he power hierarchy in Hindi television hasn't changed in a long time. Zee ruled the roost from 1992 with Sony in the chase when it was launched in 1995. The two channels were close together when Star Plus went from English to Hindi with Kaun Banega Crorepati in 2000 and took the lead. Sony moved into the second place around the same time and ever since then, Zee has had to stand at No 3. In spite of a procession of CEOs and much rejigging, the 123 of Hindi TV entertainment stayed that way.

Zee has been closing the gap with Sony and in the week Dec 4-10, 2005, it crept past (CS homes, 4 years+, Hindi Speaking Markets). So narrow was the lead that whether it could sustain it seemed uncertain. However, through January this year, Zee has been widening the distance. In the basket of six channels (the others being Star Plus, Star One, Sab and Sahara), Zee TV's share has hovered between 17-19 per cent in recent weeks while Sony's stands at 12-13 per cent. ... more