GECs
Channel7 to launch reality cricket show – ‘Scorpio Speedster’
– Hunt for India’s fastest bowler
New Delhi, October 22, 2005
In this era of reality shows, Channel7 presents a show which not only promises to enthral every cricket crazy Indian, but also give the nation its first speed demon – a genuine fast bowler. In line with the pulse of the nation, Channel7 will launch Scorpio Speedster, a nation wide talent hunt for India’s fastest bowler and presented in 13 episodes as World’s First Reality Cricket Show starting Saturday, October 22.
This pan India hunt is being conducted along with IMG, in 10 different cities and the contest is open to all aspiring pacers, who have the talent but lack the platform or the direction to make their dream a reality.
This thrilling series will be hosted by former Indian Cricket Captain and Channel7 Sports Expert Ajay Jadeja. The Half-hour long curtain raiser being aired on 22nd October, Saturday 10 PM, will set the stage for the actual series starting 29th October, which will take the viewers on a roller coaster ride covering the regional rounds across Delhi, Chandigarh, Jaipur, Gwalior, Kanpur, Hyderabad, Bangalore, Kolkata, Ahmedabad, and finally Mumbai (two cities per episode).
The semi-finals will see the nation’s 15 fastest bowlers competing for the coveted 7 Speedster slots. Once the 7 Speedsters have been selected the series goes into full gear and through professional bowling tests, coaches and instructors will drill the finalists for not just speed, but also other traits that a complete fast bowler must posses, such as accuracy, adaptability, endurance etc. At the end of the 13 episodes, the nation will get its first complete fast bowler. The award is a whopping Rs. 1 Million and a full season’s training at India’s premier fast bowling academy – the MRF Pace Foundation.
“The idea is not just to find who can bowl the fastest delivery in the nation, but to give India a TRUE speed demon, a potential cricketing icon, a COMPLETE fast bowler. Channel7 at its core is a News channel, but we’ve since inception always endeavoured to create quality non-fiction infotainment and have also prioritized Sports Journalism. Scorpio Speedster has given Channel7 a unique opportunity to merge all its visions and present to our viewers a compelling TV series.” Says Siddhartha Gupta, Director, Channel7 “
The talent hunt and TV Series is sponsored by Mahindra Scorpio, Canditi, Dominos, Adidas, Seagrams and Birla Life Insurance.
About Channel7
Channel7 is India’s fastest growing News Channel. It is a venture of Jagran TV Pvt Ltd., which is supported by the Jagran Group, best known for the No. 1 Hindi daily Dainik Jagran. The promoters of the Channel include Mahendra Mohan Gupta, Managing Editor and Managing Director JPPL and Chairman Jagran TV; Sanjay Gupta, Editor and Director JPPL; Shailesh Gupta, Director Marketing JPPL
Parul Bhasin
PR PUNDIT (A Brand Partner of PORTER NOVELLI)
P 2 Haus Khas, New Delhi 110 016
Tel: 011-26560415, 26513075; Fax: 011-26961835
E-mail : parul.b@prpundit.com
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.
