GECs
Hungama TV rebooted
MUMBAI: Disney UTV’s kids’ channel – Hungama TV – has had a makeover of sorts. The new avatar imparts a more local flavour while retaining the ‘unapologetically fun loving, mischievous and boisterous’ character of the channel.
The redesigned page was launched on 1 October and it took the in-house team at Disney Interactive a little less than two months for the conceptualisation, direction and execution.
Of the reboot, Disney UTV Media Networks director – creative services Prashant Madan says: “We have taken the traditional values of Hungama TV, and what it stood for, and just given it a new voice. And we wanted to reach out and put out a message as to what the new voice would be.”
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It's more like a challenge rather than a question explains Madan speaking about the new tagline – Hungama Machaya Kya?
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The brand refresh has been three-pronged; replete with a new tagline – Hungama Machaya Kya?, a new on-air look and package, and a fresh interactive feel.
“So when we are talking about fun, we just don’t want to show it but make our users feel it, so our live action would really place our brand in a unique place as other kids’ brands don’t do that and it’s a very stand-out thing that we intend on doing. For our positioning, we used real kids to portray what we are trying to say. Like in adults, we have thought leaders, in kids, we have action leaders. So we wanted to inspire other kids and that is where the live action animation comes into play. And that kind of feeling can only be portrayed in true light with the right use of animation and graphics,” elaborates Madan.
Supplementing the new look for the channel is a music video featuring kids in a colourful, playful mood, bringing alive emotions they experience in everyday life.
“We have gone a step further with the graphic packaging as well, by adding a lot of things that kids find attractive and love to do. Like flying kites, latoos or playing marbles. So we have drawn inspiration from these small things that kids love to do at that age and converted them into something far more fun and engaging.”
Incidentally, this is just the first phase of the revamp and the second phase will happen over the course of the year and will be more marketing and content-led.
Madan says the new tagline is based on a recent survey by the channel where it emerged that there are always a few kids in every group who dictate the action and activities of the flock. Hungama decided to highlight these kids through its tagline while inspiring other children to follow their example and live life to the fullest. “So it’s more like a challenge rather than a question… so go out there and live life is what we are trying to say,” explains Madan.
Additionally, the channel plans to go more local through its shows like Veer – The Robot, Luv Kush, King Vikram, and Suryaputra Karan.
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The brand refresh has been three-pronged; replete with a new tagline – Hungama Machaya Kya?, a new on-air look and package, and a fresh interactive feel
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So what’s the response so far? “It’s a bit too early to put numbers on the results of the revamp but with time, we will surely be studying them, as it’s something that our users need to acclimatise to,” says Madan.
Of Disney UTV’s four youth-centric channels – Disney, Hungama, Disney XD and Disney Junior – Hungama is the only channel that is truly home-grown in nature. “We are a channel that is very Indian at heart, and extremely driven by Indian values and visuals, we drew our inspiration for this from the funfair that happens, because we wanted to imbibe the colours, the energy and the vibrancy that is in abundance in these melas, and so we have used those colours and also made ample use of symbols like the kite, latoo, see-saw or the marble contest to make the packaging very vibrant and Indian in nature,” rounds off Madan.
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.
