GECs
Sony tactics fail to dent ‘Kahaani…’ supremacy, asserts Star
MUMBAI: The first salvo was fired and now its time for the smart retort as the battle between the numero uno general entertainment channel – Star Plus and the clear number two – Sony Entertainment Television continues…Yesterday, in a report published on indiantelevision.com – ‘Sony tweaks timings to give Ye Meri Life Hai a boost’, it was mentioned how Sony had made a ‘slight’ strategic change in its schedule to increase stickiness for Ye Meri Life Hai (YMLH) and to prevent viewers from migrating to Kahaani Ghar Ghar Kii on Star Plus after Jassi Jaissi Koi Nahi.
Star Plus has fired its riposte and asserts that despite all the tactics adopted by Sony, there has been barely a ripple on the ratings charts and Kahaani… continues to rule in its slot by many a yard!
As for the “timing tweaks”, Star officials quote Tam data to show that the telecast time for YMLH has been erratic during the launch week, contrary to Sonys claim of strategically starting it earlier than 10 pm. Two episodes of YMLH started at 10.03 pm in the first week of its launch, say the officials.
A detailed minute-by-minute Tam analysis of both the channels during the crucial 10 pm slot on 3 May (the day YMLH was launched), reveals that Kahaani… got a TVR of 10.2 in the CS 4+ years segment thus perching at the seventh position in the Top 100 shows in the Tam ratings in week 19. Whereas YMLH failed to make its presence felt in the charts on the day of its launch.
Also a clear drop was seen in Sony ratings as soon as YMLH started, irrespective of the start time. YMLH’s low launch ratings dropped even lower in week two according to the data made available.
Tracked over the two weeks – from 2 May to 13 May, (the latter was incidentally the final day of the elections); the Tam data shows that Kahaani… maintained an unswerving upper hand over YMLH. On 13 May, Kahaani… garnered TVRs of 8.2 managing the 11th position on the charts despite the fact the viewers were glued to news channels and the overall channel share of general entertainment channels fell on that particular day.
While the battle continues and innovations by rival channels become top priority, Kahaani… sits comfortably cushioned in its perch. But the message that Sony is sending across is that it is ready and willing to make a fight of it. The real question however, is whether it is in for the long haul. And if so, just how long will that haul be?
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.
