GECs
Now Hussain to say ‘Khulja Sim Sim’ on Star Plus
MUMBAI: Khulja Sim Sim, which went off air in October last year, is soon going to be back in a new avtaar on Star Plus. And this time round, it will be Hussain (of Kumkum fame) who will be saying the magic words as the new host for the show.
Confirming the same, Star India vice president content and communications Deepak Segal said that the new version will hit the television screens “sometime in October.” And what’s more, BAG Films have now been bestowed with the production of the show since Optymistix (the production house which earlier produced the show) was “busy doing other things,” says Segal. It needs noting that Optymistix and Miditech will be producing Indian Idol for Sony and the same will be hosted by Aman Verma, who, incidentally was the earlier host of Khulja Sim Sim.
The basic format is pretty set but there will be a lot of innovations and value additions to the show including a new logo. Talking about the same, BAG Films chairman and managing director Anurradha Prasad said, “There will be value adds in terms of the new sets, new rounds and many other innovations because every show has it’s life and then a need is felt to re-invent it. But at the end of the day we have to remember that it is a format show and that we have to prescribe to the basic format. We are looking at relaunching the show sometime in October – November, which is the festive season.”
Talking about the time slot the show will be aired on, Prasad says, “We have not yet decided on the time slot but it will definitely be during prime time.”
Reliable industry sources say that this time round the jackpot in Khulja Sim Sim is going to be nothing less than a Mercedes Benz. When queried on this, Segal said it was to early to comment on the same.
An ad campaign announcing the relaunch of the show is also scheduled to roll out some time soon.
BAG Films sure has its bags full. The production house is also doing a series for the yet-to-be-launched channel of the Star Group – StarOne. The show is a fiction based series on law and has been tentatively titled Siddhanth. Shooting for the series is already underway and is being directed by Abhinav Kashyap. As far as the actors for the show are concerned, Prasad, while not divulging any names, says that some old as well as new actors will be starring in the series.
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.
