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<ul><li>This arranged marriage concept has also led to prosperous businesses – <keyword id="260777" type="COMPANY" weightage="20" keywordseo="shaadi-com">Shaadi.com</keyword>, <keyword id="393347" type="COMPANY" weightage="20" keywordseo="Bharat-Matrimony">Bharat Matrimony</keyword> and <keyword id="530627" type="ORGANIZATION" weightage="20" keywordseo="jeevansathi-com">Jeevansathi.com</keyword> among others. </li><li>These platforms that took the arranged marriage setup online many years ago, came up with new solutions – video call meet-ups and zoom call weddings. </li><li>Potential bride and grooms are now meeting each other for the first time over a video call. </li></ul>The Indian culture has always seen arranged marriages – where parents look for the suitable partner for their ‘of age’ children. From Shaadi.com, <keyword id="9477581" type="COMPANY" weightage="20" keywordseo="bharat-matrimony-to-jeevansathi-com">Bharat Matrimony to Jeevansathi.com</keyword>, the online platforms that help people find the best match for themselves, took a hit as weddings came to a complete halt due to the restrictions for gatherings. But these platforms that took the arranged marriage setup online many years ago, came up with new solutions – video call meet-ups and zoom call weddings. <div type="Article" hostid="261" msid="75242402" title="This couple just had a big fat Indian ‘wedding from home’ over a Zoom call" mstype="2" mssubtype="0"></div> Potential bride and grooms are now meeting each other for the first time over a video call. Shaadi.com launched Shaadi Meet – a video calling feature on its platform on June 19. Within two days, 105,000 people had used the feature. “In the times we are living in, virtual meetings have become the new normal. As we are physically distancing, we have become socially closer. Shaadi Meet stands testimony to our singular purpose of improving the matchmaking experience of our members and empowering them to take control of their destiny,” said Anupam Mittal, founder and CEO, Shaadi.com. The platform has also launched ‘weddings from home’ for online marriages. A similar hike in website traffic was seen by its rival – Jeevansathi.com. The company which had launched the feature even before coronavirus (in January) saw that the website saw a 60% hike in the number of voice and video calls in the lockdown period as compared to the 11-week prior average. “Nation-wide lockdown has resulted in heavy dependence on technology and the internet. The website witnessed a surge in the overall traffic during the social-distancing period. With most public places temporarily closed, people are finding more virtual ways to connect with each other more than ever. Our video/audio calling feature allows them to connect without exchanging personal phone numbers,” said Rohan Mathur, business head at Jeevansathi.com Safety first Keeping safety in mind, Shaadi.com allows users to set their convenient time to receive a Meet Request and can also decide who can invite them for a Meet. Meanwhile, Bharatmatrimony which launched the feature on June 18, kept it exclusively for <keyword id="9477582" type="COMPANY" weightage="20" keywordseo="premium-members">premium members</keyword>. But they also took several steps to ensure that women don’t get crank calls. “Women’s safety has been accorded utmost priority and they can only receive video calls from Premium Members they contacted or responded to earlier. On the other hand, men can get video calls from any premium women member and will be able to call only women members who responded to their earlier inquiry. Both male and female members will have privacy options wherein they can specify who can initiate video calls with them,” the company said. SEE ALSO: <a href="https://www.businessinsider.in/business/auto/news/what-ceos-say-india-can-learn-from-china-to-get-more-electric-vehicles-on-the-road/articleshow/76669260.cms">What CEOs say India can learn from China to get more electric vehicles on the road</a> <a href="https://www.businessinsider.in/careers/news/work-from-home-has-brought-with-it-a-new-set-of-problems-with-endless-calls-and-works-hours/articleshow/76637605.cms">Work from home fun is over – now there are endless work hours, midnight calls from bosses and employees are not happy</a>

