Linear TV’s second act

LINEAR TV IS A DAILY HABIT

Th video viewership landscape is evolving rapidly. As new content formats emerge there is a perception that Linear TV is on the decline. The fact is, led by the dominance in the South, East and Maharashtra, Linear Television, as per Kantar Compass, remains the number one medium by reach.

Laxmi Shetty, has watched this play out from the inside. She reframes the debate with a number that is not obvious. As per Zee’s internal analysis, compared to Digital video, double the proportion of the audience comes back to Linear TV on a daily basis. That is a Testament of the effectiveness of the medium in the era of attention economy.

“If you look at appointment viewing, 40 to 45 percent of Linear TV viewers come back daily. That number is 20-25 percent for Digital video. In regional markets — the anchor is even stronger. It is not just habit. It is culture. This is also reflected in the time spent on Linear TV being stable at 2.8 hours a day as per BARC. In  the South this is even higher at 3.3 hours.”

Reach is no longer scarce. Attention is. The effectiveness of media is increasingly determined not just by exposure, but by Quality of attention engagement

LINEAR TV’S SECOND ACT: STRENGTHENING THE ATTENTION AND ENGAGEMENT ADVANTAGE

Laxmi is quite clear on the ‘Second Act of Linear TV’. It is Strengthening Engagement in an Attention-Scarce World for both the audiences it serves —viewers and advertisers. The goal is to deepen viewer engagement and deliver high-attention environments for brands. This is where Linear TV continues to win—engagement at scale that drives both connection and impact.

Part 1: Viewers — Strengthening the Core

Linear TV builds on its biggest strength—mass emotional engagement. It uses insights, culture, and technology to make content more relevant and personal. The storytelling  becomes sharper and more rooted in real audience contexts. The result is stronger connection and repeat viewership. Laxmi calls it ‘Soul to Screen.’

"We actually get down to understanding in every market who is the consumer, what they want to watch and having done that research we come back with content that resonates with their cultural & sub-cultural nuances. I think content matters. If you can give them good content which resonates with them, we are seeing that there is a traction- they have come back, the reach percentage is increasing irrespective of whether they are on digital or TV. This has helped us succeed in the Fiction Space across every single language market, latest being Zee TV & Zee Marathi.”

And, not to be left behind, she speaks of new formats too. From micro dramas to mini series on OTT Platforms. And, Five FAST channels, built with Amagi and OEM partners

“We have Original Series on Z5 OTT to drive digital first consumption. We have come up Bullet-Micro-Dramas which are one-and-half-minute vertical videos in 7 languages. We have recently launched  5 fast channels in conjunction with Amagi and Samsung, LG, Xiaomi.”

While the rest of the industry is chasing screens, Zee is also building experiential zones in towns. Laxmi describes a deliberate push into Tier 2 and Tier 3 India — not through content alone, but through physical presence. Events on the ground. This works for both, viewers and Brands.

“We have also realised that experiential matters a lot. So, we started off with Madurai wherein almost 10 to 15000 people were present on ground and brands came on. So, we are going to smaller tier 2, tier 3 towns.”

This is not something a streaming platform can replicate. It is the advantage of a broadcaster that has spent decades inside the cultural life of its audience.

Part 2: Brands — Driving Engagement to Outcomes

For brands, engagement turns into results. Linear TV goes beyond reach to drive action.

Laxmi elaborates on the 6C framework, to create meaningful, cross-platform experiences for Brands.

“We have been curating solutions that drive   Brand objectives and impact by delivering ecosystem solution across platforms.”

To organise this new way of working, Laxmi has built a framework. Six Cs. Consumer at the centre. Context. Content. Character. Connected. Commerce.

Context — what is the mindset of that consumer, right now, in this moment. Then Content — what are they actually watching.

Next - the Character. Character is where the framework gets interesting. Zee has coined a word for it: Dilfluencer. Not an influencer in the traditional sense. Not a celebrity. Something more specific — characters who have a trusted daily presence that connects brands to audiences through emotional proximity. 350+ Characters !

“Brands have moved towards you know influencer led content which in our words we call as Dilfluencer because our Characters are connecting with my viewers on a daily basis through their heart - that is the fourth C.”

Through the heart. That is not marketing language. That is a claim about the depth of the relationship between creator, audience, and brand. The fifth C is Convergence — cross-platform. The sixth is Commerce — ROI. With seamless Content-to-Commerce Integration through QR code integrations within broadcast+ OTT content and Shoppable content journeys in Z5 (OTT) & YT.

But trust is the engine underneath all of it, exemplified by Dilfluencers.

RED LABEL TEA CASE STUDY

The Red Label Tea example is the clearest illustration of what this shift looks like in practice. Hindustan Lever did not walk in asking for a television spot. They wanted to strengthen its association with Immunity in the Maharashtra market during the monsoon season. They also wanted to entice the younger ‘Coffee loving’ Cohorts through something innovative. And the Solution Laxmi’s team came up with was a Big Creative Idea!

“The solution was as unique as the challenge! Music became the hook to bring together all the tea lovers in Maharashtra, with our Dilfluencers leading the way! Red Label Natural Care rolled out a campaign titled ‘Immunity Ki Chuski’, aiming to combine wellness, music, and cultural familiarity during the monsoon season. The initiative featured a contemporary reimagining of the Marathi children’s rhyme Ye Re Ye Re Pausa. It was designed to resonate culturally and emotionally while also reinforcing the brand’s association with Ayurvedic ingredients. The content asset travelled across platforms and delivered an uplift in brand recall and market share for the brand.”

A music video. Amplified on linear, social, and reels. The idea came first. The platform followed

And finally, Laxmi gives the Proof that Linear TV is still big. The fact that Digital First e-commerce Category needs Linear TV. And, to top it, they are three times heavier spenders than other categories.

“All your e-commerce clients despite the being digital are heavy on television during festive. So, they have a requirement of reaching out to masses. They are actually three times higher on television during festive period compared to other brand categories.”

As a content tech company, Zee delivers One Ecosystem, Multiple Screens and a promise of a Seamless Consumer journey for brands.

So, as Linear TV readies for the second act, three key principles emerge from chat with Laxmi:
Attention is the New Currency.
Culture Amplifies Attention.
Ideas that capture attention can travel across platforms.

Laxmi Shetty is a contributor to the Media OS 2026 Report, examining how Indian advertising is being rebuilt from the ground up. This piece has been curated by Shripad Kulkarni based on the conversation for the MatheMedia Podcast Series.