GECs
Star Utsav to don a new look
MUMBAI: After more than a decade of its existence, Star Plus’ sibling channel, Star Utsav, is set for a revamp.
Launched in mid 2004, the free-to-air channel, showcases reruns of the old and popular shows which first aired on Star Plus.
Now to engage with the audiences a lot more, the channel will bear a new logo and packaging. Sources within the channel confirmed the news to indiantelevision.com and said, “The new look of the channel will go live on 12 January (Monday) at 7 pm and will be a treat to watch.”
The channel is currently testing its new logo between 2 am – 3 am. The new identity will be parallel to Star’s other channels. The new logo will break out of the box with Star Utsav being written below the brighter and new Star logo.
Another source close to the development revealed that a lot of research was done before finalising the new logo. “The channel went to smaller cities and towns to get an understanding on what the core TG wanted,” said the source.
Sources further reveal that the revamp was in the pipeline for almost a year. “It has been in the planning stage since the channel got former Life OK marketing head Pratik Seal as its business head. But Seal’s stint did not last long with the channel as he decided to move on…” highlighted a source. Seal was replaced by former Star India VP Jyotsna Viriyala as reported first by Indiantelevision.com.
It can be recalled that in 2004, Star Plus was a paid channel and a number of cable operators did not run pay channels in smaller cities. Thus, with an aim to reach out to its desired TG in smaller cities and towns where audiences were not exposed to Star Plus, the network had launched Utsav.
In the week 1 of TAM TV ratings, it delivered 90 million GVTs.
GECs
ZEEL overhauls sales structure to chase growth across TV and digital platforms
New structure sharpens digital push as viewing habits fragment fast
MUMBAI: Zee Entertainment Enterprises Ltd. is reshuffling its sales playbook as it looks to keep pace with a fast-changing media landscape, where audiences are scattered, screens are multiplying and advertisers are following the data.
According to media reports, the rejig is anchored in the company’s push to build a more integrated, data-led monetisation engine, one that can straddle both traditional television and fast-growing digital platforms with equal ease.
At the heart of the move is a reworked sales architecture designed to deliver cross-platform solutions. With connected TV gaining ground and digital consumption surging, ZEEL is aligning its teams to move quicker, think broader and sell smarter.
The restructuring is being led by chief operating officer, advertisement revenue, Sandeep Mehrotra, at a time when the company says it is seeing tremendous growth. The idea is simple: match the right talent to the right opportunity in a market that is anything but static.
As part of the overhaul, several long-serving executives have been elevated to chief sales officer roles across regions and content clusters. Sanjoy Chatterjee will head the east market, while Gunjarav Nayak takes charge of the west along with high-margin verticals such as hmg, brand works, intellectual properties and digital sales. Rajnish Gupta will oversee bengaluru and chennai markets alongside the kannada and tamil clusters.
In other key moves, Divjyot Dhanda will lead hyderabad and kochi markets and manage zee tv, zee keralam and the telugu cluster. Roshan Vasu Kotian will supervise a diverse portfolio including Zee Marathi, &tv, Zee Punjabi, Zee Anmol, Big Magic and Zee Biskope.
The company is also strengthening its bench, appointing national sales heads across retail, regional clusters, digital and brand solutions. Ankur Kapila’s appointment to lead digital sales signals a sharper push into a segment that continues to outpace traditional formats.
Behind the scenes, dedicated strategy and operations roles have been carved out for both linear and digital businesses. Nitin Shetty, Rajkiran Shrivastav and Priya Nambiar will take on key responsibilities to ensure the new structure runs with precision.
The broader aim is clear. ZEEL wants a bigger slice of advertising budgets that are steadily drifting towards digital and connected TV ecosystems. By integrating its offerings, the company hopes to deepen client relationships while unlocking new revenue streams.
The new structure takes effect immediately, with Mehrotra continuing to report to chief executive officer Punit Goenka and steer the company’s advertising revenue strategy. Senior executive Laxmi Shetty will support the transition, with her revised role expected to be announced soon.
In a market where content is everywhere but attention is scarce, ZEEL’s latest move is less about rearranging the org chart and more about staying in the game.
