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Tag: Zee Entertainment Enterprises Ltd

  • Zee Entertainment takes on a new credo under Zee CBO Sunil Buch. Primetime to include fresher content (&beyond Pak & Turkish fare) – Text + Video

    Zindagi takes on a new life

     

    Text and Video by Santosh Jangid

     

    Zindagi, the Zee Entertainment channel, is undertaking a renewed offensive. Having gained leadership over 27 weeks in the Alpha Club ratings from amongst premium entertainment channels, the channel is adopting a new credo and will see a renewed thrust on its differentiated content.

     

    Said Zee Entertainment Enterprises Ltd (ZEEL), Chief Business Officer, Sunil Buch who is also spearheading the channel: “Zindagi was launched with the promise of bringing the best shows from across the world to Indian television screens. Our compelling content has always been our calling card. A thought leader in premium entertainment with a distinct character, Zindagi presents finite world stories with bold narratives which unveil universal emotions. The Alpha Club numbers give us resounding encouragement that we are on the right path of providing premium entertainment. What sets the channel apart is its consistent commitment to show Finite, Real, Vibrant, and Premium world stories. Zindagi will enhance its slate of shows from October 3, 2016. Handpicked stories from India, Turkey, Spain, Italy, Pakistan, Latin America and Korea will now be available on the channel. For our bi-lingual premium audiences, Zindagi will also soon be available on a dual feed of Hindi & English.”

     

    “The channel’s positioning ’Yeh Lamha Hi Hai Zindagi’ mirrors the essence of the word Zindagi. Anywhere in the World,  Life is a finite procession of moments and it’s important that we live each and every one of them. There is no sense in doing Rewind – Play and lose our today, our moment in the quest of analyzing / living in the past. That’s the top line of the channel, literally. Again a departure from traditional base lines associated with most brands/channels and true to the thought leader grain of Zindagi,” adds Buch.

     

    An aggressive marketing campaign will be unveiled to across all traditional and digital mediums about Zindagi. There will be a roadblock across the Zee network of 33 channels on September 30. The publicity campaign will build advocacy through unique experiences that evoke the brand proposition and mirror the viewer’ premium lifestyles.

     

    Sunil Buch-speak:

     

    On the new tagline and how the content is different from other channels:

    Unlike many other brands, we don’t have a baseline because Zindagi is such an awesome name that we have a top line. Our learnings and evolution of the channel has got us to this place where we say that ‘Yeh Lamha Hi Hai Zindagi’. Life is all about living the moment and not doing rewind play, and to stop living in the past. There is a lot to enjoy and to look ahead and that’s what the new push is all about.

    Our stories continue to be thought leader stories, selected well, written very well, executed even more brilliantly, great casting, great screenplay, great dialogue writing and real. There is no typical stuff that you are used to seeing on the television and that’s what sets us apart.

    Essentially we are looking to have a 50-50 per cent of content on the channel where 50 per cent will be  indian content and the rest 50 per cent will be content from around the world.

     

    On how will Zindagi will ensure a significant presence in the space:

    We started off with Zindagi to be the channel for the whole world and if we look at the languages we speak, hindi has got a lot of Turkish and Persian. So our thought was, if there is world in a language why can’t there be world in a content. That journey we started off a couple of years ago by bringing Turkish shows which have had a resounding success, both Ferihaand Fatimagul. As we go along, as there is no dearth to great stories around the world, we will look into other countries like Russia, Spain, Korea, Italy and Germany. Wherever there is a great storytelling, we will look at it.

     

    On BARC Alpha Club ratings:

    In the alpha club ratings of BARC, we continue to be the No 1premium channel in the country. Our belief with this evolution is that the market is right for content which is differentiated, content which has done well. So we see that many people will come in fold with this approach of ours.

     

  • dittoTV was relaunched amidst much fanfare in a new form and strategy

    Zee launches dittoTV in a new avatar

    By A Correspondent

     

    Punit Goenk

    Zee Digital Convergence Ltd unveiled a new avatar of dittoTV on Tuesday in Mumbai. The live TV platform that allows viewers to watch their favourite programmes at the time of broadcast was originally launched in 2012. With the tagline as ‘Desh Ka TV’, it promises to make live television available via any device – phones, tablet or personal computer, at just Rs 20 per month.

