GECs
Shemaroo discontinues Comedy and Bhakti channels as it reshapes its TV portfolio
The company, which has also secured permission for a new Hindi channel, Mango TV, says it is keeping its investment in traditional television prudent.
MUMBAI: Shemaroo Entertainment is reshaping its television line-up. The company has discontinued Shemaroo Comedy and Shemaroo Bhakti, following the closure of Shemaroo Umang in July 2026. In August, it secured permission from the Ministry of Information and Broadcasting (MIB) to uplink and downlink Mango TV, a new Hindi-language, non-news channel.
The changes come at a time when advertising demand across free-to-air (FTA) television remains subdued. FTA channels reach viewers without a subscription fee, including audiences across Hindi-speaking markets and on DD Free Dish. The model depends on advertising to cover the costs of content, distribution and operations, so a large audience does not on its own settle the economics of a channel.
On its Q1 FY27 earnings call on 24 July, Shemaroo management said its FTA television business depends entirely on advertising. Chief operating officer Arghya Chakravarty noted that advertising had been subdued for an extended period, affecting monetisation on some channels. Management said it was keeping investment in traditional television prudent and controlled, with spending on new initiatives pared back significantly.
Explaining the decision to discontinue the two channels, Sandeep Gupta, COO, broadcasting business, Shemaroo Entertainment, said their distribution and content propositions had not delivered the expected scale.
“Shemaroo Comedy and Shemaroo Bhakti had limited distribution, and their content propositions had not scaled the way we had planned. We therefore decided to discontinue these channels and have surrendered their licences to the MIB. We continue to operate Shemaroo Josh, Shemaroo TV and MarathiBana, focusing on our strengths in television and building on what has been working well for us. As audience consumption evolves, our focus remains on growing our digital business while continuing to serve our television audiences,” Gupta said.
Both discontinued channels leave behind a strong digital presence. According to Social Blade, Shemaroo Comedy has approximately 22.6 million YouTube subscribers and 8.27 billion lifetime views. Shemaroo Bhakti has around 13.6 million subscribers and 3.22 billion lifetime views, according to vidIQ. Together, they have approximately 36.2 million subscribers and 11.5 billion lifetime views. These figures reflect digital presence, not unique viewers, current monthly reach or revenue. Shemaroo Comedy draws on Bollywood comedy films and scenes, while Shemaroo Bhakti offers devotional music and spiritual programming.
Shemaroo’s Q1 FY27 numbers show where the strength lies. Traditional media revenue was around Rs 76 crore, up 5 per cent year on year. Digital media revenue was Rs 56 crore, down 17 per cent, while overall revenue from operations was around Rs 132 crore, down 6 per cent.
The new Mango TV is listed on the MIB’s Broadcast Seva portal as a Hindi-language, non-news service with permission to uplink and downlink via the GSAT-30 satellite. For Shemaroo, the moves point to a portfolio being refreshed: fewer channels, a new launch and a tighter focus on where television money is best spent. Shemaroo Entertainment is listed on the stock exchanges under the ticker SHEMAROO.
