Zee Entertainment shifts sales veteran to live events push

MUMBAI: Zee Entertainment Enterprises has moved Subarna RayChaudhuri into a new role as vice-president of sales for Zee Live, its events arm, after she spent more than three years steering advertising sales across the broadcaster’s television portfolio.

RayChaudhuri, who joined Zee in 2004 and has spent the bulk of her career there bar brief stints elsewhere, has been juggling various sales roles at the Mumbai-based media giant since October 2021. She spent three years as vice-president of sales before the lateral move to Zee Live in November, where she’ll hunt for sponsorships and partnerships for concerts, festivals and other live entertainment.

The shift marks a bet by Zee that its live events business can generate meaningful revenue as traditional television advertising faces pressure from streaming platforms and social media. RayChaudhuri’s remit includes building relationships with brands and advertising agencies—territory she knows well after handling key accounts for Zee’s regional channels, including Zee Bangla and Living Foodz, where she claims to have driven 80 per cent of business from western India.

Her career has been a long march through India’s media sales trenches. She started at Times of India in 2003 procuring ads for Calcutta Times and Femina, spent five years at Zee Telefilms from 2004, popped over to TV Today Network and BBC News for brief stretches, then boomeranged back to Zee in 2012. She’s been there ever since, climbing from group head to senior territory head to director before landing the vice-president title in 2022.

Whether RayChaudhuri can turn Zee Live into a money-spinner remains to be seen. Live events are fickle—one hit concert can mint cash, one dud festival can torch margins. After two decades in ad sales, she’s now tasked with convincing brands that sponsoring live gigs beats buying telly spots.