GECs
‘Gala Phase’ brings ‘Indian Idol’ back on track
MUMBAI: After a phase of lull and lackluster performance by Sony’s big-ticket show Indian Idol, the show has finally kicked back into action hitting the 27th (Thursday) and the 29th (Friday) spot respectively in the TAM Top 100 for the week 19 to 25 December ’04.
The surge in the ratings come from Idol having arrived at the last lap. The final 11 contestants will now be further trimmed down episode by episode by the viewers which makes it even more exciting and adrenaline pumping.
Coming to the figures that the first gala round garnered, the show stands at 3.9 TVR in the CS 4+ all India market. In the Hindi speaking markets CS 4+ the 23 December episode received a 5.5 TVR and the 24 December episode received a 5.4 TVR according to TAM data.
Talking about specific Hindi speaking markets Delhi clocked a 8.92 TVR, Mumbai a 7.64 TVR and Kolkata a 4.94 TVR.
Says Sony Business head Tarun Katial, ” ” The show has reached the last stage of the countdown and this a phase that will weave anxiousness and excitement taking the show to its peak. This and more. Also, the marketing endeavour as well as the emotional connect that the show brings with is is one big factor that has pumped up the figures.”
Katial also pointed out that a total of four million votes were received during the voting of the show which has proved that the show has managed to pack in a high a amount of interactivity and hence the connect with the show being much higher.
The show now breaks into three phases where the first phase will focus on the last ten, nine and eight contestants, the second on the seven, six and five, the third phase focussing on the last four contestants. The channel is also planning a lot of innovations that will revolve around the show. What is on the agenda currently is the ‘Idols’ going through a make-over, a performance conducted by them for the nation on 26 January. A campaign trail across the country side and eventually every contestant promoting their cause as as the Indian Idol. Talking about whether the Show will consolidate at this level or a further surge is expected, Katial said that he expected this and more.
The result episode which currently follows a half hour format will eventually become a one-hour format. Another show that Katial pointed out was launching was Dance Dance which is scheduled to debut in mid-January. The details of the show were however not divulged.
Although, what remains to be seen is whether the ‘Idol Gala Phase’ will keep up its momentum and manage to sustain its overall position and ratings ensuring its advertisers a true jackpot and the channel its next much awaited channel driver.
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.
