Zee's Bold Move: Bridging Cinema and Sports in India

Zee is leveraging its extensive Bollywood library and India's love for cricket to expand into regional and alternative sports. Aiming to tap into India's diverse cultural markets, Zee plans to promote leagues like kabaddi and kushti while also exploring sports like baseball and pickleball.

Zee Entertainment Enterprises Ltd is strategically capitalizing on its Bollywood content and the cultural impact of cricket to push further into India's sporting sphere. The network is actively promoting regional sports such as kabaddi and kushti, alongside mainstream cricket tournaments like the DP World ILT20.

According to Laxmi Shetty, Head of Advertisement Revenue at Zee, the company is harnessing its extensive network of 44 channels to reach a broad audience as it kicks off the tournament with extensive live coverage on Zee's linear TV channels and digital platform Zee5, which offers free streaming across India.

Despite cricket's dominance, Zee is setting its sights on diversifying into other sports, including baseball and pickleball, reflecting the nation's growing interest in these disciplines. In addition, Indian franchises are increasing their stake in the ILT20, which promises to enhance the league's appeal and fanbase further.

(With inputs from agencies.)