India's matrimony portals come of age with video calls and zoom call weddings

<ul><li><keyword id="1837464" type="PERSON" weightage="20" keywordseo="Matrimony-com">Matrimony.com</keyword> runs Bharat Matrimony, a popular platform for <keyword id="6454941" type="UNKNOWN" weightage="20" keywordseo="matchmaking">matchmaking</keyword>.</li><li>The matchmaking business saw its revenue grow by 5.8% on a quarterly basis. </li><li>However, its net profit for the quarter stood at ₹6.77 crore, a 4.6% fall from the recorded profit in the same quarter the previous year. </li></ul>India has been under a <keyword id="91743" type="PERSON" weightage="20" keywordseo="lockdown">lockdown</keyword> since March 25, but even before that social distancing had become the new norm. So, the big fat <keyword id="68773" type="PERSON" weightage="20" keywordseo="Indian-weddings">Indian weddings</keyword> that had been planned had started getting delayed even as early as February. The Indian government has also restricted the number of people present at a wedding at 50 people. However, wedding portal Matrimony.com is still raking in money through its matchmaking portal. The matchmaking business saw its revenue grow by 5.8% on a quarterly basis and a 13% yearly jump. But its marriage services segment – which includes services like photography, catering and decoration, has taken a serious hit. <table style="border-width: initial; border-style: none; width: 468pt; table-layout: fixed;"></colgroup><tbody><tr><td style="border-left:solid #000000 1pt;border-right:solid #000000 1pt;border-bottom:solid #000000 1pt;border-top:solid #000000 1pt;vertical-align:top;padding:5pt 5pt 5pt 5pt;overflow:hidden;overflow-wrap:break-word;"> </td><td style="border-left:solid #000000 1pt;border-right:solid #000000 1pt;border-bottom:solid #000000 1pt;border-top:solid #000000 1pt;vertical-align:top;padding:5pt 5pt 5pt 5pt;overflow:hidden;overflow-wrap:break-word;">Q4FY20 </td><td style="border-left:solid #000000 1pt;border-right:solid #000000 1pt;border-bottom:solid #000000 1pt;border-top:solid #000000 1pt;vertical-align:top;padding:5pt 5pt 5pt 5pt;overflow:hidden;overflow-wrap:break-word;">Q3FY20 </td><td style="border-left:solid #000000 1pt;border-right:solid #000000 1pt;border-bottom:solid #000000 1pt;border-top:solid #000000 1pt;vertical-align:top;padding:5pt 5pt 5pt 5pt;overflow:hidden;overflow-wrap:break-word;">Q2FY20 </td><td style="border-left:solid #000000 1pt;border-right:solid #000000 1pt;border-bottom:solid #000000 1pt;border-top:solid #000000 1pt;vertical-align:top;padding:5pt 5pt 5pt 5pt;overflow:hidden;overflow-wrap:break-word;">Q1FY20 </td><td style="border-left:solid #000000 1pt;border-right:solid #000000 1pt;border-bottom:solid #000000 1pt;border-top:solid #000000 1pt;vertical-align:top;padding:5pt 5pt 5pt 5pt;overflow:hidden;overflow-wrap:break-word;">Q4FY19 </td></tr><tr><td style="border-left:solid #000000 1pt;border-right:solid #000000 1pt;border-bottom:solid #000000 1pt;border-top:solid #000000 1pt;vertical-align:top;padding:5pt 5pt 5pt 5pt;overflow:hidden;overflow-wrap:break-word;">Matchmaking service revenue </td><td style="border-left:solid #000000 1pt;border-right:solid #000000 1pt;border-bottom:solid #000000 1pt;border-top:solid #000000 1pt;vertical-align:top;padding:5pt 5pt 5pt 5pt;overflow:hidden;overflow-wrap:break-word;">93 cr </td><td style="border-left:solid #000000 1pt;border-right:solid #000000 1pt;border-bottom:solid #000000 1pt;border-top:solid #000000 1pt;vertical-align:top;padding:5pt 5pt 5pt 5pt;overflow:hidden;overflow-wrap:break-word;">87.8 cr </td><td style="border-left:solid #000000 1pt;border-right:solid #000000 1pt;border-bottom:solid #000000 1pt;border-top:solid #000000 1pt;vertical-align:top;padding:5pt 5pt 5pt 5pt;overflow:hidden;overflow-wrap:break-word;">88.6 cr </td><td style="border-left:solid #000000 1pt;border-right:solid #000000 1pt;border-bottom:solid #000000 