GECs
Discovery US forms Animal Planet media enterprises
MUMBAI: US media firm Discovery has formed an integrated multi-platform business called Animal Planet media enterprises.
It has also acquired two companies in the pet industry — Petfinder.com and PetsIncredible.
Discovery says that both businesses will expand the portfolio of services and content for the newly formed Animal Planet Media Enterprises.
Petfinder.com facilitates pet adoption and works through animal shelters and rescue groups across North America. PetsIncredible produces and distributes pet-training videos and includes Web service PetVideo.com. Both companies immediately will be integrated into Animal Planet Media Enterprises in a seamless transition for users and customers of both products and services.
Discovery adds that the new Animal Planet firm marks the first time that animal lovers and pet owners will have access to a centralised online, television and mobile community for research tools, expert advice, local resources, customized products and services, do-it-yourself projects and user-generated and interactive content.
The new business unit also includes the Animal Planet television network — celebrating its 10th anniversary this year — online assets including http://www.animalplanet.com , the 24/7 broadband channel, Animal Planet Beyond, and other media platforms including a robust Video-on- Demand (VOD) service, mobile content and merchandise extensions.
Discovery founder and chairman John Hendricks says, “Animal Planet Media Enterprises will be the leader in providing a trusted community where consumers of all ages can enjoy the best content, products and services on pets and animals of all kinds. The depth and breadth of Animal Planet’s reach across the country and its powerful status as a beloved and trusted brand will enable us to leverage our unparalleled animal video archive, expertise and resources across a range of high-growth media platforms.”
Animal Planet executive VP, GM Maureen Smith, will expand her duties to include leadership of Animal Planet Media Enterprises. She says, “This acquisition and reorganization solidifies our place as the leading information provider for all things animal, with a primary focus on media and products for people and their pets. I am thrilled to welcome the employees, passion and creativity of both PetFinder.com and PetsIncredible to the Animal Planet family.”
With the acquisition of Petfinder.com and PetsIncredible, Animal Planet Media Enterprises will now have a portfolio of pet-centric platforms to service pet parents through out all stages of life with their pets — from the initial thought of adoption and selection of the right pet (Petfinder.com), to ensuring that the first few years together are as happy and rewarding as possible (PetsIncredible training videos), to celebrating a lifetime relationship with this special family member (animalplanet.com).
Petfinder.com, founded in 1996 claims to be is the largest searchable database of adoptable pets on the Web. Facilitating over 10 million adoptions in the last 10 years and averaging over 120 million page views a month, Petfinder.com visitors can currently meet nearly 230,000 adoptable pets from over 10,000 animal shelters and rescue groups across the US, Canada and Mexico. The site also helps educate new adopters about pet health, behaviour and care through its resource library and discussion forums.
Petfinder.com uses the Internet to increase public awareness of the availability of adoptable pets and the effectiveness of pet adoption programmes across North America in order to eliminate the euthanasia of adoptable pets. The company has 25 US-based employees and is based in Pittstown, New Jersey. Petfinder.com is free to both visitors and to its animal placement organisation members due to its generous sponsors.
PetsIncredible enhances the relationship of families and their pets by providing simple and easy to use pet-friendly training techniques to address the most common behaviour issues. Distributed on DVD via shelters, veterinarian offices, and directly to consumers, PetsIncredible’s easy-to-follow, positive reinforcement training program, helps integrate new pets into the family and reduce shelter adoption returns.
In addition, Petvideo.com, launched in partnership with Petfinder.com this summer, is an interactive broadband video service featuring 200 quick and easy training videos, user generated content and videos of adoptable shelter pets.
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.
