MAM
Star’s Hoon appointed Zee V-P ad sales for Mumbai & Delhi
MUMBAI: The ad sales team at Zee is falling into place. The most recent addition being Star India hand Simran Hoon, who has joined Zee Telefilms as vice president network sales heading the Mumbai and Delhi markets. Hoon will primarily be interfacing with Group M and Madison Media.
Speaking to Indiantelevision.com on the appointment, Zee all India network sales head Joy Chakraborthy says, “Simran has an immense amount of exposure in ad sales. Apart from having a proven track record, she is also one of the senior most ad sales professionals in Delhi who commands great credibility.”
Hoon was earlier with Star India for five years. Her last position held at Star was vice president North India StarOne and Star Gold. It needs noting however, that Hoon has worked across all the channels of the network, Star Plus being her longest stint.
“This is a great opportunity as Zee is definitely going to be a network to watch out for. Also, there is a great team in place and the exposure is going to be tremendous,” says Hoon of her new assignment.
Prior to Star India, Hoon was with Sony Entertainment Television India for five years in ad sales.
More appointments are expected from the Zee stable in the coming days so stay tuned.
Digital
AI set to transform media and entertainment industry
From creation to monetisation, AI is rewriting how stories are made and found
MUMBAI: Artificial intelligence is no longer a backstage tool in media and entertainment. It is fast becoming the main act. Delivering the keynote at the FICCI-EY M&E Industry Report launch, Meta managing director and country head Arun Srinivas, laid out how AI is transforming the entire value chain, from content creation to discovery and monetisation.
At the heart of this shift is access. AI is breaking long-standing barriers of language and reach, allowing content to travel further than ever before. Films, short-form videos and creator-led stories are now being dubbed, subtitled and even lip-synced across multiple languages with ease. The result is a more fluid, borderless entertainment ecosystem where stories find audiences far beyond their original markets.
Discovery, Srinivas noted, is undergoing an equally dramatic shift. On platforms such as Instagram and Facebook, a significant share of content consumption now comes from recommendations rather than followers. AI-driven systems are increasingly acting as matchmakers, connecting viewers with content tailored to their interests. In simple terms, content no longer waits to be found, it finds you.
For advertisers and platforms, this intelligence is translating into sharper targeting and improved efficiency. AI tools can identify the right audiences, optimise campaigns and even assist in crafting narratives for advertisements. What was once manual and intuitive is now data-driven and predictive.
India, Srinivas argued, sits at the centre of this transformation. With millions of creators producing content in dozens of languages, the country is both a testing ground and a growth engine for AI-led innovation. A large and rapidly digitising population, widespread smartphone adoption and expanding 5G access are further accelerating this shift towards a digital-first media economy.
Creators are already tapping into AI tools for editing, translation, dubbing and audience insights, enabling them to refine content in real time. Studios, meanwhile, are using predictive models to gauge consumer sentiment and optimise release strategies. Advertisers are deploying AI across campaigns, while developers continue to build new layers of tools and services on top of these platforms.
Srinivas also pointed to emerging interfaces that could redefine how content is consumed. From AI-powered assistants embedded in everyday apps to wearable devices offering immersive, on-the-go entertainment and real-time translation, the next wave of innovation is set to be more interactive and deeply personalised.
The broader message was clear. AI is not just enhancing the media business, it is restructuring it. As creators evolve into full-fledged studios and content becomes inherently multilingual, the lines between production, distribution and consumption are blurring.
With its scale, diversity and digital momentum, India is uniquely positioned to lead this shift. If storytelling has always been the country’s strength, Srinivas suggested, AI could well be the force that amplifies it to a global stage.