     

    The app in its new avatar allows users to access 100+ Hindi, English and regional-language channels, encompassing general entertainment, sports, movies, news and lifestyle. It is designed to deliver an affordable viewing experience and flexible viewing options.

     

    Said Punit Goenka,MD and CEO, Zee Entertainment Enterprises Ltd: “The digital entertainment space in India is at the cusp of a strong phase of growth. With the new avatar of dittoTV, we aim to change the media landscape to suit the evolving media consumption preferences of consumers. It will allow consumers to control where they watch television in a way that has not been possible before. We are proud to present a platform that will help scale up this transformation by making it affordable for people across a wide economic spectrum.”

     

    Archana Anand

    This initiative is not just limited to the Zee network programmes but viewers will be able to watch shows from other networks as well. Except for Star Plus and Sun TV, viewers will be able to access most of the other channels on this platform. Speaking more about the business strategy, Archana Anand, Business Head, dittoTV added:  “With the new version of dittoTV, we expect to change the way India watches TV forever. At the incredible price of Rs 20, we see dittoTV becoming a necessity and everyone’s default app on their mobile phones, allowing them to access TV just about anytime and anywhere. We see it serving as your first and only screen, as your second screen or just your TV on the go! Keeping the Indian landscape in the mind, dittoTV is also available in Hindi and will soon be available in all regional languages.”

     

    To make sure that live television is within the reach of every Indian, it has tied up with  Idea Cellular, to offer its users of 3G and 4G internet packs a free monthly subscription with every recharge. It provides its customers the ease of streaming their favourite TV channels live on their smartphones. Under a promotional offer, all Idea customers in Idea 3G and 4G provider circles will be able to subscribe to dittoTV free of cost, along with select monthly data packs, until July 31. It is available on Android, Windows and iOS platforms, making cumbersome annual contracts, satellite dishes and set-top boxes obsolete.

     

    dittoTV has partnered with Siti Cable and ITZ Cash to supply easy-to-use recharge cards at retail channels. The app’s adaptive technology will adjust to a range of internet speeds in order to deliver a seamless viewing experience, making it easy for both urban and rural markets.

     

  • Chawla will continue to be Business Head of Essel Vision Productions Limited/Zee Studios

    Akash Chawla to be Biz Head of Zee TV, Deepak Rajadhyaksha is Dy Biz Head

    By A Correspondent

     

    Akash Chawla

    Zee Entertainment Enterprises Ltd has announced the appointment of Akash Chawla and Deepak Rajadhyaksha as Business Head and Deputy Business Head respectively of flagship channel Zee TV.

     

    In the new structure, Akash Chawla, in addition to his current portfolio as Business Head- Essel Vision Productions Limited/Zee Studios for content creation on films, television and digital will now also take charge as Business Head of Zee TV.  In his earlier broadcasting stint, Chawla has spearheaded the marketing function for the flagship and national channels like ZeeTV, Zee Cinema and Zee Classic. He has also played a key role in the launch of channels like &pictures, Zee Anmol and Zindagi. All the functions of Zee TV like marketing, research and PR will align with Chawla going forward.

     

    Deepak Rajadhyaksha, who has been Business Head of  Zee Marathi will now take charge as the Deputy Business Head, Zee TV. The entire programming, OAP and Operations team would align and report to Rajadhyaksha and he will report to Akash Chawla. Both will work closely with ZEEL – MD & CEO, Punit Goenka.

     

  • Anjana will be working in close coordination with the India Web Portal, Ditto TV and Zee Digital teams

    Anjana Kshetry is Head – Brand Solutions, Zee Digital

    By A Correspondent

     

    Zee Entertainment Enterprises Ltd. (ZEEL) has announced the appointment of Anjana Kshetry as Head – Brand Solutions, Zee Digital. In her new role, Anjana will report to Debashish Ghosh, Chief Knowledge Officer, Essel Group.

     

    Anjana will be working in close coordination with the India Web Portal, Ditto TV and Zee Digital teams. She will also be responsible for leveraging the ZEE Sales team for integration of digital propositions with TV sales propositions in the most optimum manner. Furthermore, she will be looking at Brand integration opportunities in the digital arenas being explored with Essel Vision.

