Mumbai: Reinforcing its leadership in entertainment content consumption across Bharat through compelling storytelling and blockbuster movie offerings, Zee Entertainment Enterprises Ltd. (‘Z’), the leading Content & Technology powerhouse, has strengthened its presence in the linear television ecosystem by achieving a 48-week high market share of 18.6% (15+ India Urban) in Week 22 of 2026.
The Company recorded a robust 120 basis points growth in viewership compared to the previous quarter, driven primarily by strong performances from its flagship Hindi channels — Zee TV and Zee Cinema.
The momentum reflects the Company’s omni-channel content strategy, which continues to deliver gains across language markets. Fresh content offerings built around emotionally rooted fiction narratives, high-impact non-fiction properties, and marquee movie premieres have contributed to enhanced consumer engagement and a more holistic family entertainment experience.
Zee TV strengthens leadership in Hindi entertainment
The Company’s flagship Hindi General Entertainment Channel (GEC), Zee TV, continued its growth trajectory by retaining its position as the primetime leader in Hindi Speaking Markets (HSM) for 17 consecutive weeks.
The channel further strengthened its market standing with fiction shows including Ganga Mai Ki Betiyan, Vasudha, and Tum Se Tum Tak, which currently occupy the top three positions in the genre.
Looking ahead, upcoming launches such as Tu Hi Re Dil Mein and Dilon ki Ram Leela are expected to deepen audience engagement through emotionally rich narratives and strong character-led storytelling.
Zee Cinema drives growth through blockbuster premieres
Within the movie category, Zee Cinema emerged as the leading channel with a 27% growth in viewership in Week 22.
The growth was fuelled by world television premieres of films including Akhanda 2 – Thaandavam, Kishkindhapuri, and Dil Madharaasi, delivering action, thriller and horror experiences that resonated strongly with viewers.
Regional markets continue to deliver strong momentum
Across regional markets, the Company maintained strong positions among the top two channels across key geographies.
Zee Marathi emerged as the fastest-growing Marathi GEC, increasing its share from 33.9% in Q4FY26 to 38.8% in the latest week. The channel also recorded an 82% rise in viewership over the last three years (May 2026 vs May 2023), supported by expansion into non-primetime original programming and a strong fiction slate. The Marathi movies cluster further consolidated leadership with a 57.8% market share.
In Eastern India, Zee Bangla retained its leadership position across genres in Kolkata and strengthened its non-fiction offering through flagship properties including Sa Re Ga Ma Pa and Didi No. 1. The channel secured 10 out of 14 prime-time slots, while Zee Bangla Sonar continued to dominate the movies category with a 39.4% share.
In Odisha, Zee Sarthak maintained leadership in the GEC segment for the sixth consecutive year.
Southern markets remain a key growth engine
The Company’s southern portfolio continued to contribute significantly to overall market share.
Zee Kannada retained leadership in the GEC category for the eighth consecutive year, with fiction shows occupying five positions among the top ten rankings and non-fiction properties including Sa Re Ga Ma Pa Lil Champs and Jodi No. 1 witnessing strong audience resonance.
Zee Telugu regained momentum, emerging as the No. 1 GEC channel in two out of the last five weeks — a milestone not seen since 2020. The channel also retained genre leadership in Hyderabad. Meanwhile, Zee Cinemalu held the No. 2 position in Telugu movie channels with a 25.2% share.
Zee Tamil emerged as the fastest-growing channel in its market with its share rising to 21.1% in Q4FY26, while securing the No. 2 position in rural markets with a 24.9% share. Zee Keralam also climbed to the No. 2 position among Malayalam GECs in May 2026 with an 11.5% market share.
Commenting on the success of the content strategy, Raghavendra Hunsur, Chief Content Officer, Zee Entertainment Enterprises Ltd., said, “As a network, our success comes from staying true to our core promise while continuously understanding the evolving consumer. We believe the future of entertainment lies in premium, culturally rooted stories that are authentic, emotionally resonant and crafted with cinematic excellence. Even during one of the most competitive viewing periods of the year, audiences continued to choose our stories. For us, this is the strongest validation that authentic storytelling transcends events and competition. As we look ahead, our focus remains unchanged, to understand consumers deeply, tell stories that matter and build a powerful content ecosystem. This milestone is encouraging, but for us, it is only one step in a much larger journey.”
The recent launch of four sports channels under the Unite8 Sports brand, combined with a refreshed pipeline of fiction and non-fiction content across languages, positions the Company to continue driving viewership growth and strengthen its leadership across entertainment categories.
