GECs
Amrita TV had an eventful May 2006
The second issue of Amrita TV’s monthly e-bulletin, Amrita TV Glimpses, May ’06, encapsules a snapshot of major happenings at the channel:
1. Amrita TV on Dish TV Platform: To cater to the growing demands of viewers nationwide, Amrita TV has partnered with Dish TV, India’s first Direct to Home entertainment service, to make Amrita TV’s programmes available more widely across the country. Amrita TV is available on Dish TV Channel number 933.
2. Super Star Screen Test : Amrita TV is launching “Super Star”, a mega talent hunt to showcase the best Malayalam music performer in the 15-28 age group. Nearly 3500 participants from Kerala and outside the State registered for the screen tests conducted by renowned music celebrities at Hotel Taj, Kochi/Kozhikode and Hotel Mascot. Branded the Brooke Bond Super Star, this 90-episode reality show which has been shot in specially erected sets and in locales like The Leela Kempinski Kovalam Beach will be telecast from June 12 (8.30 pm).
3. Amrita TV Wins 15 Kerala State TV Awards: Amrita TV bagged 15 of the 29 Kerala State Awards for excellence in television–perhaps the highest number by a one-year old channel.Some of the Awards are –Best Telefilm, 2nd Best Telefilm, Best Script, Best Story, Best Actor, Best Actress, Best Photography, Best Editing, Best Music Direction, Best Art Direction, Best Compere, Best Commentator.
4. Live Election Coverage in 140 Constituencies: Amrita TV’s multi-location live coverage, reporting and analysis of Kerala elections, especially on the day of the results, won accolades for its professionalism and finesse, and was rated at par with the best news channels in the country. From April’06, Amrita TV has been on the election trail covering the Kerala elections in 140 constituencies with OB van/ news team traversing all the districts of Kerala, to capture the voice of the people — alongwith hard-hitting exclusive features with political leaders, analysts and experts.
5. World Cup Coverage : On the eve of the World Cup, Amrita TV is running a Fifa segment in its News bulletins highlighting various perspectives of the World Cup with profile of teams, star players, goal of the day, predictions, snippets, sidelights, et al. A ready reckoner leaflet indicating the complete World Cup Matches Schedule was printed and distributed across the country by Amrita TV.
6. National Brands on Amrita TV : Besides Kerala companies and government institutions who patronise Amrita TV, leading national and global brands are advertising on Amrita TV, e.g. IOC, BSNL, Bru, Brookebond, Annapurna, Parachute, Kissan, Rexona, Hamam, Lux, Sunlight, Lifebuoy, Surf Excel, Pepsodent, Hewlett-Packard, Smyle, Moods, Charagh Din etc.
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.
