Zee Thirai emerges as a formidable player among Tamil Nadu’s Movie channels

Furthering its commitment to provide quality entertainment to its viewers, Zee Entertainment Enterprises Limited launched an exclusive Tamil movie channel – Zee Thirai earlier this year. Within 6 months of launch, the channel has found universal acceptance among Tamil audiences and has emerged as the No. 3 movie channel player in the Tamil Nadu market.

In Week 28, Zee Thirai clocked 121 GRP’s in Tamil Nadu, the highest ratings since the launch of the Channel in January 2020. With 178 GRPs and 131 GRPs in Chennai and TN Urban region respectively, the channel commands a 20% market share in the Chennai market and a 17% market share in the TN Urban market. The market shares indicate the strong affinity that the brand has gained in the urban regions, especially in Chennai owing to the new age cinema in its library.

The success of the channel lies in the brand’s strong consumer understanding as it resonates with the pulse of Tamilians and their love for cinema that has deep cultural and social context in their lives. It was also reflected in the brand’s campaign efforts under the brand tagline – “Rathathil Kalandhadhu Cinema” which implies that “Cinema runs through our veins”, that brought viewers closer to their favourite stars and movies, that they could enjoy in the comfort of their homes.

Furthering its reach across the length and breadth of Tamil Nadu, viewers can now watch their favourite films on Zee Thirai across leading DTH operators including TataSky (Ch. No. 1159), Airtel Digital TV (Ch. No. 775), Dish TV (Ch. No. 547), D2H (Ch. No. 547), TACTV (Ch. No. 118), TCCL (Ch. No. 16), Akshaya (Ch. No. 9) and VK Digital (Ch. No. 60).

“Ever since its launch, the steady growth in viewership of Zee Thirai has reiterated our belief in the fact that cinema is indeed embedded in the DNA of the Tamil audiences and makes an inextricable part of our daily lives. Much of our efforts has been towards developing a strong movie library and increasing our  distribution network so that fans of Cinema have access to content that has been specially tailormade to reflect their passion and love for Cinema”, said Mr. Siju Prabhakaran, South Cluster Head, ZEEL.

About Zee Thirai

Zee Thirai is the Tamil Film Entertainment Channel of Zee Entertainment Enterprises Ltd (ZEEL). The channel is set to emerge as the one-stop destination for fans of Tamil Cinema. With a strong library of over 400+ films across genres such as horror, comedy, action-thriller, drama and so on, the channel aims to change the conversation from the ‘what’ to the ‘why’ of cinema.

Zee Thirai set to celebrate the master storytellers of Tamil cinema this month

Staying true to its mission statement – ‘Rathathil Kalandhadu Cinema’ – Zee Thirai is all set to provide ultimate entertainment to its viewers yet again – but this time a little differently! Block your calendars from 25th – 31st May, 9:00 AM and get ready to be taken on a nostalgic roller-coaster ride as Zee Thirai will be telecasting seven ‘directors’ classics’ over the course of the week. Each day the channel is set to showcase a vintage classic from some of Tamil cinema’s master directors who have redefined story-telling in Tamil Cinema.

The S P Muthuraman directed, Rajinikanth and Sivakumar starrer ‘Bhuvana Oru Kelvikuri’ is a movie that centers around two friends who are very different from one another and encounter conflicting life situations. The movie presents both the lead actors in unusual characters and was very well received for the same. ‘Kadavul Amaitha Medai’, another family drama by S P Muthuraman, starring Sivakumar will also be telecast during this week.

K Balachandar needs no introduction to a Tamil film connoisseur. He has given the industry some unbelievable stories and performances. Zee Thirai has three of his movies in store for their viewers during this week. ‘Varumayin Niram Sivappu’ starring Kamal Haasan and the late Sridevi was a movie that was way ahead of its times. It deals with theme of the overqualified Indian youth of the late 70s and 80s struggling to find jobs and make ends meet amidst a murky political scenario ‘Thamarai Nenjam’ is a 60s evergreen hit starring Gemini Ganesan and Saroja Devi. It is a classic love triangle where the protagonist falls in love with a man who happens to be in love with her own friend. This is a story of love, sacrifice, and friendship which won the Tamil Nadu State Film Award for best dialogue writer as well as best film. ‘Maru Sarithram’ – the Kamal Haasan starrer is a Telugu movie that was simultaneously released in Tamil Nadu and Karnataka without being dubbed into the respective languages. This is a romantic tragedy about two young people belonging to different cultures – Tamil and Telugu - falling in love and facing conflicts that arise from their respective families. Interestingly, this move went on to be remade in Hindi by Balachandar himself as Ek Duje Ke Liye, which was a roaring success.

Bharathiraja’s debut movie ’16 Vayathinile’ has a stellar star cast of Kamal Haasan, Sridevi and Rajinikanth. This movie focusses on the character of the 16-year-old Mayil, (played by Sridevi) and how she faces and overcomes certain challenges that life throws at her. This film got an overwhelming response from the audiences and received one national award, four state awards and several others. ‘Kizhakke Pogum Rail’ is another one of Bharathiraja’s masterpieces which stars Radhika, who was a newcomer at the time. The music score of this movie was given by Ilayaraja and this movie was a commercial success.

