GECs
‘Piya ka ghar’ gets Dr Simran to build viewer base
MUMBAI: Seems like ‘walk-ins’ (guest appearance) are infectious, after Star Plus and Sony its Zee’s turn to do so. But this time on, the intentions are more pronounced and the ‘walk-in’ is likely to be extended to ‘stay in’.
In a bid to butteress the viewership of an afternoon soap, Piya ka ghar- telecast Monday through Thursday at 2 pm, Zee has decided to bring in a character from its sucessful prime time shows Astitva-‘s Dr Simran.
Played by Niki Aneja-Walia, the character of Dr Simran is quite popular with both the class and the mass viewers. Touted as an intelligent show, Astitva has created quite a stir and is popular with the critics as well.
The charater Dr Simran will be joining the Piya Ka Ghar cast- on 19 January 2003.
Speaking to indiantelevision.com a Zee spokesperson informed that Walia’s character Dr Simran will not be a one-off guest appearance but rather a recurring role.
Produced by Sheel Kumar, the weekly soap stars Narayani Shastri, Alok Nath, Sulbha Arya, Prachee Shah among others. PKG dwells on the oft trodden territory of two families from a village, who have a long friendship between them. The problems arise when the next generation grows up.
According to the spokesperson, Rimjhim (Narayani Shastri) is diagnosed with womb cancer, the disease is in the advanced stages and her chances of survival are slim. On recommendation of her friend, Dr Anurag, Rimjhim approaches Dr Simran, the world famous gynecologist. They go to to Dr Simran for a consultation.
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.
