GECs
Hindi GECs to celebrate New Year with special programming
MUMBAI: Hindi general entertainment channels (GECs) are all set to welcome 2016 with a host of special programming. From Star Plus, Zee TV to Colors, while some have lined up special shows, some others have kept their line-up unchanged for New Year’s eve.
Let’s look at what the major Hindi GECs have in store:
Star Plus
To make New Year’s eve special for viewers, Star Plus will be airing the sixth edition of Big Star Entertainment Award 2015. The award function will be aired on 31 December at 7:30 pm.
Star Plus has roped in Vaseline as the presenting sponsor for the show and Panasonic smart phones as the co-powered by sponsor. Some of the other brands that have associated with the special show are Godrej No.1 and Reliance.
Colors
Colors will be playing it safe on 31 December and will be moving away from the traditional award night airing on New Year’s eve. Instead it will be airing the Stardust Awards on 10 January at 7 pm.
Though the channel has kept the programming line-up unchanged on 31 December, it plans to introduce new twist & turns on its current shows. Therefore, under the label of 31 New Year Dhamaka, Colors will start its prime time from 6:30 pm with its shows namely Ishq Ka Rang Safed (6.30 pm), Thapki Pyar Ki (7 pm), Sasural Simar Ka (7.30 pm),Balika Vadhu (8 pm), Udaan (8.30 pm), Chakarvartin Ashok Samart (9 pm), Swarigini (9.30 pm), Meri Ashiqui Tum Se Hi (10 pm) and ending with Bigg Boss Nau New Year special at 10.30 pm.
Zee TV
On New Year’s eve, Zee TV’s primetime dramas namely Ek Tha Raja Ek Thi Rani and Tashn-E-Ishq will welcome 2016 with a star-studded evening showcasing performances by popular faces of Indian television.
With each of Zee TV’s shows seeing twists & turns, the new primetime on 31 December will be from 6 – 11 pm.
It may be recalled that to mark the end of this year, Zee TV aired Jashn-E-Umeed 2015 on 27 December, a two hour special celebration episode, which was aired from 5 – 7 pm. The highlights of the year gone by was presented through thematic acts and hilarious gags by the most popular faces of Indian television.
Sony Entertainment Television
Sony Entertainment Television will welcome 2016 by raising a toast to movies, Bollywood actors and music with the telecast of the Guild Awards 2015, which will be aired on 1 January at 8 pm.
The channel has roped in Renault as the presenting sponsor, whereas Lux and Quick Heal have hopped on board as the co-powered by sponsors.
Life OK
Life OK will be ringing in the New Year with a two-hour special called Comedy Classes – Hansi ka Shree Ganesh on 31 December. Along with the regular cast, other popular comedians and celebrities from tinsel town and television will also be seen in this special, which will air at 10 pm on 31 December.
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.
