GECs
‘Here comes the hotstepper – KBC 2’
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MUMBAI: Its back for the last time.
Act Two; Scene One: Signature tune with logo. Jump cut to the Bollywood badshah dressed in a snazzy black jacket rapping all the way with the audience. Cut, again, to the hot seat, computerji and Amitabh Bachchan. Zoom to the buzzer round, which will decide the lucky individual who will be seated on the hot seat. (It’s an IIT Madras student) 
That’s what millions of TV viewers will see in exactly 24 hours from now (5 August 9 pm). |
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KBC 2 is racy and spicy. The Indian version of Who Wants To Be A Millionaire, for starters, has a hipper atmosphere with AB wearing the rapper’s hat and his attire — courtesy a top fashion designer — transformed from aristocratic to hip-hop.
What adds to the excitement is, of course, the doubled prize money that stands at Rs 20 million. What’s more, this time round Bachchan will pose a question in every episode right in the beginning for KBC viewers who could not reach the Fastest Finger First (FFF) or the Hot Seat.
The viewers have to rush in their answers either through the MTNL/BSNL landline or an Airtel number. This has to be done a few minutes before Bachchan reveals the answer of the said question just before the episode ends.
The viewer with the right answer and the quickest response time will be selected through a random computer draw to pocket Rs 200,000. The winner will be informed a few days after the episode. That apart, the nine contestants who lose out in the FFF and don’t make it to the Hot Seat (HS) will get a fresh chance to play via Play Along. While the Big B asks questions to the HS player, the nine FFF participants can play along. At the end of the episode, one of the nine contestants who has got the maximum answers right in the least amount of time will win Rs 200,000 as well.
Flip can be used at any point in time if the participant in the Hot Seat finds the question tough and can ask to flip the question. This is in addition to the already existing three lifelines – audience poll, phone-a-friend and 50/50.
KBC 2’s first schedule consists of 14 episodes. Interestingly, according to Star Plus, 77 per cent of KBC 2 respondents have come from small towns (population less than 1 million) . In 2000 when KBC hit the small screen, most of the respondents had come from metros. KBC 2 has received a total number of 50 million calls. |
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The first schedule sees a dominant presence of respondents from Madhya Pradesh and Kolkata; 16 each.
Looking at consolidating the weekend block, KBC 2 will get a lead in from serial major Kasautii Zindagi Kay on Friday and will be led out by Star Plus’ new show debuting tomorrow, Ba, Bahoo Aur Baby at 10 pm on weekends. On Fridays at 10:30 pm, viewers will see Star Plus’ evergreen star Kyunkii Saas Bhi Kabhi Bahu Thi.
Sundays will see the launch of Shanno Ki Shaadi, 7 August onwards at 10:30 pm, taking the lead in from Ba, Bahoo Aur Baby.
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So what’s different this time round as Bachchan gazes intensely into the eyes of the contestant and in his baritone voice asks, “Lock kiya jaye?” Plenty.
Hang on! There’s more in KBC 2. The show will also see the introduction of the fourth lifeline called Flip. This lifeline can only be activated by the participant in the HS after he/she crosses the first stage or the sixth question.
Will KBC 2 script yet another leaf in the success book of Indian television and that of Star Plus, especially on the weekends? We also can’t wait to ‘unlock’ this verdict!
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.
