GECs
Life OK to launch ‘Bhatak Lena Baware’
MUMBAI: Two and a half years ago, Star India decided to turn around one of its older channels and give it a fresh new look and feel. Result: Star One was reborn as Life OK. Two years down the line, Life OK is giving others of its ilk a run for their TRPs, with shows like Savdhaan India and Devon Ke Dev Mahadev in its kitty.
In keeping with its tradition of ‘differentiated content’, the channel is now all set for the launch of another show titled Bhatak Lena Baware at the end of May.
Sunshine Productions of Na Bole Tum Na Maine Kuch Kaha and The Buddy Project fame, Bhatak Lena Baware, is the love story of a singer and a theatre director cum lyricist from Lucknow. It tells the tale of two different people drawn to each other and how that changes at least one of them. “It is a completely fresh love story with lots of surprises. It is not your regular love story that people are used to watching,” says a source close to the show.
Screen writer-lyricist Neelesh Misra of Barfi and Ek Tha Tiger fame has conceptualized the show while Seema and Sudhir Sharma have developed it further. “We are through with the Lucknow schedule and have started shooting in Mumbai at Filmcity,” says Sudhir Sharma.
Shooting started a month ago and three to four episodes have already been canned. The makers want to create a bank of 10 to 12 episodes before launching the show.
Life OK content head Aniruddh Pathak believes that it is a very GEC friendly concept. “Keeping in mind the channel’s agenda of showcasing differentiated content to audiences, we are back with a simple love story but in a different manner.”
He further adds: “You see love stories on every show, but how to make this one different from other offerings was a task. The show is about a small town love story in a realistic zone and a strong narrative. We have got on-board Neelesh Misra who is the co-creator will act as a narrator for the show.”
Pathak reveals that the planning of the show was started five months back. He further said that the channel is planning to make its presence in the comedy genre as well. “We want to do serious comedy and with so many shows already ruling the roost, we really have to work hard on the concept. We are working on it and will have a clear picture in sometime,” Pathak signs off.
In all likelihood, the new show will occupy primetime, reveals the source.
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.
