, and whatever is the language, we will be capturing it both through technology and great storytelling," Siju explained.

The South, a truly unique beast with its diverse languages, presents a particular challenge that Zee is tackling with gusto. Prabhakaran highlighted that regional audiences are incredibly "platform fluid," seamlessly hopping between traditional telly, OTT, YouTube, and even Instagram Reels.

"We are fundamentally storytellers," Siju quipped, whether it's long format, short format, or micro dramas. He sees a massive opportunity to convert casual scrollers of user-generated content into loyal viewers of curated narratives. And despite the OTT invasion, television remains a big part of the social fabric of India, especially for that cherished family viewing experience as the bigger insight here is that regional audiences prefer content in their own language, demanding high production values and great storytelling no matter the screen.

Zee's approach to content creation is as varied as a British weather forecast: "thirty-minute shows, three-minute stories, and thirty-second drama." They're not just embracing diverse formats; they're ensuring a consistent tone and quality by tapping into a burgeoning creator ecosystem of young writers, directors, and actors who are now finding jobs and becoming big faces.

When asked about upcoming IPs, Siju teased that Zee is working on various non-fiction formats, leveraging established juggernauts like Sa Re Ga Ma Pa and Dance India Dance that have already travelled across platforms. He also pointed to the Marathi hit Chala Hawa Yeu Dya, which is now being adapted for Hindi audiences and will soon hit the Southern markets, showcasing a desire to tell "raw, unfiltered and unscripted stories".

Interestingly, despite the digital onslaught, the younger audience in the South remains glued to television. Siju attributes this to high TV penetration, a thriving content ecosystem (fueled partly by films), the desire for local language content, and the social experience of collective family viewing. To keep these youngsters hooked, Zee is evolving the traditional TV experience with contests, strong social media presence (WhatsApp, Instagram, Facebook), and even gaming initiatives linked to non-fiction formats.

Navigating the multi-lingual South (Telugu, Tamil, Kannada, Malayalam) means avoiding a one size fits all approach. Zee relies on strong, localised teams who deeply understand cultural nuances and emotional pegs. "Keeping your ears to the ground and having that right talent is the way to keep every market different," he affirmed.

And finally, on the hot topic of regional creators and digital influence, Prabhakaran introduced the concept of 'DILFLUENCERs' which was revealed last year. Zee boasts "one of the largest repertoire of influencers" in their TV characters and reality show contestants who have massive digital followings. This allows Zee to offer brands a "three-sixty-degree kind of a solution" – a package of influencer marketing alongside TV and OTT impressions.

Real-time data and audience insights are the key for what gets the green light in Zee's pipeline. From focus group discussions and social listening to OTT data collection, Siju stated, "These will only get richer and richer to understand what the audience is liking in a content, what they are not liking and kind of calibrate it accordingly."

It seems Zee isn't just making content. It's practically building an experience, one regional echo at a time.

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