MxMIndia

Tag: Pradeep Hejmadi

  • Viewers can look forward to some vibrant regional content from different parts of the country dubbed in Hindi on 'Ummeed ke Rang'

    Popular regional shows now occupy extended primetime slot on Zee

     

     

    Zee TV has announced the launch of the dubbed versions of regional shows on its channel. Two of Zee Marathi’s successful shows have been dubbed in Hindi - Julun Yeti Reshim Gaathi as Mohe Piya Milenge and Eka Lagnachi Teesri Goshta as Mile Sur Mera Tumhara. The shows will be aired from Monday-Friday in a new primetime slot ‘Ummeed Ke Naye Rang’.

     

    ‘Mohe Piya Milenge’ is the story of Meghana who ties the knot with Aditya, an impressive young man much sought after by parents as an ideal match for their daughters – only to reveal to him, post –marriage that she loves somebody else. The show captures how the mature, young man chooses to help her connect with the man she loves rather than exposing or humiliating her for this breach of faith. ‘Mile Sur Mera Tumhara’, on the other hand, is a show that follows the lives of two young lawyers, Om and Isha, who fall in love with each other. Both the shows have some of the finest Marathi actors like Sukanya Kulkarni, Girish Oak, Umesh Kamat, Spruha Joshi, Lalit Badane amongst others.

     

    Pradeep Hejmadi, Business Head, Zee TV says “It has been our constant endeavor to enrich our content offering and bring more and more great stories and characters to our viewers and the extension of our primetime to 5 PM is a step in that direction.  There is no pecking order for ideas and stories. It’s archaic to think that only Hindi can come up with earth-shattering ideas. When we were generally looking at ideas, we realized that in Zee Marathi there were some really good stories, and when we tested a few of the stories in other markets, they were quite nice. So, we evaluated whether we should completely re-create or dub. When we dubbed the shows, they were well-received and people loved it that way. The two Marathi shows are a mere beginning – viewers can look forward to some vibrant regional content from different parts of the country dubbed in Hindi on ‘Ummeed ke Rang’ in the times to come.”

     

  • Zee TV plans to bring these to the masses in a book specially written and curated by author Rashmi Bansal

    Zee gets author Rashmi Bansal to curate book based on ‘Ummeed’ stories

    By A Correspondent

     

    Ms. Rashmi Bansal & Mr. Pradeep Hejmadi, Zee TV Business Head, announcing first of its kind crowd sourced book on Ummeed

    Zee TV recently announced an evolution in its core proposition to ‘HarLamhaNayiUmmeed’– a line that captures the beauty of re-discovering a new ray of hope with every moment of life. The channel, with its rich programming content that resonates with this proposition, has emerged as a beacon of hope to millions of viewers over the years. Apart from setting inspiring examples for the masses through the journeys of its strong, resilient fiction show protagonists and lending a national platform for celebrating the common man’s talent through its non-fiction formats, Zee TV’s endeavors of spreading hope have extended beyond the realms of just television content – the most recent case being ‘Hum Hai … Ummeed-e-Kashmir’ where the channel, along with its philanthropy partners, organized star-studded charity concerts to raise funds and provide shelters for the rehabilitation of flood-afflicted citizens of Jammu & Kashmir, Assam & Vishakhapatnam. As an interesting extension of its constant mission of spreading Ummeed, Zee TV recently invited its viewers to share their personal ummeed stories – real life accounts of their journeys of hope, successes and triumphs over any daunting obstacles and challenges life posed them with.

     

    The channel has received a good response and some very intriguing and inspiring stories of tiding over trials with the power of hope. Zee TV believes that the country has a lot to benefit from reading about these motivating accounts of Ummeed and plans to bring them to the masses in a book specially written and curated by author Rashmi Bansal — a writer, entrepreneur and a youth expert with six best-selling books on entrepreneurship, each of which have sold more than 1 million copies and been translated in 10 languages. She is also one of India’s most sought-after motivational speakers. Her books – be it I Have a Dream, Poor Little Rich Slum, Follow Every Rainbow, Take Me Home or Arise Awake, have captured the journeys of enterprising women, students, slum-dwellers and small-town entrepreneurs.