1pt;border-top:solid #000000 1pt;vertical-align:top;padding:5pt 5pt 5pt 5pt;overflow:hidden;overflow-wrap:break-word;">91.06 cr </td><td style="border-left:solid #000000 1pt;border-right:solid #000000 1pt;border-bottom:solid #000000 1pt;border-top:solid #000000 1pt;vertical-align:top;padding:5pt 5pt 5pt 5pt;overflow:hidden;overflow-wrap:break-word;">82.15 cr </td></tr><tr><td style="border-left:solid #000000 1pt;border-right:solid #000000 1pt;border-bottom:solid #000000 1pt;border-top:solid #000000 1pt;vertical-align:top;padding:5pt 5pt 5pt 5pt;overflow:hidden;overflow-wrap:break-word;">Marriage services revenue </td><td style="border-left:solid #000000 1pt;border-right:solid #000000 1pt;border-bottom:solid #000000 1pt;border-top:solid #000000 1pt;vertical-align:top;padding:5pt 5pt 5pt 5pt;overflow:hidden;overflow-wrap:break-word;">1.1 cr </td><td style="border-left:solid #000000 1pt;border-right:solid #000000 1pt;border-bottom:solid #000000 1pt;border-top:solid #000000 1pt;vertical-align:top;padding:5pt 5pt 5pt 5pt;overflow:hidden;overflow-wrap:break-word;">2.2 cr </td><td style="border-left:solid #000000 1pt;border-right:solid #000000 1pt;border-bottom:solid #000000 1pt;border-top:solid #000000 1pt;vertical-align:top;padding:5pt 5pt 5pt 5pt;overflow:hidden;overflow-wrap:break-word;">3.6 cr </td><td style="border-left:solid #000000 1pt;border-right:solid #000000 1pt;border-bottom:solid #000000 1pt;border-top:solid #000000 1pt;vertical-align:top;padding:5pt 5pt 5pt 5pt;overflow:hidden;overflow-wrap:break-word;">4.4 cr </td><td style="border-left:solid #000000 1pt;border-right:solid #000000 1pt;border-bottom:solid #000000 1pt;border-top:solid #000000 1pt;vertical-align:top;padding:5pt 5pt 5pt 5pt;overflow:hidden;overflow-wrap:break-word;">3.9 cr </td></tr></tbody></table> However, its net profit for the quarter stood at ₹6.77 crore, a 4.6% fall from the recorded profit in the same quarter the previous year. “In the last 2 weeks of March, business was impacted due to the unprecedented crisis of COVID-19. The company fell short of ₹100 cr+ billing in matchmaking due to this impact and thereby falling short of a double digit billings growth on a Q/Q basis and Y/Y Basis,” said the company’s investor presentation. Matrimony.com runs Bharat Matrimony, a popular platform for matchmaking. It also added 1.45 million free profiles and 183,348 paid subscriptions during the quarter. "Despite the challenging situation caused by COVID-19, we were able to demonstrate a double-digit revenue growth (13% yoy) in matchmaking and an increase in profitability in Q4. We continue to improve our product and services to provide superior customer experience. Our robust balance sheet will help us to navigate these troubled times and with the right interventions, the business can emerge stronger when the situation improves,” said Murugavel Janakiraman, chairman and managing Director, Matrimony.com. In fact, even during lockdown the platform saw a 30% increase in the number of registrations.“The engagement level of customers and profile acquisitions on our site is growing. To meet the rising demand, we have leveraged our services also,” Janakiraman told <a href="https://www.newindianexpress.com/business/2020/apr/25/lockdown-gives-a-boost-to-indias-online-matrimony-websites-as-usage-surges-2135057.html">New Indian Express.</a> See Also: <a href="https://www.businessinsider.in/business/ecommerce/news/amazon-india-hiring-50000-jobs-available-for-delivery-guys/articleshow/75888254.cms">Amazon India has opened up 50,000 ‘seasonal’ jobs for the post-lockdown surge in e-commerce demand</a> <a href="https://www.businessinsider.in/business/corporates/news/mukesh-ambani-may-not-be-done-selling-stake-in-jio-even-after-one-sixth-of-the-telco-is-already-out-of-his-hands/articleshow/75892898.cms">Mukesh Ambani may not be done selling stake in Jio even after one-sixth of the telco is already out of his hands</a>

