GECs
Sony gamifies ‘Dus ka Dum’ with dedicated app
MUMBAI: After a successful season of Kaun Banega Crorepati (KBC), Sony Pictures Network is reviving Dus Ka Dum, another big reality show with superstar Salman Khan. The show is coming back on air for its third season after 2009. Since its initial airing, the entertainment landscape has changed dramatically. The show now has the opportunity to leverage the power of digital.
Dus Ka Dum is getting its own game application on Sony Liv, the network’s digital platform that will go live from 18 March 2018. The show will launch on 4 June 2018 at the 9 pm time slot, twice a week.
With interaction with users one of its primary goals, the app will challenge the participants’ power of observation about India and its people in separate phases like a survey leading up to the auditions and play along once the show is on air. Sony Entertainment Television SVP and head insights and programming strategy Amogh Dusad said, “As long as the audiences keep on answering the questions, the level will increase and they will earn points. The more points an individual scores, the closer they are to auditions.” Selections will be at random from amongst the top-scoring people.
After downloading the app, users will have to answer simple questions, reflecting on their life, relationships, experiences, opinions and much more. These questions will be customised and gamified across 40 levels. The app will bring alive the show host Salman Khan via special fun video messages and give users an opportunity to record a ‘velfie’ (video selfie) with him.
In the previous season, the channel had a difficult time in surveying because everything was done physically and the hope is that digital will take it to greater heights this time.
The meteoric rise in smartphone usage is leading to profound changes in how consumers today engage with content across multiple screens. There are 780 million television viewers and 359 million total number of smartphone users in India at present. It remains to be seen whether Sony can really unleash the power of 10.
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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.
