Shemaroo launches flagship GEC 'Shemaroo TV' for Hindi-speaking markets

Shemaroo Entertainment has launched its flagship General Entertainment Channel, ‘Shemaroo TV’, with the aim of bringing content for a wider audience in Hindi-speaking markets.  The channel will bring a mix of iconic shows and originals that will be consumed for the first time by a broad set of free-to-air (FTA) audiences.

Hiren Gada

Speaking at the launch, Hiren Gada, CEO, Shemaroo Entertainment, said they noticed opportunities post-NTO in the FTA space. “There is a large audience hungry for content on FTA channels. It is a largely under-served market and there is a huge demand for content,” he said. “While we manage large digital platforms, entering into the broadcasting space will help us with reach and enable us to build a stronger affinity for the audience,” he added.  

"If we see the current TV space and particularly the free-to-air space, there is a large consumption of content but with less variety of shows and genres. Shemaroo TV will be enhancing the entertainment needs of the Indian audiences by its vast offerings of iconic shows, along with original shows across various genres. We have worked extensively to understand the needs of our consumers and have sharpened our insights based on what will appeal to them. Shemaroo TV will have an extensive reach and we aim to become one of the most popular destinations in the free-to-air general entertainment space,” said Sudeep Gupta, COO, Broadcast Business Shemaroo Entertainment.

The channel will focus on digital and television for marketing and promotion. It has tied up with like-minded channels. “We want people to be aware of the availability through these channels,” said Gupta.

The channel also launched a video campaign with the message ‘Badalte Aaj Ke Liye’.

Through the channel, the media and entertainment platform wishes to expand the reach of the brand across the subcontinent. They also recently launched a Marathi movie channel 'Shemaroo MarathiBana', which is running successfully and entered the 100 GRP club.

Rahul Mishra

Talking about the viability of launching a channel in the lockdown environment, Rahul Mishra, Head Marketing and Communications, Shemaroo Entertainment, said India will be an advertising and consumption-based market. “India is a consumption-based market. A large number of advertising for GECs comes from the FMCG sector. There might be a few limitations. For example, maybe we won’t have ads from the automobile or similar sectors. However, we had certain targets, which we had to taper down due to the environment,” he said.

The channel had plans to bring various originals to the audiences once the restrictions are lifted. The channel aims at bringing content for all age groups spanning across urban and rural markets. In the launch phase, it has focused on curating popular content for the audiences. Devon Ke Dev Mahadev, Geet, Great Indian Laughter Challenge, Saubhagyavati Bhava are some of its initial offerings. 

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