Tanushree Basuroy
Research expert covering India
Zee Entertainment Enterprises Limited - statistics & facts
Although India’s sprawling media and entertainment industry is controlled by a fair share of media companies, few have been as invested in entertaining Indian audiences as Zee Entertainment Enterprises Limited. A subsidiary of the Indian multinational corporation Essel Group, it was founded by Subhash Chandra in 1982 as Zee Telefilms. Boosted by a partnership with Murdoch’s News Corp and a restructuring in 2006 that included being rebranded as Zee Entertainment Enterprises, the company went on to become the global media conglomerate it is today with businesses across television, print, film, and digital.
Apart from six general entertainment channels in Hindi, the network also boasts a vast number of regional entertainment, sports, kids, and niche channels. In fact, the network figures among the most popular television channels in the south Indian market. In 2013, the Essel group further bifurcated its broadcast business by setting up the Zee Media Corporation, dedicated solely to news production. It was formerly a subsidiary of Zee Entertainment Enterprises that was demerged and placed in charge of operating the group’s Hindi and regional language news channels.
2003 marked the conglomerate’s venture into the Indian pay television market with its very own satellite television provider, Dish TV. The dish-to-home operator is among the leading satellite television providers in India.
Besides producing films for the silver screen, Zee also hosts several movies and series including originals on its video streaming platform Zee5. With reportedly over 125 thousand hours of content and over 11 million daily users, the platform is among the leading video over-the-top (OTT) services in India.
Nonetheless, Zee Entertainment saw profits rise in fiscal year 2025, owed to cost cutting and redirection of investments in their content, platform, and marketing strategies. Managing Director Punit Goenka resigned from his position and was reappointed as CEO. The company is also making attempts to resume negotiations with Sony on the deal that fell through.
Zee TV: paving the way for private television broadcasters in India
In 1992, Zee TV was launched as the country’s first ever privately-owned TV channel. Today, Zee Network accounts for approximately 16 percent of India’s overall television network share, with 50 channels in 11 Indian languages. Moreover, the broadcaster caters to the Indian diaspora across more than 160 countries by distributing Indian entertainment content across 45 channels.Apart from six general entertainment channels in Hindi, the network also boasts a vast number of regional entertainment, sports, kids, and niche channels. In fact, the network figures among the most popular television channels in the south Indian market. In 2013, the Essel group further bifurcated its broadcast business by setting up the Zee Media Corporation, dedicated solely to news production. It was formerly a subsidiary of Zee Entertainment Enterprises that was demerged and placed in charge of operating the group’s Hindi and regional language news channels.
2003 marked the conglomerate’s venture into the Indian pay television market with its very own satellite television provider, Dish TV. The dish-to-home operator is among the leading satellite television providers in India.
Movies, music, and more
Much like India’s film industry where movies are incomplete without their own iconic music, Zee’s film business, Zee Studios, is complemented by its music label, Zee Music Company, the second largest in the country. Bollywood alone owes many well-loved tunes to the music label with more than a 100 million YouTube subscribers.Besides producing films for the silver screen, Zee also hosts several movies and series including originals on its video streaming platform Zee5. With reportedly over 125 thousand hours of content and over 11 million daily users, the platform is among the leading video over-the-top (OTT) services in India.
Zee in the spotlight
2024 was a tumultuous year for the company, with recent allegations of financial fraud issued by the Securities and Exchange Board of India (SEBI) bringing the group’s top management under scrutiny. This further hurt the group’s chances of sealing its deal, worth 10 billion U.S. dollars, with Sony in 2024. This would have been notably one of India’s biggest media mergers. Instead, all eyes were on Reliance Industries' joint venture with The Walt Disney Company worth 8.5 billion U.S. dollars.Nonetheless, Zee Entertainment saw profits rise in fiscal year 2025, owed to cost cutting and redirection of investments in their content, platform, and marketing strategies. Managing Director Punit Goenka resigned from his position and was reappointed as CEO. The company is also making attempts to resume negotiations with Sony on the deal that fell through.
