MxMIndia

Tag: ZEEL

  • Production company to facilitate all global production requirements for ZEE and international markets

    Zee Studios International launched in Canada

    By A Correspondent

     

    Zee Entertainment Enterprises Limited (ZEEL) achieved another milestone by becoming the first Indian broadcaster to set up a production company, Zee Studios International in Canada. This also marks Zees entry into global production for mainstream audiences which will facilitate production requirement for Zees international markets. The production company, located at Vancouver, British Columbia, will be headed by Subhadarshi Tripathy who will be supported by a local team. Tripathy will jointly report to ZEEL MD & CEO, Punit Goenka and CEO – International Broadcast Business, Amit Goenka.

    Commenting on the new initiative, Amit Goenka, CEO – International Broadcast Business, ZEEL said, “Canada is known as a large production hub for various Hollywood companies, as the country offers the requisite infrastructure, talent pool, scenic locales as well as a favourable Government incentive scheme. After a series of discussions with the Government of British Columbia, Canada, we were invited to set up a production company in Vancouver. Our endeavour through this venture is to produce global content for mainstream audiences across various international markets as well as take care of our domestic requirements. Canada has grown to become a priority market for us and through such initiatives, we plan to increase our presence in this country. We thank the local government bodies for their cooperation and support in helping us establish this business.”

     

     

  • Channel to go live on September 24

    Zee to launch &Prive HD wef Sep 24

    By A Correspondent

     

    Zee Entertainment Enterprises Limited (ZEEL) is all set to strengthen its position in the English cinema cluster with the launch of its premium HD offering - &Privé HD. The channel will go live across HD DTH platforms on September 24.

     

    Speaking about the launch, Punit Misra, CEO, ZEEL said:”We are proud to present &Privé HD to our viewers who feel the other side of cinema; audiences who have a mind of their own, who chart their own path and take the road untaken. Like the name suggests, through &Privé we wish to become your personal space for quality cinema. In the last two years, there has been a remarkable growth in the viewership of premium English movies on the HD platform. With the launch of &Privé, we wish to further accelerate this and delight our consumers. The & brand talks to the contemporary Indian who has a progressive outlook and is experimental with his/her choices. We are confident that the &Privé brand extension, with its brilliantly curated content, will find a place in the hearts of the non-conformist, discerning viewer.”

     

    Added Aparna Bhosle, Business Cluster Head – Premium and FTA GEC Channels, ZEEL: “The curated list of movies that will be aired on the channel have multiple layers and a certain depth – something that we have realized appeals to a section of non-conformist cinema enthusiasts in India. &Privé HD will boast of a line-up of movies that will cut across genres and will hopefully remain etched in the minds of our consumers, making them truly experience ‘The Other Side’ of cinema.”

     

    Speaking on the marketing strategy, Prathyusha Agarwal, CMO, ZEEL said: “For our free-thinking audience who have a fierce aversion to follow, &Privé HD will fuel the drive to think and feel different. Keeping in line with their evolved design sensibilities, the Brand & Broadcast Design delivers a signature luxury visual experience that is inspired by international magazine style and semiotics. Our communication campaign is an ode to our TG who venture beyond the obvious, celebrating those who feel the other side.”

     

  • Lowe Lintas will handle the Zee Corporate brand amongst others, Publicis has on its plate the flagship Zee TV in its kitty

    Zee exits FCB Ulka, appoints Lowe Lintas & Publicis India for creative. Appoints Genesis BM for PR

    By A Correspondent

     

    The winds of change are blowing at Zee Entertainment. The network has appointed two agencies – Publicis India and Lowe Lintas – to spearhead its creative duties.

     

    So while Lowe Lintas will handle the Zee Corporate brand amongst others, Publicis has on its plate the flagship Zee TV in its kitty along with a slew of others channels. Meanwhile, although the channel has not made any official announcements, the WPP-owned Genesis Burson-Marsteller will be handling its public relations mandate.

