GECs
US consumers increasingly interested in HDTV: Dove study
BOSTON: Awareness of high-definition television (HDTV) among US consumers is quite high, according to a newly-released Dove Consulting study. Eighty one per cent of survey respondents expressed general familiarity with HDTV. Nearly, 13 per cent of consumers indicated that they currently have an HD-capable TV.
Not too along ago, the concept of HDTV was alien and the question of ownership did not come into play. Of those surveyed, six per cent of all consumers have purchased an HDTV within the past six months.
Additionally, 7.6 per cent of consumers are considering buying an HDTV within six months. Around 47 per cent said that they would consider making this decision within the next three years. Conversely just 13 per cent expressed disinterest.
The Dove 2003 HDTV Survey examined consumer awareness of HDTV, interest in viewing HDTV, links between types of programming and HDTV, and consumers’ willingness to pay for HDTV programming. The survey was administered via email to consumers in the US. The firm received 1,658 completed responses over a two-week period.
Additional highlights from the study include:
* People with HDTVs watch twice as many DVDs per month than non-HDTV consumers.
* Thirty-two per cent of all HDTV owners surveyed indicated that they would consider switching providers for HD programming.
* More than three-fourths of HDTV owners are willing to pay a fee for an HD programming package.
* HDTV owners are more interested in sports content. HDTV creates a high value proposition for people who value the audio and sharp visual images associated with a sporting event.
MD Dove’s Consumer Broadband practice Bob Davis said:” HDTV owners have the potential to become very valuable customers through fee-based and subscription services.”
Davis states that Dove has been advising clients in the Consumer Broadband industry for ten years. “We have worked with a variety of cable operators, cable networks, equipment manufacturers, and other broadband service providers on strategy, organisation design, new product development, and brand,” Davis adds.
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.