Each of these classics will be telecast during the week of 25th May – 31st May.

25th May – Bhuvana Oru Kelvikuri

26th May – Thamarai Nenjam 

27th May – Maru Sarithiram

28th May – Kadavul Amaitha Medai

29th May – Varumaiyin Niram Sivappu

30th May – Kizhakke Pogum Rail

31st May – 16 Vyathinile

Take a stroll down memory lane with these movies everyday this week at 9:00 am only on Zee Thirai

Zee Thirai celebrates the passion and inspiration that Tamil Cinema evokes with its new brand campaign

The channel is currently available on DTH platforms including Tata Sky, Airtel DTH, Dish TV and D2H 

09 March 2020: The channel has unveiled its brand campaign across media platforms that reflects the brand tagline - “Rathathil Kalandhadhu Cinema” which implies that “Cinema runs through our veins”. The campaign is reflective of the passion and love for Cinema that Tamilians hold close to their hearts. It highlights the cultural and emotional connect that fans associate with the values and memories associated with Cinema, which in turn fuels a heroic spirit in them. The two brand films present a fresh and unique take on the challenging moments of life that is dealt with in an emotional manner that almost feels movie-like.

Tamil cinema has always stood for furthering the Tamil culture, social causes and always underlying messaging for larger good. It’s a place where we see heroes from various walks of life come alive. Zee Thirai is here to showcase movies that are inspired from life and inspire life.

To bring alive the channel’s proposition the first film addresses the stereotypes associated with widows participating in auspicious family events. It opens the audiences’ minds to be forthcoming and accepting towards the circumstances of life and allow for an environment of love and endearment https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Qe7VqwbrWlc. The second film brings out the tender nature of the relationship between parents and children through the eyes of a young couple who were both raised as orphans. It highlights the transcending power of compassion that goes beyond blood. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FDhU6T4oWQs  Alike to power of Cinema, the films aim to create an impact on society with its powerful story-telling and heart-warming themes.

The brand campaign will be supported by a multimedia campaign covering outdoors, digital platforms, DTH & Cable platforms and key Print mediums. The channel is set to differentiate itself from the competition with its unique communication tonality which essentially rides on how cinema is so strongly embedded in the simplest of moments in our tense.  The campaign which commenced in January is to go on till April with the intent to aggressively build the channel awareness and subscription.

The channel within its opening week itself has become the Num 2 channel in terms of time spent across TN markets and is at Num3 position in terms of GRPs in Chennai Market.

Set to emerge as a strong contender in the movie space, the biggest USP of Zee Thirai is its movie segments across its library of 400+ films that are niche and are set to capture the interest of fans of Tamil Cinema across genres. They key movie segments include –

• 52 premieres in 52 weeks – In a first for the Tamil Television Industry, Zee Thirai is set to premiere 52 films over 52 days presenting audiences with notable and distinct premieres that viewers can now enjoy in the comfort of their homes. The premieres will be telecast every Friday at 7 PM. The upcoming WTPs in this segment include Savarakathi, Vidhi Mathi Ulta, Nagesh Thiraiarangam and Maniyar Kudumbam.
• Filter Kaviyam – The segment is dedicated to featuring the best of yesteryear classics that have set the precedent for progressive storytelling and distinct characterisations in Tamil Cinema today. It allows movie lovers to re-discover the forgotten magic of the 70s and 80s every morning at 6 AM. The upcoming films in this segment include
• Naduvula Konjum break-a kanum – This break-less movie segment promises to give its audiences non-stop entertainment with no ad-breaks. This uninterrupted movie experience can be enjoyed every single day at 11 30 AM. The upcoming films in this segment include
• 7 Mani Saravedi – Unwind with your loved ones after a long day with yet another bouquet of fantastic movies with Zee Thirai at 7 PM daily.  The upcoming films in this segment include
• Theri Fridays – Understanding the viewers’ pulse for mass films, this segment aims to begin the week-end festivities with a bang and present unparalleled movie entertainment for audiences throughout the day. Fridays on Zee Thirai will be filled with fun and super-hit films throughout the day. The upcoming films in this segment include
• Blockbuster Sunday – The segment will feature films that have set the box-office ablaze and bring alive the charisma of Kollywood’s biggest stars to the living room that families can enjoy together. This segment can be enjoyed every Sunday at 11:30 AM. Upcoming movies in this segment include Sindhbadh, Magalir Mattum, Mersal, Rajini Murugan and Vanamagan.

Stay tuned to witness the best of Tamil Cinema come alive exclusively on Zee Thirai!

About Zee Thirai

Zee Thirai is the Tamil Film Entertainment Channel of Zee Entertainment Enterprises Ltd (ZEEL). The channel is set to emerge as the one-stop destination for fans of Tamil Cinema across the world. With a strong library of over 400+ films across genres such as horror, comedy, action-thriller, drama and so on, the channel aims to change the conversation from the ‘what’ to the ‘why’ of cinema.