     

    Announcing the move on the creative agencies, Punit Goenka, MD & CEO, ZEEL said: “As we embark on this journey, we would like to thank FCB Ulka for the long and fruitful association in building some of the most loved channels that have become a part of our viewers’ lives. To build our equity further on this solid foundation, we welcome Lowe Lintas and Publicis on-board as partners who will help establish the organisation’s presence across all the entertainment verticals. By consolidating the entire business with two strong agency partners, the organisation is committed to building significantly higher capability in brand building, consumer centricity and strategic marketing thinking. Both agencies bring with them a strong consumer centric DNA and a deep knowledge of brands and business, which is core to our philosophy of driving future growth for the organisation. We look forward to Publicis and Lowe partnering with us to grow & develop our strong and evolving portfolio of brands.”

     

    Speaking on the development, Punit Misra, CEO – Domestic Broadcast, ZEEL said, “We are excited to have Lowe Lintas and Publicis on-board as our creative partners. The appointment follows an extensive pitch process which was evaluated by the key leadership team involving an in-depth assessment of creative, planning & servicing capabilities of the agencies, to cater to a large & diverse bouquet of channels & business needs. The move is to ensure that the channels build stronger consumer preference and loyalty for each of the individual brands and businesses. Together, we aspire to create the best in class brand andmarketing ecosystem for every channel and the overall organisation.”

     

    Other than planning and executing a 360-degree creative mandate for the ‘Zee’ Corporate Brand, Lowe Lintas will also work on the bouquet of cinema channels- including Zee Cinema, Zee Classic and Zee Action, the ‘&’Brand – &TV and &Pictures, and Zee’s South Cluster regional channels.

     

    And for Publicis India, other than Zee TV, there’s Zee Anmol, Zee Café & Zee Studio, the youth andmusic channels- Zing and ZETC and the regional channels in Marathi, Bengali and Odia – Zee Marathi, Zee Yuva, Zee Talkies, Zee Bangla, Zee Bangla Cinema and Sarthak.

     

    Interestingly, the Zee Entertainment communique on the announcement carries a statement from Nitin Karkare, CEO, FCB Ulka: “We are proud of our partnership with the Zee Group.  It’s been a wonderful relationship and we have together had many successes across channels and programmes. We wish them the best and many more successes in the years to come.” It may be noted that the &TV creative mandate was with Infectious, the boutique agency set up by Ramanuj Shastry and Nisha Singhania.

     

    Highlighting his agency’s mandate on the new business win, Raj Gupta, CEO-Lowe Lintas said: “We’re absolutely thrilled to partner ZEEL, who pioneered a series of revolutionary television watching experiences and much more for India in the last 25 years. At a time where content networks are competing to get attention with serials/shows, multi-crore blockbuster movies, digital content and millions of shares on digital - we’re excited about the possibilities of imagining and reimagining purpose-led strategic and creative ideas for all the ZEEL offerings, that will inspire Indians to dream more, do more and become more.”

     

    Elaborating further on the partnership, Srija Chatterjee, Managing Director, Publicis Worldwide India said: “Zee is an iconic brand that has been in the minds and hearts of millions of Indians over almost 25 years. We are delighted that we were able to demonstrate our strong strategic approach through the use of proprietary tools that enable brands to grow at the speed of culture and creative capabilities across the different consumer segments that the brand appeals to, that enabled the ZEEL team to choose us for this very exciting challenge. We are truly excited and looking forward to this partnership to create iconic work that takes the brand and its offerings forward in the minds of the consumers.”

     

    On PR, Genesis B-M has been appointed for the corporate mandate, but there are rumours that this could extend to the various or at least some Zee brands.

     

  • The award was accepted by the HR Team led by Praveer Priyadarshi, on behalf of Zee

    Zee Entertainment recognised as one of ‘India’s Best Companies to Work For – 2017’

    By A Correspondent

     

    We carried the news of Radio City named in the ‘India’s Best Companies to Work for 2017’ study. We now also hear that Zee Entertainment Enterprises Limited (ZEEL) figures in the same study conducted by Great Place to Work Institute and The Economic Times.

