GECs
Colors takes centre stage with ‘Got Talent’
MUMBAI: From the time Colors’ biggest reality show, Bigg Boss ended, speculation has been if Salman Khan will return for the eighth season of the show. And when the news of Shah Rukh Khan coming on the channel broke, rumours about SRK hosting the show intensified.
However, these rumours have now been put to rest as the channel made formal announcement of its new property ‘Got Talent World Stage Live’ which will be hosted by Shah Rukh Khan.
The channel is set to present a first-of-its-kind global on ground extension of the ‘Got Talent’ franchise in India. It has associated with RFS Entertainment, an entertainment company that has partnered with Simon Cowell’s Syco Entertainment, to bring the best of acrobats, dancers, stunt artists and many more to the country.
The live event is an extension of the channel’s marquee talent show, ‘India’s Got Talent’, which is created and owned by Syco Entertainment and is co-produced by FremantleMedia India and is executed by Cineyug.
A ticketed event will feature performances by 10 Indian and 10 International talents.
Colors CEO Raj Nayak asserts, “With every show, we believe we are just reinventing ourselves. As a broadcaster, the property holds immense potential for us because the discerning audience harbours great appreciation for outstanding talent.”
He further adds that it took them time to put everything into place. “When we were ready with the idea, the artists were not available. So, it took two years for us to get all of them together on-board.”
According to RFS Entertainment owner Ravinderjit Singh, the promising new talent across genres proving their mettle on every platform makes India the perfect backdrop for a showcase of this magnitude. He believes it will be a delight for Indian audiences when the caliber of national and international talent will join hands.
Talking about advertisers’ traction, Nayak says it is at a pre mature level. “We have just made an announcement on this. But I am never worried about advertisers,” he laughs.
The tickets for the event will go on sale next week on www.bookmyshow.com which will be held at Mumbai’s Andheri Sports Complex on 6 December 2014. The channel will air it later for which the date hasn’t been finalised yet.
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.
