Addressing shareholders, ZEEL CEO Punit Goenka said the industry was increasingly being shaped by digital media, gaming, animation and VFX, prompting the company to diversify beyond its traditional television-led businesses.
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“The growth is being led by new-age segments such as digital media, gaming, animation and VFX. In order to truly scale your company as a leading content and technology powerhouse, we are building further a more diversified portfolio that reimagines the breadth of our business and captures a higher share of the attention economy,” Goenka said.
ZEEL is also investing in segments such as micro dramas, kids’ content and live entertainment, which it sees as potential drivers of future growth.
As part of its push into animation, the company has partnered with Oscar-winning animation and VFX studio PhantomFX to bolster its content creation capabilities across genres including kids, mythology and fantasy.
“We believe the partnership will enable your company to create richer intellectual properties in the animated content segment that is witnessing exponential growth across the Nation,” Goenka said.Sports is another key pillar of the company’s diversification strategy. ZEEL has launched four dedicated sports channels under its Unite8 Sports umbrella as it seeks to expand its footprint in a market dominated by established sports broadcasters.
“Our aim is to build a sustainable sports ecosystem across the Nation, by driving higher engagement through marquee properties and uplifting sports through purposeful on-ground initiatives,” Goenka said.
ZEEL has also secured broadcasting rights for a number of international sporting properties, including FIFA competitions, Germany’s Bundesliga and Italy’s Serie A football leagues, adding to its existing sports portfolio.
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“Going forward, we firmly believe that these new segments will accelerate growth for your company and complement the overall portfolio to drive stronger cross-synergies,” Goenka said.
The company’s digital platform ZEE5 turned profitable in FY26, Goenka said, helped by a language-focused content strategy, a stronger content slate and improvements to the user experience.
Its linear television business also gained ground during the year, with the network’s share rising 60 basis points to 17.4%, supported by gains in Hindi and other language markets. The business, however, continued to operate against a weak advertising backdrop, with key categories cutting spends.
Subscription revenue growth received some support from the implementation of the New Tariff Order (NTO) 3.0, Goenka said.
ZEEL’s omni-channel strategy has also expanded its reach, with the company now reaching more than 800 million monthly unique viewers across India, according to Goenka.