     

    Speaking on this achievement, Praveer Priyadarshi, Chief People Officer, ZEE Entertainment Enterprises Limited (ZEEL) said, “It is a great honour for us to be recognized as one of ‘India’s Best Companies to Work For’ and in fact the Best Company to work for in the Media industry. This prestigious recognition highlights our commitment towards fostering a high performance creative culture across the organization. We aspire to become the leading global content company from the emerging and international markets, and our people represent our sharpest competitive edge.

     

    Our underlying ethic and brand positioning is “Vasudhaiva Kutumbakam – The World Is My Family” and we strongly believe that family begins at home. To achieve our ambitious goals, we will continue to focus on our employees, whom we consider as our most important assets, with the belief that growth will only occur when employees are encouraged to experiment with new ideas, take challenges and perform with pride. Our organisational practices, our people philosophy, and our employee recognition programmes, are geared towards strengthening our people culture and building a more unified, diverse, creative organisation.”

     

  • Das will report to Punit Goenka, MD & CEO, ZEEL

    ZEEL appoints Atul Das as President – Affiliate Revenues and Distribution

    By A Correspondent

     

    Atul Das

    Zee Entertainment Enterprises Limited (ZEEL) has announced the appointment of Atul Das as President – Affiliate Revenues and Distribution. Das will report to Punit Goenka, MD & CEO, ZEEL for his role. His appointment is with effect from July 1.

     

    Prior to this appointment, Das led a broad portfolio of responsibilities at Zee across key business functions including Revenues, General Management, P&L Management, Corporate Strategy, Finance, Business Development, Team Leadership, Marketing and Communications. Earlier, Das led the Corporate Strategy of the media business in his role as the Chief Strategy Officer of ZEE, where he was responsible for developing and executing the strategy as a member of the executive leadership team.

     

  • To launch its Spanish-language Bollywood movie channel, Zee Mundo in Mexico and Ecuador

    Zee Mundo launched in Mexico & Ecuador

    By A Correspondent

     

    Zee Entertainment Enterprises Limited (ZEEL) has announced its expansion into Latin America with the launch of its Spanish-language Bollywood movie channel, Zee Mundo in Mexico and Ecuador. With this, Zee becomes the first-ever Indian broadcaster to take mainstream channels to LATAM. Zee Mundo will be available in Mexico on Sky, a leading Pay-TV satellite provider and in Ecuador on TV Cable.

     

    Commenting on the launch, Amit Goenka, CEO – International Broadcast Business, ZEEL said, “After Zee Mundo’s success in the US Hispanic market, where the channel’s unique offering has captivated viewers, we are now set to increase our footprint with a strategic expansion into Latin America. This is a key market for us and we want to take this channel to the length and breadth of audiences in both Spanish-speaking and Portuguese-speaking Latin America. We are launching our channel on the region’s biggest platforms – Sky in Mexico and TV Cable in Ecuador and soon we will be expanding across Latin America.”

     

    Sharing further details, Rajeev Kheror, President – Strategy, International Business, ZEEL said, “There is a cultural synergy between India and Latin America, with Indian content and storylines resonating strongly with Latin American values and traditions. With our carefully curated Spanish-language Bollywood channel, Zee Mundo, we aim to deliver a never-seen-before experience with the best of Bollywood movies, telenovelas and series. The channel has already received a positive response amongst US Hispanic audiences, with viewers finding the variety and quality of content compelling. We wish to deliver a similar experience to our audiences in Latin America with content that is high-quality, unique and entertaining.”

