GECs
Government arm biggest defaulter with DD
NEW DELHI: The government may be worried about Indian pubcaster Doordarshan’s indifferent annual revenues, but surprisingly one of its own arms, National Film Development Corporation (NFDC), is the biggest defaulter.
According to a parliamentary panel report, tabled earlier this week in the Lower House of Parliament, NFDC heads the list of defaulters, who owe DD money from 2002-2003 to 2003-2004 with an outstanding of Rs 707.3 million out of a total of Rs 927.4 million.What’s more, NFDC has also questioned the figure quoted by DD and a “reconciliation is in progress” at then information and broadcasting ministry, which is the parent body for media units like NFDC.
DD and All India Radio, managed by Prasar Bharati, are pubcasters and are largely funded by taxpayers’ money.
The second biggest defaulter in DD list, Film Craft, is way behind NFDC with a total outstanding of Rs 126.6 million, which has been recovered already by encashing various bank guarantees that such agencies have to submit to DD before doing business with it.
Questioned by the parliamentary panel on the steps taken by DD to mop up the outstanding dues, it was informed by I&B ministry representative that accreditation rules have been made “stringent and the limit of the bank guarantee has been raised” substantially from Rs 3, 00,000 to Rs 2.5 million.
As a part of the stringent measures now being employed by DD to reduce its liabilities, the panel was informed that clearance of outstanding dues is a pre-condition in case of defaulter-producers wanting to return with programmes on the DD platform.
The report also quotes ministerial representatives as saying that in a bid to recover outstanding money, on-air programmes of defaulting producers are not stooped immediately as “chances of recovery are much better if programme is on air.”
It is not only the national channel that has a long defaulters list. Various regional centres of DD too contribute to this loss with Kolkata at No 1 spot with outstanding amounting to Rs 327.6 million.
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.
