MAM
ZEE5’s Rajeev Dhal joins Aqilliz as global CBO
Mumbai: Singapore-based data collaboration platform provider Aqilliz has brought on board ZEE5 India’s chief revenue officer (CRO) Rajeev Dhal as global chief business officer (CBO). Dhal had moved on from ZEE5 in June and joined Aqilliz from 1 September. He will work closely with Aqilliz founder and CEO Gowthaman Ragothaman.
At Aqilliz, his key responsibilities will be expanding the company’s operations and establishing new partnerships across the global footprint, said the company in a statement. Currently, the company operates in SE Asia, India, and Middle East with plans to expand across Europe and the US by next year, it added.
Speaking about his new role, Dhal said, “When a service is free, that’s when you know you’re the product: The adage still stands today, reflective of the current status quo when it comes to user privacy across an increasingly digitised landscape. Yet, regulatory bodies are now looking to hold companies accountable and awareness is rising among users and brands alike. What we are seeing is the perfect recipe for disruption across the adtech and martech ecosystem and Aqilliz is here to address these challenges for the better. I couldn’t be happier to be joining the team at such a pivotal time in the industry.”
“With its emphasis on cutting-edge technologies that place ethical use of data at the heart of its offering, Aqilliz is in a unique position and will soon become an extremely critical piece of the Web 3.0 value chain. I am extremely excited to be a part of this movement and looking forward to writing history with such an awesome and talented team,” he added.
Previously, Dhal was the CRO for SHAREit where he has established a peer-to-peer app install business from a scratch across APAC, the Middle East, and Africa. Prior to SHAREit he was heading the revenue function at Dailyhunt and was instrumental in evangelising the Indic advertising demand across leading brands and agencies. An alumnus of MICA, Ahmedabad, he has worked across advertising & media companies of WPP for a decade.
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.