Lockdown has deferred weddings in India but online matchmaking is on the rise

New Delhi [India], May 16 (ANI): <keyword id="9766785" type="General" weightage="100" keywordseo="Lok-Sabha-elections-2024" source="Orion">Lok Sabha elections 2024</keyword> have seen a <keyword id="20108198" type="General" weightage="20" keywordseo="voter-turnout" source="keywords">voter turnout</keyword> at polling stations of about 66.95 per cent so far, as approximately 451 million people have voted during the first four phases of ongoing general elections. In a bid to encourage voters to exercise their franchise in large numbers, ECI has enhanced its targeted interventions to reach out to every eligible voter. The Commission led by CEC Rajiv Kumar along with ECs Gyanesh Kumar and Sukhbir Singh Sandhu, further directed CEOs of the states going to poll in the fifth, sixth and seventh phases to timely distribute voter information slips to all electors and enhance outreach activities. "Commission strongly believes that partnership and collaboration are essential pillars of the voter awareness programme. It's heartening to see that, at the Commission's request, different institutions, influencers and celebrities with significant reach are working enthusiastically on a pro-bono basis," Chief Election Commissioner Rajiv Kumar said. Further, he added that a higher voter turnout would be a message from Indian voters to the world, about the strength of Indian Democracy. He urges all the voters to cast their vote in huge numbers, as voting day is not a holiday but a day of pride, by participating in the festival of democracy. According to an official release, various <keyword id="21686177" type="General" weightage="20" keywordseo="voter-awareness-drives" source="keywords">voter awareness drives</keyword> and campaigns have been carried out by stakeholders in collaboration with ECI. Telecom Service Providers such as Bharat Sanchar Nigam Limited, Bharti Airtel Limited, Jio Telecommunication, and Vodafone-Idea Limited are reaching out to every mobile user in the respective parliamentary constituency through push SMS/Flash SMSs, outbound dialling calls to mobile users, RCS (Rich Communication Services) messaging and WhatsApp messages/alerts. These activities are carried out two/three days before the poll and even on the poll day, in regional languages, with an appeal to vote. ECI has collaborated with BCCI for voter awareness activities during the ongoing IPL season. The voter awareness messages and songs are being played at different stadiums during the cricket matches. The most innovative aspect of this campaign is the administration of voter's pledges by cricket legend Sachin Tendulkar in a pre-recorded video message, at various IPL venues. Further, voter awareness messages are integrated into cricket commentary. Cricketers from 10 IPL teams have encouraged voters to participate in the <keyword id="19895394" type="General" weightage="20" keywordseo="lok-sabha" source="keywords">Lok Sabha</keyword> elections in 2024 with their recorded voter awareness messages. A voting day alert was sent to all Facebook users pan India to inform and inform the voters about the general elections and to nudge them to participate in the festival of democracy, the release mentioned. The release further stated that WhatsApp personalised messages have begun on polling day. Google India is contributing through its iconic feature of Google Doodle on poll days and banners appearing on YouTube, Google Pat and other Google platforms. The Retail Association of India has been actively engaging with voter awareness activities, through their retail network, whereby retail chains are encouraged to celebrate the election as a festival. The vast network of post offices and banking institutions was utilised by ECI to reach out to a wide and diverse audience across the length and breadth of the country. In collaboration with the Ministry of Petroleum and Natural Gas, the