     

  • Appoints Pawel Kolasa as Country Manager – Poland

    Zee Ent announces entry into Poland

    By A Correspondent

     

    Pawel Kolasa

    With an aim to grow operations by expanding into new markets, Zee Entertainment Enterprises Limited (ZEEL) has announced its foray into Poland. The company has appointed Pawel Kolasa as Country Manager – Poland and he will report to Neeraj Dhingra, CEO – ZEE Network Europe. The channel will also shortly launch a specially customised version of Zee.One, its dedicated Bollywood film and entertainment channel for Polish audiences.

     

     

    Amit Goenka

    Said Amit Goenka, CEO – International Broadcast Business, ZEEL: “In the past few years, we have focused our efforts on expanding and strengthening our position internationally. With a wide range of television channels, on-line platforms and film productions, we now reach more than one billion viewers across five continents. After the successful launch of Zee.One in Germany last year, we want to further strengthen our presence in Central Europe and Poland is the market with the highest potential in this region.”

     

    Added Neeraj Dhingra, CEO – Zee Network Europe: “We are the first Indian media and entertainment conglomerate to enter Poland. We are confident that our entry into this market will play a key role in the development of our business in this part of Europe, giving a new dimension to our company’s expansion keeping in line with our motto of ‘Vasudhaiva Kutumbakam – The World is My Family’.”

     

  • Becomes the biggest multi-cultural broadcaster in the US with 37 channels

    Zee adds to its portfolio in the US with the launch of Zee Cinemalu

    By A Correspondent

     

    Zee Entertainment Enterprises Limited (ZEEL) announced the launch of its Telugu movie channel, Zee Cinemalu on Dish and Sling TV in the US as a part of the Telugu pack. This launch brings the total tally of Zee channels in the US to 37, making Zee the biggest multi-cultural broadcaster in the United States.

     

    Sameer Targe

    Speaking on the latest addition to the ZEE bouquet, Sameer Targe, Business Head – Zee Americas said, “Movies are an integral part of the lives of the Telugu audience and the stars of Telugu cinema are worshipped as demigods. The Telugu community in the US is close to half a million strong and is growing at more than 10 per cent every year. With the positioning of ‘DilPai Super Hit’, Zee Cinemalu offers a wide variety of movies from different genres with an aim to win the hearts of the Telugu audience.”

     

  • The station's line-up of content includes original content produced in-house, content acquired from BIG FM in India

    Zee Middle East launches 106.2 BIG FM in the UAE

    By A Correspondent

     

    Zee Middle East announced the launch of its first radio station 106.2 Big FM in the UAE. This adds to the business portfolio of ATL for this region and makes it the only broadcaster in the South Asian space to have both television and FM stations. The station’s line-up of content includes original content produced in-house, content acquired from Big FM in India and cricket rights of key series for ball-by-ball commentary.

     

    Amit Goenka

    Speaking on the launch, Amit Goenka, CEO – International Broadcast Business, Zee Entertainment Enterprises Limited (ZEEL), said “We are proud of the addition of 106.2 Big FM into the ZEE and ATL family. We are sure that like all our Zee brands, 106.2 Big FM will also entertain listeners in the UAE. The product has been developed with a lot of attention to detail and I am sure it will be of immense interest to the advertising community.”

     

    With Big FM in Zee’s bag, the entertainment conglomerate scores as the strongest player in UAE’s South Asian entertainment field, notes a communique.

     

    On this occasion, Mukund Cairae, CEO – ZEE Network (MENA and APAC), said, “The launch of Big FM is another prized feather in our cap. A gem in our entertainment business portfolio that further cements our numerouno position among South Asians in the Middle East. With the combined strength of television and radio under our wings, we aim to soar higher and show better commitment to the region. Also with this synergy, we now provide vast audio-visual platforms to our advertising clients, hence creating new business opportunities.”

     

  • Launches two new channels, Zee Bollymovies and Zee Bollynova on Kwesé TV

    Zee Entertainment expands its presence in Africa

    By A Correspondent

     

    Zee Entertainment Enterprises Limited (ZEEL) has announced the launch of two new channels, Zee Bollymovies and Zee Bollynova which will broadcast on Africa’s new pay-TV network,Kwesé TV.

