English Entertainment
B4U UK, Europe head Sunil Rohra becomes Global CEO
MUMBAI: B4U Group will now have a global chief executive officer, a position that was left vacant after the exit of Ravi Gupta for over a year.
B4U UK and Europe CEO Sunil Rohra has been given the additional responsiblity as the global head of B4U and, thus, will be directly overseeing the company’s Indian operations.
B4U Television Network’s India operations head Ravi Nair will be reporting to Rohra.
With appointment of a global CEO, the energy now would be focused on synergies between the Indian and UK operations, as well as the overall objective of capitalising on worldwide operations, say company sources.
Despite being Bollywood music and movie specialist channel, B4U saw mediocre response from Indian audience. Even the problems that the channel faced because of its distribution set up took a heavy toll on the channel share.
B4U was poised for a fresh start with a new team put up this May. The core team comprised associate vice president and sales head Samir Mazgaonkar, marketing and PR head Melissa Machado Bhalla and programming and production head, for both India and overseas beams, Khalid Sayed.
“The management of B4U in India was in a mess. Nobody had a clue how important was the Indian operations to the Group. Now we will at least have some clarity on what the strategy is for India,” said a source.
Taking charge as the Global CEO Rohra commented, “It is a big responsibility and I am looking forward to meeting the challenges that lie ahead. I am confident that I will be able to fulfill the expectations of the shareholders and the Board.”
“It is my aim to make B4U Network synonymous with Bollywood, such that if anybody wants to know anything about Bollywood, then they’ll know that B4U Network needs to be on their agenda,” added Rohra.
Former CEO of Zee TV UK, Rohra took over the reins at B4U on 2 August 2004. His appointment came almost in tandem with B4U’s senior vice-president business development Neeraj Arora defecting to rival Sony Entertainment Television Asia (SET Asia) as vice-president for international business.
Rohra had been with Zee TV in the UK for 10 years and had been the CEO of Zee UK for the last two and half years. Rohra is reported to have turned Zee into a very profitable company and established Zee as the market leader in the Asian market.
English Entertainment
ZEE5 UK partners Narrative Entertainment to add UK channels
Six FAST channels added as platform sharpens hybrid play in Britain
LONDON: ZEE5 UK struck a first-of-its-kind deal with Narrative Entertainment, bringing mainstream UK television channels onto an Indian streaming platform as it pushes to deepen its footprint in a crowded, mature market.
The partnership adds six of Narrative’s FAST channels to the service, including Great! Movies, Great! Romance, Great! Mystery and kids brands POP, Tiny Pop and POP UP, widening ZEE5 UK’s appeal across genres and age groups.
The move reflects a clear shift in strategy. ZEE5 UK is betting on a hybrid model that blends on-demand content with curated, always-on channels to drive discovery and increase time spent on the platform.
“This partnership represents a meaningful evolution in how we serve audiences in mature markets like the UK, where viewers are defined by habits, convenience and choice rather than geography or language alone,” said Parul Goel, territory head, Europe, Zee Entertainment. “By bringing trusted mainstream UK channels together with our premium originals, movies and kids’ content, we are building a more consumer-centric platform that simplifies viewing while increasing depth and relevance.”
Fateha Begum, commercial director, Narrative Entertainment, said the tie-up would fuel growth for both sides. “Our portfolio of quality programming, with such wide and enduring appeal, is a perfect complement to ZEE5 UK. This is a strong partnership that will support growth for both parties, and we share Zee Entertainment’s vision of an increasingly partnership-led future for the industry.”
ZEE5’s global library spans over 4,000 films and more than 500 originals, with over 130 new titles added annually. The addition of Narrative’s channels strengthens its kids offering and introduces genre-led linear experiences alongside its on-demand catalogue.
The deal also gives Narrative access to ZEE5 UK’s fast-growing user base, extending reach without diluting brand identity, while reinforcing ZEE5 UK’s network of more than 40 live channels.
As streaming wars intensify, ZEE5 UK is widening its playbook, blending content, convenience and partnerships in a bid to win screen time in one of the world’s toughest markets.
