GECs
Entertainment Hub implementing Sahara One revamp
MUMBAI: Efforts are being made to revive the almost comatose Hindi GEC Sahara One once again. Around a fortnight ago, indiantelevision.com had reported that a whole bunch of executives had been asked to put in their papers and march from the premises, almost immediately. Entertainment Hub, a unit of the Snip Entertainment Group along with the BSE listed Trilogic Digital Media, was slated to take management and sales control of the ailing channel, along with Sahara Filmy.
Well, what we had written has come to pass. Entertainment Hub is indeed in the driver’s seat at both – Sahara One and Filmy – the channels. Following on the heels of its massive employee shedding programme, it is now focused on rewriting Sahara One’s FPC. Come the first week of April and the viewers of the GEC will get to watch a whole new slate of programmes. Most of the existing shows – the better known ones include Niyati, Jai Bajrangbali and Firangi Bahu – are being shelved. Producers have been told to wrap the storylines by then.
Driving the change is Trilogic Digital Media director Vishal Gurnani – who refused to speak to indiantelevision.com on the revamp initiative. But sources within the company say that new hires especially with creative expertise are being headhunted. Says a Sahara One source: “There is a management change in terms of the approach to the channel. A completely new dynamic team is going to drive the channel. Plus, our aim with the re-vamp is to widen our distribution. You will see much better distribution across the HSM markets in India.”
The management has its task cut out to achieve that; the network has large outstandings with almost every major MSO and many other smaller ones nationally.
However, the Sahara One source says that the idea is to get the GEC back to the 50 GRP landmark within the next 12 months, and then to 100 GRPs in 18 months. “We are confident that with this re-launch, we will achieve these numbers,” he exults.
The challenge is indeed tough; but confidence is running high. If it can convert that confidence into fruitful actions, success well might follow.
GECs
Sebi sends show-cause notice to Zee over fund diversion, company responds
Regulator questions 2018 letter of comfort and governance lapses; company vows robust legal response
MUMBAI: India’s markets watchdog has reignited its long-running scrutiny of Zee Entertainment Enterprises, issuing a sweeping show-cause notice that drags the broadcaster and 84 others into a widening governance storm.
The notice, dated February 12, has been served by the Securities and Exchange Board of India to Zee, chairman emeritus Subhash Chandra and managing director and chief executive Punit Goenka, among others. At its heart: allegations that company funds were indirectly routed to settle liabilities of entities linked to the Essel Group.
The regulator’s probe traces its roots to November 2019, when two independent directors resigned from Zee’s board, flagging concerns over the alleged appropriation of fixed deposits by Yes Bank. The deposits were reportedly adjusted against loans extended to Essel Group entities, triggering questions about related-party dealings and board oversight.
A key flashpoint is a letter of comfort dated September 4, 2018, issued by Subhash Chandra in his dual capacity as chairman of Zee and the Essel Group. The document, linked to credit facilities availed by certain group companies from Yes Bank, was allegedly known only to select members of management and not disclosed to the full board—an omission SEBI believes raises red flags over transparency and governance controls.
Zee has pushed back hard. In a statement, the company said it “strongly refutes” the allegations against it and its board members and will file a detailed response. It expressed confidence that SEBI would conduct a fair review and signalled readiness to pursue all legal remedies to protect shareholder interests.
The notice marks the latest twist in a saga that has shadowed the broadcaster since 2019. What began as boardroom unease has morphed into a full-blown regulatory confrontation. The final reckoning now rests with SEBI—but the reputational stakes for Zee, and the message for India Inc on governance discipline, could scarcely be higher.
