MAM
Future Media announces senior management structure
MUMBAI: Future Media, the media company of Future Group has announced a slew of management appointments with Madison’s Hemant Shah roped in as COO.
Among other senior level appointments, ex-Group M executive Anup Kotekar has joined as business director for audio visual medium which will involve business of television and radio in the retail properties. With prior experience at the Zee Group and The Times of India, V Jaishankar has been appointed business director for visual medium. Vishakha Singh will head the MaRCom function, having had previous experience at Times Now and CNBC.
Commenting on the new team, Future Media CEO Partho Dasgupta said, “The diversity in the team is to build in strengths. The changing landscape of consumerism will see all forms of traditional media interacting with the consumers in the ambience of consumption.”
Additionally, MTV’s Malvika Narayan, UTV’s Sunil Punjabi, along with Anish Shah, ex-Infomedia and Times group and Sharda Pillai, ex-Portland have come on board as senior sales team members, states an official release.
Future Media (India) Ltd. is a part of the Future Group, and is creating media properties which are visual, audio-visual (television and radio) and print, to engage and provide brands a medium to communicate to consumers. Future Media will have media vehicles across Future Group retail properties including Pantaloons, Big Bazaar, Food Bazaar and Central) and allied partners.
Brands
ZEEL transfers syndication business, invests Rs 505 crore in IP push
Restructuring, stake buy and FCCB moves signal sharper content strategy
MUMBAI: In the content economy, owning the story is half the battle monetising it is the real game, and Zee Entertainment Enterprises is doubling down on both. The company has approved the transfer of its syndication and content licensing business to its wholly owned subsidiary ZI-IPR Enterprises, alongside an investment of Rs 505 crore aimed at strengthening its play in content intellectual property (IP) acquisition, management and monetisation. The move, effective April 1, 2026, will see the business transferred on a slump sale basis at book value, including all associated assets, liabilities and commercial rights effectively consolidating IP operations under a more focused structure.
At its core, the restructuring signals a strategic shift. As content consumption increasingly fragments across digital and global platforms, the value of IP lies not just in creation but in how efficiently it can be distributed, repackaged and monetised across markets. By housing its syndication engine within ZI-IPR Enterprises, ZEEL appears to be building a more agile and scalable ecosystem, one that can better extract value from its vast content library while adapting to evolving distribution models.
But the company’s ambitions are not limited to restructuring. ZEEL has also approved an investment of up to Rs 20.09 crore in Culture of Real Experiences (CORE), acquiring a 51 per cent stake in the entity. The move expands its footprint into the broader creative and experiential space, suggesting a push beyond traditional broadcasting into areas where content, culture and immersive experiences intersect.
At the same time, ZEEL has moved to tidy up its financials, approving the redemption of $23.9 million in outstanding foreign currency convertible bonds (FCCBs) and cancelling an unused $215.1 million commitment. The twin steps are expected to ease pressure on its treasury, freeing up capital and improving financial flexibility as the company invests more aggressively in its IP strategy.
Taken together, the decisions reflect a company in recalibration mode streamlining legacy structures, sharpening its focus on content ownership, and exploring new avenues for growth. In a market where the lines between television, streaming and experiential entertainment are increasingly blurred, ZEEL’s latest moves suggest it is not just creating content, but building a system to make that content travel further and pay better.
