Keeping its promise of showcasing good content from across the world, Zindagi has brought to Indian TV some great shows from Ukraine, Turkey and South Korea. The latest show that has grabbed the eyeballs is Total Dreamers from Brazil. SHAlINI SAKSENA brings you a report about the programming strategy for Zindagi and how things will only get better from here
There was a time when many viewers would be glued toZindagi channel’s Pakistani shows. Drama like Maat, Zindagi Gulzaar Hai, Humsafar had grabbed eyeballs. But that changed when the channel took the decision to stop all serials from across the border.
But the channel had promised to bring the best stories from the world over, introduced Turkish shows which too became popular with the Indian audience. The latest endeavour of the channel was to bring in the hit Brazilian show — Total Dreamer. Originally titled Totalmente Demais it was directed by luiz Henrique Rios and loosely based on the play Pygmalion by George Bernard Shaw. The show ended on May 30, 2016 and came to India in April 2017.
“We launched our channel with the promise of bringing the best stories from across the world. Our endeavour has been to introduce blockbuster shows from different countries with storylines that are in-sync with Indian sensibilities. We will continue to give audiences a glimpse into different cultures while highlighting the universality of emotions,” Aparna Bhosle, Zee’s cluster head (FTA and premium Hindi and English channels) tells you.
To keep their promise, the channels had launched Total Dreamer which is our first show from Brazil and already the serial has caught the viewers’ imagination.
“Since the channel’s inception, we had promised to present best hand-picked stories from across the world including Ukraine (Snowdrop), South Korea (Descendants of the Sun) and shows like Feriha and Fatmagul from Turkey. We will continue to give audiences a glimpse into different cultures while highlighting the universality of emotions. Brazil is known for its critically acclaimed blockbuster shows. The show was specially hand-picked based on an in-depth research and viewer demand. The show had garnered over 30 million viewers in Brazil and Portugal and we are confident that it will be appreciated by Indian audiences as well,” Bhosle tells you.
But before they bring in any international show to their platform, they do keep key pointers in mind. “There is a segment of Indian audiences who are well-heeled and open to experiencing new cultures. They are always looking for fresh content on TV that will give them a world view. The endeavour is to satiate this need of the audience by presenting them with the best stories from across the world. The content is carefully curated to provide a global palette and showcase cultures that have a very strong affinity with Indian culture. We select shows where the values depicted reflect our own,” Bhosle explains.
Even though, Pakistani shows are no longer airing, it is the compelling content from around the world and not any one particular country that makes viewers watch this channel. “We aim at presenting the best shows from across the globe. We have been recognised and appreciated for the same. The relatable and heart-warming narratives has always been the trump card that we have held. What sets the channel apart is its commitment to showcase real and finite stories, be it the original fiction shows or the content that we curate from countries across the world,” Bhosle says adding that besides Brazil, they will also be introducing content from Spain, Italy and latin America soon.
Interestingly, while many channels are part of the digital platform, for Zindagi, TV will always be the primary medium for showcasing the content even in a highly-digitised era. But every brand needs to have a 360 degree approach to reaching out to consumers. The channel reaches out to its consumers through each and every touch point. “We facilitate our viewers with easy access to their favourite shows while on the move and our shows can be enjoyed online on DittoTV and OZEE,” Bhosle says and adds that the channel is not niche as it is the only channel that curates and provides the best storylines from across the world for discerning audiences in Hindi who are looking for global content in their language.