parliamentary elections campaign logo "Chunav ka Parv, Desh ka Garv" has been integrated with the IRCTC portal and tickets. Voter awareness announcements have been integrated with the public address system at all railway stations. The logo stickers are used on coaches of the superfast trains. In collaboration with the Ministry of Petroleum and Natural Gas, hoardings on voter awareness have been installed in about 16,000 retail outlets. In collaboration with the Ministry of Civil Aviation, airlines are making an inflight announcement with an appeal message to participate in the ensuing elections. Voter guides are being kept in aircraft seat pockets. Apart from this, many airports are providing space for the display of voter awareness messages. Selfie points have been installed at airports in 10 major cities viz. Delhi, Mumbai, Kolkata, Bengaluru, Hyderabad, Ahmedabad, Lucknow, Patna, Chandigarh, and Pune. Cinema theatres across the country are playing ECI voter awareness films and ECI Song Main Bharat Hoon, Hum Bharat Ke Matdata Hai, at regular intervals, as a part of the Public Service Awareness (PSA) film. Sansad TV is creating short films on Unique Polling Stations set up in remote corners of the country by the election machinery after navigating difficult terrains to demonstrate the challenges in ensuring voting at the last mile. AMUL, Mother Dairy and other milk co-operatives have started branding their milk pouches with the message 'Chunav Ka Parv, Desh ka Garv' and encouraging voters through social media platforms. AMUL is also encouraging voters with its unique messaging through AMUL Girl Topical advertisements in newspapers. Prasar Bharati: Doordarshan has produced, various short films, including appeals from constitutional functionaries like President of India, Vice President of India, and Chief Justice of India, among others. Further, unique polling stations are being covered by the regional Kendra's audio-visual documentation. Music App Spotify is running a campaign called 'Play Your Part', and they have issued print advertisements, and curated the playlists for the elections, on their app. Payments app PhonePe has integrated voter awareness message into their app and is actively encouraging voters. BookMyShow has launched an integrated campaign, titled "Aaj Picture Nahi, Bigger Picture Dekho," to raise awareness among voters. MakeMyTrip is running a campaign titled 'MyVoteWalaTrip', whereby discounts are offered to citizens going to vote. Food delivery platforms such as Zomato and Swiggy are disseminating voter awareness messages through their platforms and social media activities. Grocery App Blinkit changed its logo to "Inkit" for the elections, incorporating a message encouraging people to "Go out and Vote" as a tagline. Uber India is reaching out to voters through multi-channel messaging (in-app, emails, push notifications), offering discounts for rides to polling stations, and amplifying voter awareness messages on social media platforms. Bike app Rapido has been encouraging voters with a free ride to vote. Urban Company has launched 'I Have Voted Campaign' to encourage voters. Tata Neu app, serving as the Tata Group's group-wide consumer-facing mobile app, prominently features the "Cast Your Vote" animated banner on its homepage, with additional initiatives currently underway. Truecaller is enhancing its layout by displaying voter awareness message during outbound calls Some other independent initiatives are Mankind Pharma #VotingVirgin campaign, clothing brand Neeru's "Vote ki Taiyaari" TVC, Tinder's "Every Single Vote Counts" campaign, creatively curated social media post by Matrimonial sites like Jeevansathi.com, etc and discounts for voting by popular brands such as Shoppers' Stop, MakeMyTrip, Chroma and many more. Four phases of Lok Sabha polls have been held and the voting will conclude on June 1 with results on June 4. The remaining phases will be held on May 20, May 25, and June 1.

