How Zee Business’ integrated content approach is helping them win the advertiser game

Anil Singhvi, managing editor, Zee Business speaks about the channel’s content strategy, navigating competition and winning advertiser trust.

Zee Business- one of the oldest Hindi business news channels in the country has over the years carved a niche for itself in the Hindi business news segment. According to the channel, it is leading the charts as well as the current market share.

Anil Singhvi, managing editor, Zee Business says the ecosystem around Hindi news has evolved greatly. “In the last 4-5 years, the pie of English news is reducing but Hindi news keeps adding new viewers every year. Earlier most business news was consumed by people in their mid ages. Today people between 25 and 35 are equally consuming business news. Another big shift is the perception of Hindi business news. Earlier if people were seen consuming Hindi news, especially in corporate settings, they would change the channel. Today, everyone from employees to management level, everyone consumes Zee Business.”

Singhvi adds that post the pandemic, the Hindi news business segment has seen a lot of growth in tier 3-4 markets; earlier, business news used to be a pure metro city phenomenon.

The channel that recently returned to BARC’s ratings says it  is the market leader in the space with more than 50% of the current market share in comparison to other Hindi business news channels.

As per Singhvi, what helps them stand out is their content strategy which has integrated both linear and digital content. He says their revenue from digital is equally strong despite being a parallel offering.

“Three years ago, we put all our digital properties under the leadership of linear editors, hence ensuring that both are not conflicted. We have consolidated both digital and TV teams, unlike other news channels that treat digital differently. Both our offerings, digital and linear are equally strong and resonate with viewers as well as advertisers,” he says.

As per Singhvi, the channel has raised its FCT rates 3-4 times in the last five years.

“The reason is that the recall value of our channel is very strong and the viewer is constantly connected to us. Our Idea is simple, we are not competing with anyone else but ourselves. This is reflected in our ad rates and revenue. Even when channels were struggling during the second wave, our boat was sailing smoothly because advertisers believed in our content.”

“The quality of our advertisers is also phenomenal, we have brands like Mercedes sponsoring our shows because they see the value in our content. Advertisers are realising the potential of Hindi,” he says.

Speaking about how the channel looks at the rise of financial influencers, he says they make sure to be present at all digital and social touchpoints to tackle misinformation and guide the younger audience.

However, he says one of the biggest challenges for the industry is the plagiarism of their content by influencers. 

“One of the biggest issues we have is that a lot of our content goes out there and is further imitated and copied by influencers. People package our research and content in under 5 minutes and upload it on social media and nobody cares about where the original content came from. Our sole aim is to uphold the quality of our content, programming and the channel.”