MAM
Jagadeesh Jayakumar joins Zee Tamil as associate director, ad sales
The media sales veteran, with more than 20 years across TV, print, digital and events, moves from Kalaignar TV network to build partnerships and advertising opportunities
CHENNAI: Twenty years, four platforms, one very long order book. Jagadeesh Jayakumar, known as Jaree, has joined Zee Tamil as associate director, ad sales, after two decades selling advertising across television, print, digital, events and native formats in the Indian market.
Jayakumar says he is delighted to begin a new chapter in his professional journey. He looks forward to building strong partnerships, creating impactful advertising opportunities and collaborating with brands and industry colleagues. He thanked everyone who has supported and encouraged him along the way, and said he looks forward to connecting with fellow media professionals and exploring new opportunities together. “Looking forward to an exciting journey ahead with Zee Tamil!” he added.
The analysis: this is a hire with a deep bench behind it. Jayakumar’s profile describes more than 20 years of media ad sales experience across the pan-India market in TV, print, digital, events and native ad sales. He has strong knowledge of market penetration and client requirements, and offers 360-degree brand solutions. He describes himself as someone who goes to market with a winning attitude, contributes valuable ideas and plans for revenue achievement, and drives the team to achieve its goals.
His core strengths, as listed, are revenue growth and market penetration, strategic brand positioning and go-to-market leadership, profitability through operational optimisation, high-performance team building and digital transformation. His skills include digital revenue strategy, programmatic advertising, performance marketing, influencer marketing, branded content, video ads, social media campaigns and client solutions, along with Google and Meta affiliate marketing.
The career is a story of two long stints. The most recent, at Kalaignar TV network, began in October 2019 in Chennai. He worked there as general manager, advertising sales, across TV, digital, event and native. He handled pan-India business development and team management, and drew up the ad revenue strategy plan across TV, digital, event and native. He was also involved in TV and digital product and business development, including the complete transformation of the digital product for the current and future needs of the business. He worked with partners and other vendors to make the digital platform easier to use, and aimed to maximise revenue by partnering with ad tech firms.
Before that, Jayakumar spent 10 years and two months at Vikatan, from August 2009 to September 2019, as national sales head across the pan-India market. He handled national clients and gave them 360-degree branding solutions across TV, print, digital and events, leading the team to hit its targets.
On the television side, his business covered programmes on Sun TV, Gemini TV and Udhaya TV. In ad sales for tele serials, he handled some of the top trending programmes from the Vikatan group. On Udhaya TV these included Ananda Bhavan, Pushpanjali, Sathya, Kolangal, Office, Azagi, Deivamagal, Thendral, Thirumathi Selvam and Thangali. On Gemini TV he handled Shravana Subramaniyam.
Events were another strong suit. He led special projects and events such as the Ananda Vikatan Cinema Awards, the Nanayam Vikatan Business Awards, and the Nambikkai Virudhugal and Aval Woman’s Achievers Awards. These drove integrated media strategies across print, TV, digital and on-ground platforms, with the task of scaling revenue and enhancing brand partnerships through tailored multi-platform solutions. He conceptualised and executed high-impact regional events and special editorial projects, creating monetisation opportunities while amplifying them in print and digital.
In print, his ad sales portfolio spanned magazines including Ananda Vikatan and Aval Vikatan, which his profile describes as Tamil Nadu’s number one weekly magazine, along with Nanayam Vikatan, Motor Vikatan, Pasumai Vikatan, Sakthi Vikatan, Chutti Vikatan and Doctor Vikatan.
The pattern is clear. Jayakumar has spent his career on the commercial side of Tamil media, moving from print and TV to digital, and from selling space to building products and partnerships. Zee Tamil gets a leader who knows the market, the clients and the formats. As associate director, ad sales, Jayakumar has the platform to build the strong partnerships he talks about. Expect him to use it.