     

    Anjana was previously the Senior Vice President – Sales & Brand Solutions, heading the National Sales portfolio for Brand Solutions and Zee Khana Khazana. She has been associated with ZEE for about 14 years, and has worked with the organization in multiple capacities. She started in the Marketing Team for the Zee English cluster and subsequently led the national sales portfolio for Zee Music, Zee Café & Zee Studio and Zee Khana Khazana. She has spearheaded various client led sales initiatives for building client relations at the top levels by way of CRM activities.

     

  • The videos were hilarious and that attracted more than 6 lakh impressions on twitter alone

    TheSmallBigIdea promotes interactive application Dil Se

    By A Correspondent

     

    ANDPictures’ digital agency, TheSmallBigIdea roped in stand up comedians Ashwin Mushran and Amogh Ranadive to promote their interactive application Dil Se. In a one of a kind interactive campaign, the audience’s tweets were converted into videos within minutes of them being posted.

     

    ANDPictures, the interactive movie channel from the stable of Zee Entertainment Enterprises Ltd (ZEEL) recently launched an interactive application called Dil Se, which allows people to record and upload messages for their favorite celebrity. The recorded messages are then sent to celebs for them to reply with personalized messages for their fans.

     

    The audience had to tweet to the channel, the extent to which they would go to catch the attention of their favourite star. While audiences flooded AndPictures timelines with crazy ideas in the form of tweets & posts, Ashwin Mushran, Amogh Ranadive and the agency was busy converting the tweets into video sketches. The gags told the audience how their ideas of impressing their stars might not to be the best, by mocking the idea itself. The videos were hilarious and that attracted more than 6 lakh impressions on twitter alone.

     

    Harikrishnan Pillai, Founder-Director, TheSmallBigIdea shared, “Our route was twisted and twisted works. People didn’t expect their version of celeb-love to come out in such funny manner, and that too within minutes of them tweeting. Good part is that people were OK to laugh at themselves. The giggles ended at 6 lakh impressions, validating the efficacy of the idea too.”

     

    Deputy Business Head – Hindi Movie Channels, Ruchir Tiwari added, “The end objective was to make people aware of this application. The core message was beautifully weaved around the social activity, giving us dual advantage of creating great online content and marketing the digital property.”

     

  • ZEEL has appointed Akash Chawla, who has successfully been heading the Marketing Function for National Channels at ZEEL, to take charge as the Business Head – EVPL

    Akash Chawla appointed Business Head of Essel Vision Productions

    Zee Entertainment Enterprises Ltd (ZEEL) has appointed Akash Chawla, who has successfully been heading the Marketing Function for National Channels at ZEEL, to take charge as the Business Head – EVPL.

     

    Akash has been given the mandate to head the TV Production (all languages), Movie Production (all languages except Marathi), Studio Production Business, Digital & Online Production, Events & IP creation. Akash will drive the organizational aspiration of EVPL and contribute in multiplying its business from its current business levels. For this role, Akash will report to Nittin Keni.

     

    “Essel Vision is very focused in the film & television production, digital, events and the IP creation business. Having spearheaded marketing for Zee TV, Zee Cinema, Zee Classic and Zee Cine Awards, Akash has worked successfully towards the launch of three of ZEEL’s new brands in the last one year – &pictures, Zee Anmol and Zindagi. He will work towards strengthening our presence in Hindi and other languages movie production & marketing and the digital business to catapult the organization’s ambitions to the next level.  We will produce content not just for the Indian audiences but also for companies and audiences the world over. While IP rights provide the foundation upon which innovation is shared and creativity is encouraged, the digital age provides many opportunities within the entertainment media industry to improve efficiency, costs and viewer experiences. Everything we do is driven by an unyielding passion for excellence-and an unfaltering commitment to develop the best products. We are in talks with various leading collaborators for the same and will soon announce new initiatives,” shared Nittin Keni.

