GECs
UGC’s takeover of Zone Vision may impact Zee Turner
NEW DELHI: Nasdaq-listed UnitedGlobalCom’s (UGC) acquisition of Zone Vision is likely to impact the relationship between Reality TV and Zee Turner in India. Zone Vision manages reality show-based channel Reality TV.
Negotiations are being held in India with Zee Turner to chart a roadmap for the future after the restructuring is formally effected, a source in Zone Vision said. Zee Turner distributes Reality TV in India.
In a January deal, UGC’s European content subsidiary, Chellomedia, acquired an 87.5 per cent interest in Zone Vision Networks Ltd. from its current shareholders, including Advent International Corporation. Total consideration for the transaction amounted to $50 million in cash and $15 million in UGC stock. The stock is subject to a five-year vesting period.
Along with a host of other TV channels and formats, Zone Vision, founded in 1991, owns and manages Reality TV that entered India few years back.
UGC is a leading international broadband communications provider of video, voice and Internet services, with operations in 14 countries. On 30 September, 2004, UGC’s networks reached approximately 15.5 million homes and over 11.1 million subscribers, including over 9.1 million video subscribers, 761,000 voice subscribers, and 1,299,800 high-speed Internet access subscribers.
This acquisition of Zone Vision, which has a host of channels thriving in various parts of the globe, represents an opportunity for UGC to strengthen their programming activities in Europe.
As UGC expands its rollout of digital video and broadband Internet services, the need to develop and control attractive content becomes increasingly more important. Since the Reality TV programming team is a creative and entrepreneurial one with exactly the sort of talented managers of content and media services that are required to grow the channel business, this acquisition is viewed as one with tremendous business potential, the sources explained.
While indiantelevision.com probes further on the possible impact on Reality TV’s Indian operations, keep tuned in for more on this development.
GECs
EPIC Company unifies all brands under single EPIC identity
IN10 Media rebrand aligns TV, digital and films into one ecosystem
MUMBAI: The EPIC Company, formerly known as IN10 Media Network, has announced a sweeping brand consolidation, bringing its television channels, digital platforms and content IPs under a single identity, EPIC.
The move is aimed at simplifying the company’s structure while creating a more connected content ecosystem spanning television, digital and films. By aligning multiple verticals under one umbrella, the company is looking to present a sharper, more cohesive face to both audiences and partners.
As part of the transition, several channels have been rebranded to align with the EPIC identity. EPIC will now operate as EPIC TV, while Nazara becomes EPIC Bharat, Filamchi is now EPIC Bhojpuri, Gubbare transitions to EPIC Kids, and ShowBox is reintroduced as EPIC Music. Ishara will continue under the identity EPIC Parivaar, maintaining its core positioning.
The company has also refreshed EPICON, its streaming platform, to reflect a more unified and modern brand experience. The overhaul is designed to improve content discovery and create a seamless experience across platforms.
This consolidation follows the recent launch of EPIC Studio, a unified production arm that brings together Juggernaut Productions and MovieVerse Studio, as the company expands its footprint across films, OTT and television.
The EPIC Company managing director Aditya Pittie said, “As our scale has grown, it has become important to simplify how we operate and how we present ourselves to the ecosystem. This consolidation gives us a clearer, more future-ready structure to partner, invest, and build at scale, while ensuring that for viewers, the experience is more seamless and intuitive.”
With the rebrand, The EPIC Company is positioning itself as a platform-agnostic content network, focused on scale, simplicity and integrated storytelling. By bringing everything under one banner, it is aiming to make its content universe easier to navigate and harder to ignore.
