News Broadcasting
Zee to acquire 60% stake in Venus Films and Venus Records & Tapes
MUMBAI: Soon after announcing its restructuring plan, Zee Telefilms Limited (ZTL) has swung into action on the acquisition front.
The company is acquiring 60 per cent stake in Venus Films Pvt. Ltd. and Venus Records & Tapes Pvt.Ltd. for an undisclosed amount. This will give Zee access to Venus’ films and music titles.
Venus will continue to be handled by the existing management, helping Zee Network in harnessing the opportunities in the Indian film industry. The acquisition is subject to due diligence and final approval from ZTL board.
Apart from audio and film rights, Venus has state of the art post-production facilities, which will help in enhancing the content value of Zee Network.The acquisition will add to Zee’s existing library of films.
Commenting on the development, Essel Group senior vice president Ashish Kaul said, “We look at this acquisition as an extension of our existing business, as we are a major consumer of film and music products. This will be in synergy with business of Zee Cinema and Zee Muzic. The audio and film rights will strengthen the programming of these channels.”
Venus promoters, Ganesh Jain and Ratan Jain, have produced several successful Hindi films, some of which are Josh, Garam Masala, Kyunki and Hulchul. Venus Films has negative rights of 30 blockbuster films like Baazigar, Yes Boss and Akele Hum Akele Tum among others. Venus Records & Tapes has a repertoire of 2500 titles.
“This association of Venus, one of the largest and most successful production houses with Zee Network, will be mutually beneficial, as Zee will have access to all films of Venus and Venus will have the support of India’s largest television network. Being one of the leading music companies, we will be able to provide a strong support for Zee Cine Awards overseas and to the programming content of Zee Muzic,” says Ganesh Jain.
Elaborating further, he added, “This acquisition is also being done in line with our plans to aggregate and digitalize content for digital platforms, starting with the content of Zee Network. This acquisition will help us be at the forefront of providing both new and existing content across various consumer gadgets.”
News Broadcasting
GenNext takes charge as Network18 reshuffles leadership
With Avinash Kaul bowing out, Network18 hands reins to younger leaders, streamlines operations, and pushes data-driven growth across TV, digital and regional markets
MUMBAI: Network18 is redrawing its leadership map just as a long-time lieutenant bows out. Avinash Kaul, a central figure in the broadcaster’s rise since 2014, is leaving after 12 years to pursue “professional and personal goals”, triggering a broad-based reshuffle that puts a younger cohort directly under the top brass.
Kaul joined at a pivotal moment during the company’s transition and went on to scale the television business, combining strategic nous with data-led decision-making and a sharp read of the news landscape. “Avinash has been an integral part of the Network18 story,” the company said, thanking him for his leadership of the broadcast business and wishing him the best for the future.
In his wake, Network18 is betting on what it calls a “young and restless” leadership bench. “The team has taken charge and proved its mettle in quite adverse circumstances,” the note said, adding that “GenNext has seamlessly stepped in as we continue to outperform our peers.”
Operationally, the structure is being flattened. Smriti Mehra, S Shivakumar and Mitul Sangani will work directly with the top leadership, as they did in the fourth quarter. Ganesh Iyer and Abhinay Chauhan continue in their existing roles, while younger executives are being handed wider mandates across social, digital, connected TV and linear.
The reporting lines are being tightened to drive revenue and product momentum. Prabhat Chatterjee, business head–Forbes, and Arun Thapar, president–content and communication for AETN-18, will report to Smriti Mehra, alongside Mallika Nath Handa, who will lead special projects spanning new shows and non-linear properties. Jayesh Gokalgandhi, CFO for AETN-18, will report to Ramesh Damani.
Mitul Sangani will oversee expansion in Hindi and regional markets, with Sidharth Newatia, CRO–ILC, focusing on reach and revenue growth, particularly in tier-II and III markets. Pankaj Soni, head of marketing–ILC, will also report to Sangani while working functionally with Ganesh Iyer.
The group is also consolidating its branded content play. Moneycontrol’s branded content business will be folded into News18 Studio, with Don Zarrar moving to work with Shivakumar while continuing to lead existing studio and Focus teams.
International and platform growth are being bundled together. Pranav Bakshi takes on additional charge of the international business alongside connected TV and social platforms, with Naveen Mathur, who leads revenue management for the international unit, reporting to him. Bakshi continues to report to Puneet Singhvi.
On the technology and operations side, Rajesh Sharma, head of broadcast technology and IT; Rahul Singh, head of events and technical operations; and Bhupender Bhardwaj, head of IT security, will now report to Singhvi. Darshil Parekh, head of sales strategy, planning and operations, will work directly with Ramesh Damani and the top leadership, with Stanley Cyril, who manages digital sales operations, reporting to him.
Data is being pushed to the centre of decision-making. Jitamitra Mohanty, who leads research and analytics, will now work with Santosh Menon to turn audience data into “actionable insights that drive content strategy, product innovation and sustainable viewership growth”.
The message is clear: fewer layers, faster calls, sharper bets. With Kaul’s exit closing one chapter, Network18 is handing the wheel to a younger crew and doubling down on scale across screens. The race, it signals, will be run at full tilt.
