GECs
Heli-cam shoots Zee Rishtey Awards
MUMBAI: Those looking forward to watching the Zee Rishtey Awards coming Sunday are in for a visual extravaganza.
For the first time in the history of Indian television, a Heli-cam has been deployed to shoot all the acts live at the venuem that is, at the Andheri Sports Complex.
For the uninitiated, Heli-cams are known for their flexibility and small size, and are used globally to capture aerial photographs and moving images. The technology has been of great use to professionals including astronauts and scientists for procuring panoramic views of the Earth but it is yet to make its debut in the Indian television industry.
Exults director Zee Rishtey Awards Arun Sesh Kumar: “The camera is being used in films too these days, but nobody has used it for TV shows in India till now.” Kumar, who is fascinated by the technology, wanted to bring it in to shoot the Awards that have been planned on a gigantic scale.
Just the platform set up by Umang Kumar for the performances is 1060/80 feet; he informs, pointing out that the Heli-cam has entered the Indian market just a month and a half ago.
“We have spent a bomb to rent the camera that is usually imported from the US. The good part is that it came with an operator who was a pro at handling it and we got enough time to rehearse and get a hang of using it with ease,” says Kumar, adding that the Heli-cam has helped them capture every nook and cranny that was hitherto unreachable. It took almost 48-hours for the team to shoot the entire show.
Kumar says that the camera has been used to capture some of the interesting moments that goes on among the audience. Besides, it has even helped in getting a better view of some of the exciting acts in the show.
And, the camera isn’t the only first at the upcoming awards. The Zee programming team has come up with a few innovations, with Sharmistha Roy Banerjee, creative director of Essel Vision that has produced the show, working for over a month to get everything in place for the big night.
According to Kumar, “This year’s show is much better and bigger than any of the past years,” with artistes from Zee’s many serials roped in for the event.
Another first is that in keeping with Zee’s theme, Vasudhaiva Kutumbakam (the world is my family), the channel is extending a gesture of friendship to other channels. Kumar reveals that Zee Entertainment Enterprises Limited MD Puneet Goenka has come up with the idea of felicitating top shows from other channels; marking the opening of a new chapter in Indian television history. “I agree that channels are always at war. But rivalry doesn’t need to be taken to the level of enmity,” says Kumar, who thinks the initiative will work well for the industry.
With so many new beginnings, the awards, to be aired on Zee TV on Sunday, 1 December, have got good sponsors too, reveals a source from the marketing team. Vaseline is the title sponsor and the show is powered by Vatika Enriched Coconut Oil. Lacto Calamine Reneu is the Co Presenting Sponsor and Colgate Active Salt Healthy White, Dabur Chyawanprash, JOY Skin Fruit Face Wash, LIC, Johnson Baby Cream are the associate sponsors.
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.