     

    Essel Vision’s consistency and success are built on its unwavering dedication to setting benchmarks and excellence. It has already made a mark on the map of Television and Feature Films – both in the Hindi and Marathi space. With blockbuster films like ‘D-Day’, ‘Gulaal’, ‘Natrang’, ‘Kaaksparsh’, Essel Vision has taken its first steps to another high with its ventures like “Time Pass”, “Lai Bhari” and  ‘Duniyadaari’ which have been the highest grossers in the Marathi film space. Its other creation ‘The Lunchbox’ has already received accolades around the world. In the television space, the company has been successful with qualitative programs like ‘Fear Files’, ‘Dance India Dance’ and ‘India’s Best Dramebaaz’, ‘Saregama’, ‘DID L’il Masters’, ‘DID Super Moms’, on Hindi TV, and ‘Eka Peksha Ek’ and ‘Fu Bai Fu’ amongst others on Marathi TV.  The upcoming feature films include ‘Mad About Dance’ which is promoted by Shah Rukh Khan himself and another film called ‘3AM’ (horror film) is on the anvil.

     

    Just as ZEE is an innovative leader in developing new business models for the evolving television and film landscape, Essel Vision’s objective is to be a one-stop shop for all Film, Television, Digital, Events & IP creation related services where it will produce, co-produce, market and distribute.

     

  • Sorbojeet Chatterjee has joined ZEEL as Senior Vice President, Marketing for the cluster of Hindi GECs

    Sorbojeet Chatterjee moves from dna to Zeel

    By A Correspondent

     

    Zee Entertainment Enterprises Ltd has announced the appointment of Sorbojeet Chatterjee as Senior Vice President, Marketing for the cluster of Hindi GECs including Zee TV, Zee Anmol, Smile, 9X and Zee TV HD channels. For his responsibilities, Mr Chatterjee will report to Akash Chawla, Executive Vice President and Marketing Head – National Channels, ZEEL. Another movement announced is that of Sapangeet Rajwant who will take over as Zee TV – Marketing Head and will report to Mr Chatterjee.

     

    Mr Chatterjee brings with him 13 years of experience from both sides of the media business – the creative side as a copywriter and the business side in marketing and strategy. He moves from the Zee Media Corp-owned dna where he was designated as Senior VP – Marketing. His earlier stints have been with Neo Sports Broadcast Pvt Ltd as Vice President Marketing, TV Today Network as Head of Marketing and Special Projects and Gslot.com as Copywriter. He has extensive media marketing experience across television, print and radio brands. He is also an avid quizzer and has been active on various industry forums and associations.

     

     

  • The session focused on how the government could play an integral role in allaying the fears of all the stakeholders concerned

    #FF14 Day 1: Issues abound but collective stand will help boost industry morale

    By a correspondent

     

    Starting off from where the inaugural session left, the session on ‘De-bottlenecking the regulatory hurdles’ on Day 1 of FICCI Frames 2014 saw the panelists touch upon grave issues facing the industry and how the government could play an integral role in allaying the fears of all the stakeholders concerned.

     

    The panelists for the session comprised Bimal Julka, Secretary, Ministry of Information & Broadcasting, Government of India, Uday Shankar, CEO, Star India, Sudhanshu Vats, Group CEO, Viacom18 Media Pvt. Ltd, Punit Goenka, CEO, Zee Entertainment Enterprises Ltd, Rahul Johri, Sr VP & GM, South Asia, Discovery Networks and  Ajit Pai, Commissioner, FCC, USA. The session was moderated by Vikram Chandra, Group CEO, NDTV.

     

    Taking the opportunity to open up, Uday Shankar began by saying that the regulatory scenario in India was very diverse in its approach with some sectors being over-regulated while the others were under-regulated. “Lack of clarity on the intent of a regulation is something that is of concern. It has to be aligned with goals that have been set by the society”, said Mr. Shankar. He went on to highlight other issues that needed industry attention including the 10+2 ad cap provision and also the just introduced aggregator policy for stakeholders.

     

    Sudhanshu Vats presented a few indicators of his own as he said that there was a need to have a purpose to regulate. This, he said, could be achieved by having multiplicity of choice, have the need to operate like a free market and have adequate transparency and data. Adding further he said that the other essential needs were clarity, accountability and foresight.

     

    Rahul Johri pitched in by saying that there was indeed a need to have clarity on where the industry was headed on the issue of regulation and finding out what the core objective is. “We have regulated ourselves very well but there are too many regulations being imposed right now and we need to find a way to tackle them systematically. The aim should be to regulate well for the future of India.”

