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Tag: Priyanka Datta

  • Both Priyanka and Preeti will be reporting to Joy Chakraborthy

    Priyanka Datta & Preeti Sahni join Network18

    By A Correspondent

    Network18 is on an overdrive to revamp its revenue structure for all TV news brands as also its business magazine Forbes India. After appointing senior industryperson Joy Chakraborthy as President- Revenue for TV18 in May and recently entrusting him with added responsibility as CEO- Forbes India, the group has announced two senior appointments.

     

    With Chakraborthy’s appointment, the group consolidated all TV revenues including that of Forbes India under one head. Chakraborthy has brought with him over twenty years of experience in the media industry and has worked across top companies. To strengthen the sales and revenue division, the group has appointed Priyanka Datta as Executive Vice President to head the English News Cluster (CNBC-TV18, CNBC-TV18 Prime HD & CNN News18) and Network Sales Head for North & South. Also Preeti Sahni has been appointed as Vice President to head Sales for Forbes India and international business for the English news channels of the network.

     

    Joy Chakraborthy

    Commenting on these recent appointments, Chakraborthy said, “I am pleased to welcome Priyanka and Preeti to Network18 family. Both Priyanka and Preeti come with right learnings and experience to take on their respective mandates at Network18. Priyanka Datta comes with a well-rounded understanding TV channels, having headed ad sales and brand solutions roles at Zee.  Preeti Sahni comes with specialisation on luxury and international sales, having worked on & headed senior roles with premium media brands in her earlier roles.”

     

    Priyanka Datta joins the Network after a 14-year stint with Zee Entertainment Enterprises Ltd. wherein she headed sales nationally for many channels of the Zee Network as well as their Brand Solutions Cell. Her last assignment with Zee was that of Business Head of Zindagi and the FTA GEC channels.

     

    Prior to joining Network18, Sahni was with BCCL as General Manager handling the Luxury & International businesses. Preeti has a vast professional repertoire in product management and sales, and is skilled in conceptual marketing and business development. Prior to BCCL, she has worked with brands like India Today, HT Media, Oracle and Scholastic. Preeti is Post Graduate in Advance Electronics and has an experience of over 15 years.

     

    Both Datta and Sahni will report to Joy Chakraborthy.

     

  • An interview with Priyanka Datta, Cluster Head (FTA channels and Zindagi) at Zee Entertainment for her sentiments post Anmol's amazing rise

    Jaldi 5 with Priyanka Datta: On how focus on the brand ensured Zee Anmol rise to #3 Hindi

    One of the highlights of the new BARC urban-cum-rural ratings is the rise in viewership of all free-to-air (FTA) channels. Particularly noteworthy has been the performance of Zee Anmol which attained the #3 slot, ahead of the network’s flagship Zee TV.  We spoke with Priyanka Datta, Cluster Head (FTA channels and  Zindagi) for her sentiments post Anmol’s amazing rise.

     

    01. Congratulations on the rise of Zee Anmol on the combined urban and rural (U+R) ratings roster as released by BARC earlier today. Would you say this is something you always knew but were looking at some ratification from a ratings agency?

    Thanks for the good wishes.  Zee Anmol has been a leader in the FTA genre for over one year now. It is indeed very heartening to see the rise in the U+R ratings roaster as released by BARC yesterday as well. The channel has truly lived up to its brand promise of “Dil Choo Jaye” and touched the hearts of many.

     

    1a. To what would you attribute the success of Zee Anmol?

    There has been complete focus on this brand and constant on ground initiatives taken, be it for sampling of the brand, engagement or visibility and that has given positive results. Add to it extremely engaging and entertaining programming which largely comprises of some excellent shows Zee TV has produced clubbed with shows from some other channels that we showcase on our channel. Earlier this fiscal, we launched our very first original reality show, Grihani No 1.

     

    02. Other FTAs like Star Utsav and Colors Rishtey have done well in the U+R ratings. Would you say this is a given for the entire genre, considering they are Free to Air and showcase reruns of popular content?

    We would however like to reserve our comment till we see the data of a few more weeks.

     

    03. Now that you have tasted success, will you prop up the channel with more current or even original content or will the mix stay the same?

    At this stage, all I would like to say is that the channel team will continue to focus on the channel as always. There are a lot of things planned, which will be put into action or even newer ways crafted, after we analyse the data of a few more weeks of BARC ratings.

     

    04. Pardon our ignorance, but how is Anmol doing in terms of advertising? Will you now push the channel a lot more with advertisers?

    The channel has a dedicated sales team and has been in the mind space of advertisers since its inception & the BARC ratings only further substantiate that their investments have been right. I am positive that they will continue to patronise and support Zee Anmol.

