GECs
I go by my gut feeling: Punit Goenka
MUMBAI: Carrying forward Zee Entertainment Enterprises (ZEEL) brand positioning statement, ‘Vasudhaiva Kutumbakam – The World is My Family’, the country’s oldest entertainment network, is launching a new GEC, Zindagi, on 23 June. The third GEC offering from the Zee stable will showcase soaps and telefilms from across the border. That the network had acquired Pakistani shows during Mipcom 2013 had been reported by indiantelevision.com.
According to Zeel MD & CEO Punit Goenka, “The focus will not be on the negativity but to bring out positivity between the two countries.” The two countries are separated by borders but the emotions and lifestyle of people on either side remains the same. “We want to join the two hearts,” he adds while emphasising on the tagline of the channel, Jodey dilon ko.
Replying to a question about whether the move will go down well with the Indian audiences, Goenka says, “I have always gone by my gut feeling and that is the most important for me.” Apparently, the network spent close to two and a half years on the process before making the announcement.
The channel did a lot of homework; so much so, that the channel roped in research agency AC Nielsen, to know what people want and what was their reaction when the promos of the shows was shown to them.
About Urdu posing a barrier, Goenka feels that like Hindi, Urdu too has undergone a change with the changing times. “Actually, the USP of the channel is the language. People are tired of the colloquial language and want that sophistication,” he says, adding that the channel caters to the classes and not the masses.
On one more GEC’s launch, BPN India CEO Suresh Balakrishnan feels that there is never too much of entertainment and more the merrier. As for the content from across the border he feels that a few years back Pakistani content was very popular amongst Indians. “But whether it will be able to work in today’s time is a little doubtful and one will have to wait and watch to see what happens next,” he says while applauding Zee’s attempt.
“News faces, new stories are bound to capture people’s attention and maybe down the line, the channel will be able to create a special niche of audience for itself,” he adds.
Shows like Zindagi gulzar hai, Aunn zara, Humsafar, Ishq ghumsguda promise to break the studio set-up of Indian daily soaps and promises to take one to the outer surroundings, as shown in the channel’s promotional video.
A separate team was created for the channel which the network doesn’t want cast in a similar mould as it other GECs. The team comprises Priyanka Datta as business head, Rahul Sharma as national sales head, Vanita Jain as programming head, Sumona Roy Sen as brand head, Shailja Kejriwal as the chief creative head for special projects and Akash Chawla as national channel marketing head.
Chawla has big plans for the channel’s pan-India launch. The marketing campaign teaser went online on 5 May and will spread to other mediums from 10 May onwards. A mix of 40-45 channels will soon start showing the brand film created by Kai Po Che director Abhishek Kapoor. Network channels too will put across the new channel’s message in their content. “The marketing campaign is going to be very innovative, be it print or otherwise. We are focusing a lot on OOH as well, this time,” said Chawla. Talks are on with various OOH players and more than 500 hoardings will be bought across the nation.
The channel’s creative duties will be handled by FCB Ulka while MEC is the media agency.
A staggering Rs 80-100 crore is expected to be invested on the campaign. “This is the first time a channel is being launched across the country, otherwise one focuses on the Hindi speaking markets (HSM) and then forgets about other markets,” Goenka points out.
In the near future, the plan is to get content from other countries (Middle East) as well if the content connects with viewers. At the same time, Zee will not shy away from creating original content for Zindagi either.
South East Asia is the main focal point for the channel and soon after its launch in India, Zindagi will go abroad. Talks are already on for output deals with Pakistan to simulcast content especially that created in India.
As of now, the channel is available only on SD and is priced much higher than other GECs at Rs 25.81. It will be available on both analog and digital platforms in the country.
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.