     

    Left to defend his turf, Shri Bimal Julka did a decent job of pacifying the panel as he said that it was a collaborative effort and that the responsibility rests with all stakeholders to get the job done. “Whatever the issues, we can agree in cohesion that it is the viewer towards whom our efforts have to be directed. Thus keeping such interests of the viewer in mind, the policies are framed with the intention of achieving inclusive growth,” he asserted.

     

    On the several impending problems facing stakeholders, Shri Julka said that the focus by the government was to throw open the field for a healthy discussion amongst all players so that they could arrive at an amicable solution. Mr. Julka asserted that despite the problems the digitization exercise was showing positive results as well including the carriage fees reporting a downward slide and more transparency being bought into the system.

     

    Mr Julka went on to add that the challenge would be to complete the phase 3 & 4 schedule of digitization and only after that could the issues of subscription versus carriage fee be resolved. But he cautioned that the stakeholders also had a role to play including deciding on how to make their content standout amongst a plethora of options facing the viewer.

     

    Sudhanshu Vats went to the extent of saying that there was no need to have a licensing system except for the spectrum allocation and that even if there is a licensing system there needs to be a fixed timeframe to address that. He added that things will be clear once the entire digitization exercise is complete but prior to that it was important that the industry take a hard look on addressability factor of digitization.

     

  • The Zee and Essel group Chairman was awarded an Honorary Doctorate by the University of East London

    Subhash Chandra receives doctorate at Univ of East London

    By A Correspondent

     

    Zee and Essel group Chairman Subhash Chandra was awarded an Honorary Doctorate of Business Administration from the University of East London (UEL).

     

    Mr Chandra received the Doctorate from Lord Gulam Noon, the Chancellor of the University of East London, at the ceremony for their Royal Dock Business School graduates. Accepting the award, Mr. Chandra thanked the entire senior management team at the Royal Dock Business School, saying, “It is indeed a privilege to be recognized outside one’s country, and in the presence of such highly acclaimed and respected individuals. I thank you all for bestowing this prestigious award that I feel honored to receive.”

     

    Mr. Chandra’s felicitation adds a feather to the crown of Zee Entertainment Enterprises Ltd and marks the establishment of the broadcaster in the UK andEurope, and follows a recent launch of DittoTV, an online, tablet and mobile platform providing live streams and TV on demand from 17 Zee channels. ZEE TV is now in the process of commissioning new programming produced specifically for the UK and European audience.

     

    Later today (Nov 21), Mr Chandra will deliver a keynote speech at AsPIRE, the annual event hosted by JP Morgan at Lord’s to promote Asian-Pacific global leadership. Mr Chandra will take the audience through his life journey from humble beginnings in India to becoming a global billionaire. He will reveal his role models and advise on implementing ideas into successful business operations.

     

  • The film is based on the Zee group's positioning of 'Vasudhaiva Kutumbakam – The World is My Family'

    Zee unveils all-new corporate brand film crafted by Scarecrow

    By A Correspondent

     

    Zee Entertainment Enterprises Ltd has unveiled a corporate brand film based on its brand positioning – “Vasudhaiva Kutumbakam – The World is My Family”. The brand film depicts the essence of Zee’s brand image, conveying that it has been a cultural ambassador of India, to millions of viewers across the globe for more than two decades.

     

    Speaking on the film, Roland Landers, Zee’s Head Corporate Brand said: “I am extremely glad to unveil the new brand film. ZEE’s brand positioning envisions its world as a unified family, without any caste, boundary or religion, which this film has beautifully brought to life showcasing a blend of multiple nationalities celebrating togetherness.”

     

    The 360 degree roll out of the film, scheduled to be aired on all ZEE channels, social media plarforms, newly launched corporate website and other key on ground properties, will certainly ensure that the film reaches all the key internal and external stakeholders of Zee.

     

    Manish Bhatt

    Manish Bhatt, Founder Director, Scarecrow Communications, which is the creative agency behind this brand film, mentioned “It was like an opportunity to create this one-of-its-kind world anthem. Creating communication for the brand that connects with more than 700 million viewers and over 169 Countries was a mammoth as well as a prestigious assignment for Scarecrow. We are confident that this communication will establish the perfect connect with the audience.”