     

    With the promise of ‘Bollywood Magic’, Zee Bollymovies will air award-winning Bollywood movies and series. Meanwhile, Zee Bollynova will seekto create ‘Memorable Moments’ with its offering of a fusion of general entertainment programming, showcasing the best telenovelas and food shows.

     

    Speaking on Zee’s expansion in the African market, Amit Goenka, CEO, International Broadcast Business at ZEEL said, “With great similarities between the two cultures, Africa has always shown a tremendous appreciation for rich, vibrant Bollywood content. Our two previously-launched, specially customised channels, Zee World and Zee Magic, have been warmly received by viewers, resulting in a threefold increase in our viewership since our entry into the continent in 2015. This love and appreciation for our content has encouraged us to introduce two new channels, Zee Bollymovies and Zee Bollynova, which will keep up with the Zee trend of colour, music, dance, drama and excitement.”

     

    Sharing more details on the new launches,  Harish Goyal, CEO of Zee TV Africa said, “Zee is continuously striving to make further inroads into the African continent. We have packaged our latest offerings, Zee Bollymovies and Zee Bollynova with content adapted to suit the African viewer. Both channels are customized and dubbed in English.”

     

  • The award was presented by Minister Ravi Shankar Prasad on Saturday, December 17

    Punit Goenka awarded ‘Best CEO’ by Business Today

     

     

    Punit Goenka, Managing Director and CEO of Zee Entertainment Enterprises Limited (ZEEL) received the coveted Business Today ‘Best CEO Award’ in the Media and Entertainment category for 2016. The award was presented by Minister Ravi Shankar Prasad on Saturday, December 17.

     

    Acknowledging the award,  Goenka said, “My immense gratitude goes out to the eminent jury and to Prosenjit Datta and his team at Business Today for bestowing me with the prestigious BT Best CEO Award in the Media & Entertainment category. My heartiest congratulations to all the other deserving winners whose passion, focus and drive have steered their respective companies to success.”

     

    “I accept this award with pride on behalf of our visionary Chairman, Dr. Subhash Chandra, and my team at ZEE whose dedication, hard work and support have enabled the organisation to reach newer and greater heights. We have consistently grown ahead of market, expanded our network viewership share and experienced growth of our product bouquet, both in India and internationally. As we approach our Silver Jubilee, I am confident that driven by innovation and creativity, we will move one step closer towards achieving our ambition of becoming the world’s leading media company from the emerging markets,” Goenka  added.

     

    The methodology of Business Today’s Best CEO Awards focused on the operational performance of companies and their shareholders returns which was conducted by BT’s Knowledge support partner for the process PwC India.

     

    Other recipients of the BT Best CEO Awards 2016 include Sunil Bharti Mittal, C P Gurnani (Tech Mahindra) and Sunil Duggal (Dabur India).

     

     

  • While Big Magic & Big Ganga and the four licences will be part of ZEEL, 49% of 92.7 Big FM becomes part of Zee Media

    Reliance ADAG exits television, 49% of radio. Sells to Zee

     

    By A Correspondent

     

    The Zee group has acquired the Reliance Broadcast Network Limited’s entertainment channels (plus four other licences it owns) along with 49 per cent stake in 92.7 Big FM. The transactions will help reduce exposure in non-core businesses and work towards further reducing debt under Reliance Capital, said Sam Ghosh, Executive Director and Group CEO, Reliance Capital.

     

    Radio:

    The Board of Directors of Zee Media Corporation Limited has approved acquisition of 49% stake in 92.7 BIG FM, the radio broadcasting business of Reliance Broadcast Network Limited.

     

    Reliance Broadcast Network Limited runs the largest network of FM radio channels in India – 45 operational licenses (issued under Phase II and migrated to Phase III) and 14 new licenses (issued under Phase III). The FM channels are being broadcast under the brand “92.7 BIG FM”, reaching to 45 cities, 1200 towns and over 200 million people. It reaches out to around 43 million listeners per week and engages with a large number of national and local advertisers.

