GECs
Zee TV to revert to Monday-Thursday programming matrix
MUMBAI: After almost two years of flirting with a ‘different’ programming schedule, Subhash Chandra flagship channel Zee TV is going back to the traditional format. So out goes the Thursday Premiere slot and the Sunday to Wednesday prime time programming matrix.
The back to “traditional matrix” change goes into effect from 27 September. From that day on, Zee TV’s weekday primetime shows will run from Mondays through to Thursdays while the channel’s big movie of the week will air on Sundays instead of the present Thursday 8 pm slotting.
Zee introduces its revamped FPC with its big movie acquisition of the year Munnabhai MBBS, which is scheduled to air on Sunday 26 September at 8 pm.
Speaking exclusively to indiantelevision.com, Zee TV business head Abhijit Saxena says, “We will be reverting back to the original Monday to Thursday programming from 27 September. In addition to that, we are discontinuing the Thursday Premiere slot.”
Despite some persistent prodding, Saxena was, however, reluctant to spell out details. But he did offer that the channel would be launching at least two new shows every month over the next few months. The industry buzz is that Zee is looking introducing 8-10 new releases over the next quarter.
In addition to the slew of releases, the channel is also negotiating for the telecast rights of a couple of recent Bollywood releases. The channel has reportedly snagged the telecast rights of Mani Ratnam’s multi-starrer Yuva , which though it didn’t work its charm at the box office, got some critical acclaim.
Touted as the pioneer of the Hindi general entertainment genre on cable and satellite platform in India, Zee TV, for the past five years, has been struggling to get back into the viewership sweepstakes under business and programming heads who have come and gone with rapid regularity. Can the latest innovation, courtesy the new team, manage to turn the tide?
When quizzed, Optimum Media Solutions executive vice-president Amit Ray offered an interesting viewpoint, “It seems like a good move but there is something more fundamental that Zee needs to focus on. No amount of shuffling day parts and snagging blockbusters rights is going to help. If the masses are viewing ‘saas-bahu’ soaps, then give them better ‘saas-bahu’ stuff. You can’t be innovating 365 days or think that marketing and promotional plugs will help you better the ratings.”
MindShare Fulcrum national trading director Pat Vinayak has a different take on it though. “Its a good move on Zee’s part to go back to the Monday-Thursday viewing. I think enough innovation has been done with the Sunday slot. Sunday is a low audience day, period. Although it is premature to predict if this move will bring back viewers or not, one can assume that the viewer base will increase.”
About the scrapping of the Thursday Premiere slot, Vinayak says, “While the premiere movie slot did work initially, it eventually failed in the long run. You cannot have a 52-week blockbuster line-up and hence the initial curiosity weaned.”
“Additionally, Thursday is really the high point of the serials and the general public cannot really be enticed to shift their focus during the climax,” she points out.
“The attention span of viewers is diminishing every passing year. Innovation is the name of the game. A year ago, Zee thought starting on Sunday would give them an edge. Zee did not gain by the shift in strategy. So they are obviously going back to the Monday-Thursday format . I think it is a good idea to keep reviewing gain and loss due to a shift in strategy,” Lodestar and Interface Media’s national media director Nandini Dias opines.
“While most people have a set pattern in the week, what they do every weekend may differ. It may be difficult for viewers to keep continuity if the serial continues on a Sunday,” Dias says.
But she isn’t as optimistic as Vinayak. “I do not think it is going to change the viewer base. But it may increase sampling of programmes,” she says.
On the Sunday movie slotting Dias opines, “It is a fact that movie watching happens more during the weekend. Most Indian movies are three or three-and-a-half hours. It may be difficult for most people to spend that kind of time during a week day. And that is true for almost all target groups. Having said that, there are examples of movies which have done well on a week day. Obviously, it also depends on the title that is being aired.”
Starcom group head, broadcast investment Gautam Rajgopal offers, “Zee really needed to look into its programming. Albeit marginally, this move will help Zee broaden its viewer base.”
“As far as movies go, I think the weekend is the best bet,” Rajgopal adds.
All-in-all, the informed members of the media have given a cautious thumbs-up to Zee’s latest move. Now it remains for the viewers to take the bait.
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.
