GECs
SPTI signs development agreement with Base Camp Films
MUMBAI: Sony Pictures Television International’s (SPTI) international networks group is expanding its original production efforts by signing a format development and series production agreement with reality production house Base Camp Films.
The announcement was made by Marie Jacobson, SPTI’s senior vice president, programming and production, international networks, and by Base Camp principals Brady Connell and Jim Jusko.
SPTI’s international networks group has been acquiring rights to produce local-language versions of third party formats, mainly for its AXN and Sony Entertainment Television (Set) networks. AXN and Set have produced local-language versions of such international formats as The Amazing Race (on AXN Asia), Big Brother (on Set India as Bigg Boss), Pop Idol (Set India as Indian Idol and Set Latin America) and Strictly Come Dancing (Jhalak Dikhla Jaa on Set India).
The agreement with Base Camp augments SPTI’s efforts to acquire and develop its own original formats as part of its overall growth strategy.
“While we’ve found great success with such third party formats as Pop Idol, The Amazing Race and Strictly Come Dancing, SPTI’s international networks are continuously seeking out homegrown, commercial formats with multi-platform extensions which our networks can own and control,” said Jacobson. “Jim and Brady are just the guys to bolster our collective efforts to develop and adapt formats for our international web of channels.”
Base Camp principals Connell and Jusko will executive produce projects developed under the deal and adapt formats developed or acquired overseas by SPTI for sale in the United States.
“The opportunities and challenges in the international TV marketplace make it an exciting and growing business for us,” said two-time Emmy winner Connell (The Amazing Race, Survivor, Eco-Challenge). “Our relationship with SPTI has grown steadily over the years, and we share a strong belief in the value of international partnerships for the production of innovative high-value programming,” noted Jusko who, prior to forming Base Camp with Connell in 2002, brought key international partners to Disney’s Air Bud and Lions Gate’s Kiefer Sutherland starrer, Dead Heat.
As part of the agreement, the first format in active development is Base Camp’s Six Degrees of X. Developed to be scalable for global, regional or local production, Six Degrees of X tests the theory that all people are somehow connected by only six degrees of separation, even today’s hottest celebrities and their most adoring fans.
“Six Degrees of X is great TV and opens the door for compelling extensions in the web and mobile space,” added Jacobson. “We’re actively developing it out to pilot across our SPTI networks later this year.”
SPTI is also fast-tracking the development of a groundbreaking cross-platform interactive ‘crimesolving’ project known as MyCrime. To be produced with Base Camp for SPTI’s international channels and networked with internet and wireless devices, MyCrime is set for global launch in mid 2007.
Pamela Parker, SPTI’s vice president, business affairs and acquisitions, led negotiations on behalf of SPTI. The agreement was negotiated for Base Camp by United Talent Agency.
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.