     

    Every single Ummeed entry shared by Zee TV’s viewers will be showcased on the channel’s official website, 10 entries per week will be featured on air through astons on Zee TV, the top 25 will make their way into the special book being curated by Rashmi Bansal while perhaps a select handful of the best stories will go on to inspire Zee TV’s upcoming shows.

     

    In an announcement of the book launch made at the Jaipur Literature Festival, the channel’s Business Head Pradeep Hejmadi said, “Zee TV has and will always stand for Ummeed. It is its articulation that will change to reflect the changing times. So, as we recently evolved our core proposition to HarLamhaNayiUmmeed, making it even more relevant to our viewers’ daily lives, we set out in search of inspiration. We called out to our own viewers to share their most moving, motivating accounts of triumphs and victories – stories where they held on to Ummeed and stayed afloat, tiding over tribulations and challenges, only to emerge winners. We’ve received an overwhelming response with thousands of people writing in with diverse subjects and issues. These are stories waiting to be told, as they have the potential to inspire. With Rashmi having made a significant contribution towards encouraging India’s youth, shaping careers and fostering entrepreneurial spirit, we are pleased to partner with her in bringing alive some of these most impressive crowd-sourced stories of Ummeed. Rashmi will curate and author a special book for Zee TV that will tell each of these truly inspiring Ummeed stories in the way only she can!”

     

  • Q&A with Pradeep Hejmadi, Biz Head, Zee TV as the 22-year-old GEC goes in for a brand refresh with a new identity and viewer proposition

    Zee TV will always stand for Ummeed

     

    If there’s one man in the broadcast sector who knows what works to generate a good, consistent score on the ratings roster, it’s the Pradeep Hejmadi, Business Head of Zee TV. Mr Hejmadi led the all-important S-Group at TAM, the audience measurement firm currently the sole player providing us TV viewership data.

     

    Having joined the Zee Entertainment flagship channel as Business Head, Mr Hejmadi got onto the act of building a new brand identity and packaging for the channel along with his marketing head Sorbojeet Chatterjee and the rest of the team. On Sunday evening, at the annual ‘Zee Rishtey Awards’ show, Zee Entertainment Managing Director and CEO Punit Goenka unveiled an all-new brand packaging that resonates with the channel’s core ethos, while staying relevant to the changing palate of its loyal audiences. The Zee logo turned to a deeper more in-your-face shade of blue and the look-and-feel got vibrant and younger. From the proposition of ‘Ummeed se saje Zindagi’, the new tagline of the channel changed to: ‘Har Lamha Nayi Ummeed’.

     

    Readers of MxMIndia would’ve read the news of the branding on December 15. But, now let’s hear the story from Pradeep Hejmadi himself. Excerpts from an exclusive interview with Pradeep Hejmadi:

     

    Zee TV has been doing very well in the crop of Hindi general entertainment channels (GECs).  Of the various fictions that took off in 2014, Zee shows had the best launch ratings. So, as they say, if it ain’t broke, why fix it? Why this relaunch? And would you say this is a repositioning as well?

    Our successful fiction launches this year and the consistent growth of our fiction programming speaks of a very special relationship we have closely cultivated with our audiences – one that has only evolved and strengthened over the years. It has grown due to our ability, as a broadcaster, to innovate and keep pace with the changing times and expectations. What we’re going in for is a brand refresh exercise and not a relaunch. Zee TV’s core proposition of ‘Ummeed se saje Zindagi’ was about a celebration and vindication of a woman’s emerging beliefs and a reflection of her changing hopes, dreams and optimism. In that sense, Zee TV will always stand for ‘Ummeed’. It is the articulation that will change to reflect the changing times.