451 million voters! First four phases of Lok Sabha elections witness 66.95% voter turnout so far

<ul><li><keyword id="148198" type="PERSON" weightage="20" keywordseo="zee-cafe">Zee Cafe</keyword> has recently completed 20 years.</li><li>We caught up with <keyword id="8227950" type="UNKNOWN" weightage="20" keywordseo="Kartik-Mahadev">Kartik Mahadev</keyword>, Business Head, Premium Channels, ZEE to talk about the channel’s journey in India, some key milestones and how it has succeeded in staying relevant at a time when a lot of <keyword id="659577" type="PERSON" weightage="20" keywordseo="TV-viewership">TV viewership</keyword> is slowly gravitating towards OTT platforms. </li></ul> Much before OTT platforms brought content from across the globe to our drawing rooms, English GECs like Zee Café played a pivotal role in introducing us to some of the best global content. Over the years, the channel has kept viewers glued to their screens with shows like Seinfeld, Friends, The Sopranos, Mad About You, among many others. Recently, the channel completed 20 years and we caught up with Kartik Mahadev, Business Head, Premium Channels, ZEE to talk about the channel’s journey in India, some key milestones and how it has succeeded in staying relevant at a time when a lot of TV viewership is slowly gravitating towards OTT platforms. Edited excerpts: Q) Tell us a bit about Zee Cafe's 20-Year journey. What have some of the major highlights been? Two decades ago, while the Indian audience was still warming up to international content, Zee bolstered a new era of English programming on television with the launch of what was then called Zee English, later rebranded as Zee Café. Since inception, it has been our sole endeavor to bring the best of English entertainment to the Indian viewer, with iconic shows like Seinfeld, Friends, The Sopranos, Mad About You and Emmy winners - ER and The West Wing. Circa, early 2000s, consumption of English entertainment was still at a nascent stage in India where those who speak, understand and appreciate international content on television formed just a sliver of the pie. Today, this is has grown into a ‘Glocal’ community. Zee Café has played a pivotal role in shaping this genre through compelling content and shaping the aspirations of this community of international content viewers. Zee Café has driven several successful innovations for a delightful viewer experience. Be it through the marquee offering ‘Along With The US’ launched in early 2000s where the latest international shows like The Big Bang Theory, Grey’s Anatomy and Supergirl were aired along with its US release or the introduction of ‘binge-watching’ as a format with ‘House of Cards S3’ and subsequent properties like ‘BBC First’ and ‘Breakfast To Bed Binge’ – Café has always catered to the evolving consumer needs. As consumption appetite for English entertainment evolved, we introduced compelling dramas as part of properties like Hollywood On Café that promised the scale and grandeur of Hollywood on television. The BBC First Dramas on Café added a complex and visceral mix of content with a TV First approach. We also provided variety of content with locally-nuanced content with celebrity chat shows like ‘Look Who’s Talking with Niranjan’ in the past and shows like ‘Not Just Supper Stars’ and ‘Starry Nights’ featuring A-list Bollywood celebrities more recently. Today, our stable subscriber base is an indication of the channel’s strength amongst a loyal set of consumers who choose the channel for its strong legacy of content. Our promising 20-year journey has been one backed by the support of many individuals and studio partners in shaping the English entertainment landscape, with whom we celebrate this milestone. Their contribution has enabled us to truly entertain our audience by creating togetherness moments and sparks conversations around content. Q) A lot of <keyword id="1368992" type="PERSON" weightage="20" keywordseo="English-GEC">English GEC</keyword> audience has been steadily shifting to OTT platforms over the years. What are you doing to ensure stickiness to your channel? There is no doubt that the digital video platforms are here to stay. However, today we live in an AND world, not an OR world. English entertainment (Movies + GEC) on Television caters to 170 million+ viewers (BARC @ All India 2+ U+R, Week 01'20- Week 29' 20). The lockdown has showed us that the viewers choose to watch television for the curated content experience it provides, to not just individuals but the entire family. Studies reveal that consumption of overlapped content between TV and OTT grew on television from 59% pre-NTO to 82% contribution post-NTO for sitcom, drama, reality genres. It naturally follows that navigation between screens is seamless and consumption on TV and digital is complementary in nature. The surge in TV viewership post lockdown tells us that television is the trusted medium of entertainment. Television provides youth-focused brands and premium brands the opportunity to associate with a premium subscriber base that is defined basis their content choice. This sort of content and platform synergy for brands to associate with, is not available on OTT platforms where English content is behind paywall. While content consumption on OTT is growing, it is the Hindi and regional original content that are the primary drivers of this growth. Television is and will continue to be the destination for brands to build long-term content association with a premium subscriber base through exclusive content on a channel like Zee Café. The locally nuanced shows such as Starry Nights Gen Y, also provides an opportunity to drive branded content integrations in an organic manner. When it comes to OTT, content discovery is and will continue to pose a challenge to viewers looking to unwind with quality content. This is where television channels that understand their consumer and curate well, delight the viewer. Post