There's a positive buzz around Zee News these days. The place is a hive of activity as budget day draws near and the channel is savouring a lot of positive feedback for its excellent coverage of the Gujarat earthquake.

With new entrant Aaj Tak from the India Today stable in direct competition for the Hindi viewership, 2001 Budget coverage may well set the tone as to who will ultimately rule the Hindi news segment.

Zee News head Satish Menon said on Monday that the channel was being repackaged and come budget day the viewer will see and feel the difference. Zee News turning digital from 1 February was just one part of that effort, Menon said. They had roped in Novacom to improve graphics and there were other features being added which would make the channel a must see for the Hindi news buff, he added.

Zee News has the largest share amongst news channels in the country and commands more than 55 per cent relative shares of this market (as per INTAM, ORG-MARG, data for a 10 city average). Menon is pulling out all the stops to make sure it remains that way.