GECs
Animal Planet US set to bug viewers
MUMBAI: Cicadas, tarantulas and beetles! The adventures of Animal Planet US’ bug man, quirky entomologist Ruud Kleinpaste will take viewers on a journey into the world of insects- large and small. His new series Buggi’ With Ruud debuts on Animal Planet US in June as part of the network’s brand-new destination night, Wild Wednesdays.
This global arthropod adventure uncovers little-known secrets about the insect world and debugs myths about multi-legged creepy-crawly species to entertain and enlighten two-legged humans. Ruud’s travels will take him everywhere: He will cross paths with one of nature’s most accomplished marksmen, the bombardier beetle, as it fires boiling hot toxic fluid at predators in Africa.
In Brazil, Ruud will be in for an incredible insect light show. He’ll groove to the musical talents of the whistling tarantula and the singing caterpillar (it sounds like maracas) in Australia and Panama. In Asia, Ruud will witness the rhinoceros beetle lift 850 times its own weight, or the equivalent of a human lifting 80 midsized automobiles.
After seeing a new bug and witnessing its coolest tricks, Ruud will show just how amazing it is by comparing it to something on a human scale, making a connection between our lives and those of insects.
Using his own demonstrations and humorous analogies, the scientist will do everything from climbing into a wind tunnel to experience what it feels like to be a desert locust flying through the air at 21 miles per hour, to spending a day buried underground to see firsthand what the cicada nymph goes through for 17 years, to seducing the sting of an angry hornet just to see how quickly it will summon a frightening swarm of supporters that force Ruud to take refuge in his car.
Animal Planet US executive VP and GM Maureen Smith said, “Animal Planet has swarms of new, exciting programming set to debut in 2005. Buggin’ With Ruud is the network’s first series dedicated to insects. We’re taking Animal Planet viewers closer to bugs than they’ve ever imagined so they will have a truly sensory experience.”
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.