     

    Today, with India poised for distinct growth, there is a feeling of ‘a new hope, every moment’. So, Zee TV adds another layer to its core proposition, making it even more relevant to everyday life scenarios that its viewers are faced with. Zee TV’s new slogan ‘Har Lamha Nayi Ummeed’ captures the prevalent spirit amongst the people and our brand philosophy as also our content will reflect the same.

     

    Would this also mean a renewed content focus?

    Our core proposition isn’t changing. As I said earlier, Zee TV will always stand for ‘Ummeed’ and our content has been a reflection of  this universal life truth. The brand refresh exercise is aimed at arriving at a more ‘here and now’ rendition of our core proposition, making it more relatable in our day-to-day lives. Naturally, our content will mirror the same.

     

    Can you take us through the entire exercise? What were the findings on the earlier look-and-feel and the logo and what it is now?

    The brand refresh exercise has been about dialling up a few aspects of our brand identity – it always stood and will continue to stand for Ummeed. It’s just about taking it to the next level and making the packaging more vibrant, assertive and dynamic.

     

    In terms of ratings and revenues, are there any specific targets of this exercise?

    None.  If there is a currency for affection, we’re gunning for it!

     

    Did the entire mood of ‘achche din aane waale hain’  influence your line of ‘Ummeed’ ?

    No. ‘Acche Din …’ is a more recent campaign. Zee TV adopted ‘Ummeed’ as its core proposition way back in 2011.

     

    The problem with words like ‘hope’ is they build an expectation and if the hopes are belied and not met with, then there is disappointment. Is that something that you factored in or does this have no real bearing on the repositioning?

    Expectations are raised when promises are made. There’s absolutely nothing wrong with fuelling hope. That’s what makes the world go round.

     

    When Zee was launched way back in 1992, it had a simple, snappy line of ‘Yeh Hai Zee TV’. Do you think stuff like the tag line or the brand’s promise work with viewers, because a GEC is a GEC is a GEC after all?

    Contextually, it was perfectly right to have a slogan like ‘Yeh Hai Zee TV’ because we were pioneers in 1992, paving the way for satellite television in India. Now, over a period of time, where Zee, as a broadcaster, has etched a distinct brand identity in the minds of the audience, our current positioning is a reflection of the way our content is treated and the impact it has on our audience.

     

    A version of this appeared in dna of brands dated December 15, 2014

     

  • The channel has brought on board music composers Salim Sulaiman to compose an upbeat and memorable audio composition

    Zee refreshes look, adopts core proposition of ‘Har Lamha Nayi Ummeed’

    By A Correspondent

     

    Punit Goenka

    At its recently hosted annual awards show – Zee Rishtey Awards, Zee TV announced an evolution in its core proposition from ‘Ummeed Se Saje Zindagi’ to ‘Har Lamha Nayi Ummeed’. Punit Goenka, ZEEL MD & CEO unveiled an all-new, vibrant and dynamic brand packaging that resonates with its core ethos, while staying relevant to the changing palate of its loyal audiences.

     

    Speaking on the occasion, Zee TV Business Head Pradeep Hejmadi said, “Zee TV’s core proposition of Ummeed se saje Zindagi was about a celebration and vindication of a woman’s emerging beliefs and a reflection of her changing hopes, dreams and optimism. This essence was embodied by each of our protagonists who emerged as role models and harbingers of hope for the masses. In that sense, Zee TV will always stand for Ummeed. It is the articulation that will change to reflect the changing times. Today, with India poised for growth, there is a feeling of ‘a new hope, every moment’.  Zee TV’s new slogan ‘Har Lamha Nayi Ummeed’ captures this spirit and its brand philosophy as also its content will reflect the same!”

