English channels vs Desi Flavour

India has one of the largest English speaking population in the world and as a result has been a potential market for all things English! And the world of television is no exception. With each passing week, the number of English channels in the country is going north.

And in this, Zee is probably the only network to have a wide range of entertainment channels in English, besides Star.

Analysing the trend, Anurag Bedi, business head, niche channels, Zee Network explained, “India is witnessing an ever increasing English speaking audience. Also, the target audience market is penetrating into Tier 2 and Tier 3 cities. So, we have a category which is only going to grow. As the demand for English content is increasing, entry of more new players is being seen. Audience perception too has changed drastically. The audience base has widened, they are more receptive to English content now.”

More channels also means more competition, but seems like the players are geared for that too.  Ajay Trigunayat, channel head, Movies Now said, “Yes, we gauged the potential of a channel for English films and clearly it is no longer a niche in entertainment. It reaches out to 28 per cent of the total television viewing universe.”

But though English channels are picking up fast, they still have a long way to go, as far as Hindi general entertainment channels (GECs) are concerned. And channel heads agree that it’s too soon for comparisons.

“We cannot compare the popularity of English and Hindi GECs as their target audiences differ. An English GEC has a very niche appeal as compared to a Hindi GEC, which has a mass appeal and approach,” Bedi said.

Among these English channels, Zee Cafe and Zee Studio are leading the pack in the Zee network. And with more shows coming up, the popularity is sure to soar. And the viewers are not complaining either.