     

    Reliance Broadcast Network Limited shall be transferring the 45 operational and 14 new licences into two SPVs respectively along with the assets and liabilities. ZMCL shall acquire 49% stake in each of these two SPVs. ZMCL and Reliance Broadcast Network Limited shall also have a call/put option to acquire/sell the balance 51% after the lock-in provisions on the permission holder of these licenses expire. As per MIB regulations, at least 51% shareholding needs to be held by the permission holder for a minimum period of three years from the date the channels were operationalised. The lock-in period for the 45 operational licenses shall expire on March 31, 2018, whilst the lock-in period for the 14 licences shall expire after the expiry of three years from the day all 14 licences shall have become operational, which is expected to be around March 2020.

     

    Said Rajiv Singh, COO, ZMCL: “We are pleased to announce this acquisition which shall not only be complementary to our current business but accelerate its growth too. We are currently running successfully a bouquet of 11 news and current affair channels and with the addition of 59 radio licenses, we will be reaching out to a much increased audience base and will keep them engaged on different media platforms. This acquisition shall bring about the desired business diversity and will help in achieving the sound financial objectives at an accelerated pace. We are confident that this investment will enhance value for all stakeholders and looking forward towards this exciting journey to take the company to the next level.”

     

    Said Sam Ghosh, ED and Group CEO, Reliance Capital in a statement: “We are happy to bring in Zee Media as our partner in the Radio business. This transaction is part of our strategy to reduce exposure in non-core businesses and work towards further reducing debt under Reliance Capital”.

     

    The proposed transaction remains subject to regulatory approvals including Ministry of Information & Broadcasting. The transaction is expected to close in the first half of CY2017.

     

    Television:

    Meanwhile, the Board of Directors of Zee Entertainment Enterprises Limited (“ZEEL”) has also approved the acquisition of the general entertainment broadcasting business undertaking of Reliance Big Broadcasting Private Limited, Big Magic Limited and Azalia Broadcast Private Limited, all part of Anil Ambani-led Reliance Group entities through a scheme of demerger and execution of definitive agreements in relation to such proposed acquisition..  The TV Broadcasting business of Reliance Group Entities currently comprises two operational general entertainment channels (“BIG Magic” and “BIG Ganga”) and 4 other TV licenses.

     

    BIG Magic is a Comedy channel catering to Hindi Speaking Markets. BIG Ganga is a leading Bhojpuri entertainment channel catering to audiences in Bihar, Jharkhand and Purvanchal. The channels are available on all major MSOs and DTH operators.

     

    The General Entertainment TV Broadcasting business undertaking along with its assets, liabilities, licenses, trademarks etc. shall get demerged from “BIG Magic Ltd”, “Reliance Big Broadcasting Private Ltd” and “Azalia Broadcast Private Ltd” into ZEEL through a court-approved scheme.

     

    Said Punit Goenka, MD & CEO, ZEEL: “We are pleased to announce this acquisition which further adds to our expanding universe of general entertainment channels. Big Magic gives us access to comedy genre enhancing our customer offerings. Big Ganga, a leading Bhojpuri channel syncs with our strategy of expanding into the regional markets which offers attractive growth potential. I am confident that these two channels will make the Zee Network channels more enriching for the audience and for the Company.”

     

    Said Sam Ghosh, ED and Group CEO, Reliance Capital: “We are happy to divest 100 per cent of our general entertainment TV business to Zee Entertainment. This transaction is part of our strategy to reduce exposure in non-core businesses and work towards further reducing debt under Reliance Capital.”

     

    The proposed transaction remains subject to approval of the shareholders and requisite regulatory approvals including stock exchanges, Ministry of Information & Broadcasting and the Bombay Hight Court. The transaction is expected to close in the second half of CY2017.