lockdown, the channel has added 256 hours of content including latest dramas such as ‘Nancy Drew’ and ‘Evil’, iconic sitcoms such as ‘Seinfeld’ and ‘I Dream of Jeannie’ along with the original airings of the celebrity chat show Starry Nights GEN Y. While marquee international shows bring the best of the world to our viewers, locally produced content allows us to add a new dimension from the Indian point of view. In the future, we have a robust line-up of light-hearted and locally nuanced content that help build relevance from an Indian context. Q) While TV viewership saw a boost during the lockdown, how was it for Zee Cafe? The lockdown has showed us that the viewers chose to watch television for the curated content experience it provides, to not just individuals but the entire family. We observed a trend in audience preferences towards familiar, light-hearted content amidst the uncertainty and gloom. We were early to spot the trend and introduced tactical changes in our programming. ‘Nostalgia’ as a genre clearly emerged as a big theme across television with several successful examples in Hindi GEC. Spotting the trend early, we introduced the iconic sitcom of the 90s– Seinfeld along with the 60s sitcom ‘I Dream Of Jeannie’ which resonated with the viewers. Conversational shows and iconic sitcoms along with easy to watch movies have performed well with an increase in time spent on Zee Café. We saw a growth in non-prime time viewing as well and hence to keep viewers entertained through-out the day, we introduced back-to-back episodes of MasterChef Australia S8, Everybody Hates Chris and The Big Bang Theory S12 on Zee Café along with newer dramas like Nancy Drew and Evil. Q) How are you trying to bring advertisers back to the channel? These have been uncertain times across several consumer businesses. During the lockdown period, only essentials were being sold which had an impact on advertiser income. Through the lockdown, TV remained a trusted medium for entertainment and information for the family, witnessing significant growth in viewership. With the relaxations in lockdown, economic activity is resuming, and we need to drive effective customer solutions for future growth. We are in a strong position as far as subscription revenue is concerned with a stable subscriber base and growth in contribution of HD subscribers. This is an indication of its strength amongst a homogeneous set of consumers who chose Zee Café for its strong legacy of content. Television will continue to be the ideal platform for advertisers looking to reach out to their consumers. Youth-focused premium brands can pick and choose fresh content that they can associate with to reach a premium subscriber base given a sharply segmented audience that English entertainment on television attracts while similar content on digital is behind paywall. Recently, for the premiere of Jumanji: The Next Level on &amp;flix, Zee Café and &amp;PrivéHD, and a simulcast in Hindi on Zee Cinema, we saw several reputable brands onboard such as Kia Motors, Ariel, Amazon, Airtel 4G, Xiaomi, Protinex and ITC along with Bingo Potato chips, Hyundai Creta, Behrouz Biryani, Bharat Matrimony onboard for the Hindi simulcast. The premiere garnered an overwhelming response with an incredible 34 million reach making it one of the biggest premieres in the last 12 months. Q) What have some of your growth drivers been? What has helped Zee Cafe stay relevant and win against the test of time? With out-of-home entertainment options being limited in the new normal, television will continue to be the trusted entertainment destination for individuals and families. Interestingly, India is the second-largest English speaking country in the world (BBC India Report - 2012).Thus, in the long run, regional markets will continue to fuel new user growth for English entertainment. There is a whole set of audience moving from regional to English content as they become more comfortable with English as a professional, conversational language. We have designed unique offerings such as locally nuanced content on Zee Café that has helped drive resonance and enabled adoption of English content amongst an aspirational, English comfortable audience. Q) What are your strategies towards bringing more viewers to your channel, enhancing their experience and also how are you looking at driving higher engagement? Our content philosophy was built around ‘All Eyes On New’, with an endeavor to deliver fresh content or a fresh perspective to iconic content. With curation as our core focus, we’ve constantly introduced new programming formats and new properties that best suit the needs of our ever-evolving viewers. With content blocks such as ‘BBC First’ which brought complex British dramas for the first time to India or ‘Along With The US’ where our viewers watched fresh content series along with its international telecast; we truly set the benchmark for being the innovators in the English entertainment category. With most of the shows on Zee Café such as Titan Games, American Idol, Battlebots, Seal Team, FBI, A Million Little Things, Charmed, The Chefs’ Line being available on television first, we’ve lived up to the consumer promise of ‘All eyes on New’. Catering to the evolving needs of the consumer, we introduced locally nuanced content such as Starry Nights GEN Y and Not Just Supper Stars that broadened the consumption repertoire on the channel.

You Searched For "Bharat Matrimony" and got 4 results

India's matrimony portals come of age with video calls and zoom call weddings

Sanchita Dash

Lockdown has deferred weddings in India but online matchmaking is on the rise

Sanchita Dash

451 million voters! First four phases of Lok Sabha elections witness 66.95% voter turnout so far

ANI

Zee Café has played a pivotal role in shaping the ‘glocal’ genre through compelling content: Kartik Mahadev, ZEEL

Samarpita Banerjee

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