     

    Pradeep Hejmadi
    Nitin Karkare

    Zee TV has rolled out a 360-degree marketing campaign across HSM to unveil the new identity. The creative agency FCB Ulka has conceptualized a simple visual device of ‘fingers crossed’ to bring alive the new proposition. The channel has also brought on board ace music composers Salim Sulaiman to compose a very upbeat and memorable audio pneumonic to bring alive the essence of the new brand proposition.

    Nitin Karkare, COO, FCB Ulka said, “Har Lamha Nayi Ummeed – the power of the moment that can bring hope/ummeed being the notion and tagline, the creative idea had to be something that not only sticks to people’s minds, promotes a telegraphic take-out of the message but also has a viral potential to become the talk of the town.”

     

  • After nearly a decade a TAM and leading the crucial S-group, Praddy is expected to arm Zee with all the intelligence to be the numero uno Hindi GEC

    Pradeep Hejmadi to be Business Head, Zee TV

    By A Correspondent

     

    Pradeep Hejmadi, Senior Vice President at TAM Media, is set to join Zee Entertainment as Business Head of the flagship channel, Zee TV.

     

    While his decade-odd stint at TAM – especially the S group which was engaged in the consulting operations of the measurement company – will ensure that he steers Zee TV to the top of the heap of general entertainment channels, Mr Hejmadi or Praddy, as he is known in the trade, is no newbie in broadcast. He has held key portfolios at Discovery, Nickelodeon and Turner Broadcasting.

     

    At TAM, he reported to LV Krishnan. He is likely to take charge at Zee by mid-June, 2014

     

  • As audiences for children's channels expand to include the entire family, among the chief challenges is keeping the genre viable

    #Frames2013: Need to grow the kids’ pie further

    By Johnson Napier

     

    While increasing importance is being given to Hindi GECs and sports broadcasting in India, a genre that has been steadily pushing itself up the growth chain is children’s entertainment. Accounting for nearly 7 per cent of the growth pie, kids’ channels in India have been throwing up interesting growth trends over the past few years.

     

    At the session on ‘Trends in Children’s Entertainment’, panelists presented their viewpoints on the genre and what was the way forward. The panelists comprised Harpreet S Tibb of Kellogg India, Vijay Subramaniam of Disney UTV, Ashish Karnad of IMRB, Krishna Desai of Turner, and Pradeep Hejmadi of TAM.

     

    Harpreet S Tibb, Marketing Director, India & South Asia, Kellogg said, “The focus for marketers is to strengthen our brand and also that the message gets conveyed to the desired TG. The thing about kids today is that they are increasingly gravitating to newer mediums and it is therefore essential that the broadcasters come up with content that is valuable and meaningful. There is also a need for players to create content that is interactive and relevant.”

     

    Vijay Subramaniam

    Vijay Subramaniam, Executive Director, Kids Network, Disney UTV highlighted how the focus by his group was to tell stories that are great.” We have always been known to present stories that are innovative and pioneering. While much of our content is centred around kids, it is also made keeping the family audience in mind. The challenge facing the genre is of financial viability.”

     

    Ashish Karnad, Group Business Director, IMRB International presented his outlook as he said that boys consumed different content while the girls too consumed content that was different from boys. “There was not much differentiation that was observed between the two subsets earlier but that is seeing a change now. And as we all would be aware, there is a huge demand for locally produced content.”

     

    Krishna Desai

    Krishna Desai, Director-Content, South Asia, Turner International India elaborated on how the broadcast players were waking up to providing new content options for the kids of today. “Admitting that animation as an industry is still in its infancy, Mr Desai said that it was indeed picking up in growth. “Overall the kids’ genre is still small compared to the other genres as the ad spends around the medium are still very low. But there are other positives that are emerging inclusing its ability to ship content to outside markets. The industry is evolving and it is up to us to unite and take it to the next level.”

     

    Earlier Pradeep Hejmadi of TAM went on to present his perspective of the kids’ genre in India and what was in store for the players in the years to come.