     

    05. Zee Anmol has crossed the flagship Zee TV. Any sentiments on this, or are we in the media making much about it?

    It is a very encouraging and proud moment for Zee Anmol. Largely, the content that is shown on Zee Anmol is the rich quality shows produced by our Zee TV team and that makes us collective winners.

     

  • Q&A with Zindagi Business Head Priyanka Datta as the channel boasts of high impact, despite the low ratings

    We knew Zindagi won’t be in league of Zee, other GECs

     

    Okay, okay, this is for the second consecutive day that we are doing a big story on a Zee channel, but that’s a coincidence. No motive… no quid pro quo 🙂

     

    So should a Hindi general entertainment channel necessarily score big on the weekly ratings roster to be termed a success? Not if you are Zindagi, launched in June 2014, which hit upon the winning concept of airing Pakistani television shows at primetime. The concept has worked, carving a unique ‘premium’ niche for the Zee Entertainment channel. Pradyuman Maheshwari spoke with Priyanka Datta, Business Head of Zindagi. Excerpts from an interview:

     

    For India and Indians, Pakistani and everything Pakistani is perceived as Enemy #1. Did the seven-month run of Zindagi see any unsettling moments given the various issues we’ve had with our neighbour?

    When we launched the channels we too thought along these lines. In fact we had security outside our office and were ready for any possible backlash. But the response has been amazing. There is no negativity whatsoever, in fact there’s only appreciation from all quarters.

     

    The channel was launched with much fanfare on June 23, 2014. How has the year been for you?

    The response has been overwhelming. It wasn’t a mass channel to deliver major ratings like you see in the Hindi general entertainment channel (GEC) space. We launched keeping the content for an ‘X’ mindset and we’ve reached that audience remarkably well. Now we intend to innovate and grow.

     

    If there’s one thing to differentiate the mindset of a ZeeTV versus that of Zindagi, what would it be?

    Zindagi very clearly caters to an absolutely progressive mindset. A person who can stand for her right, it has female audience-based shows, away from the melodrama, more in the realistic realm of things. That’s the content we offer and the audience we target.

     

    For an organisation which has a channel where ratings are always in three figures, it must’ve taken some to get used to this double-figure rating for a GEC?

    That’s all in the mind because in this very network you have English channels which also have a single figure rating but are doing very well in their genre. We knew Zindagi won’t be of the league of Zee or other Hindi GECs because the content differs widely. We felt it could’ve done a little better than what it’s delivering now, but we were not very way off.

     

    You haven’t caught the bug of reality or song-and-dance shows yet?

    We don’t intend to, this isn’t a typical Hindi GEC. I don’t think there’s any need for a reality show or non-fiction. For example, a DID doesn’t fit into it.

     

    No Pakistani DID?

    Zindagi isn’t a Pakistani channel. Currently, the content is all from Pakistan, primarily because the language affinity is there. In India, we don’t have finite shows in the Hindi space. That will take time to come on air here. We are already talking of regional productions as we go on, along the year.

     

    But, as of now, it is Pakistani…

    Yes, the content that you have is Pakistani. We’re looking at exploring content from various places like Turkey and Egypt from the second phase of this year.

     

    How have you done in adsales ?

    This channel is being received well. I’m sure we’ll do better as we go along.

     

    Are you able to attract any premium because of the kind of audience you have?

    Honestly speaking, whatever we are doing is the premium we are getting and selling on. We definitely can’t sell on ratings, seeing them as they are. It’s all on premium and the brands have only been growing. It’s faring pretty well. The mindset is also changing from an advertising standpoint. In the Hindi space, people so far are not used to buying content on premium. It’s all very CPRP- and GRP-linked. English channels, for instance, are bought on premium and perception, not ratings. Hindi channels haven’t been bought on perception because none existed to buy.

     

    The sentiment in Pakistan in the television industry is very popular towards Zindagi. It’s more money for them too. Are you cashing in on that in any way?

    We’re looking at getting more. We’ve already procured most of the cream they have produced so far. The good thing is, it’s not just the content that’s bringing the freshness. All their best actors and directors are into television. They are far more natural actors… they go to bed in nighties, not zari-lined sarees! That appeals very well to our audiences.

     

    Some of the Pakistani stars are quite a rage here, right?

    Yes, it’s working for them. Now, many Zindagi stars are getting into Hindi films. Like Fawad Khan was signed on for a film much earlier, but became a household name only after he was on Zindagi. Everywhere he went for the promotion of his film Khoobsurat, he was being asked about Zindagi Gulzar Hai and asked to sing, talk of his TV show etc.

     

    A version of this appeared in dna of brands dated January 19, 2014