GECs
‘DID L’il Masters Season 5’ is all set for buzzy launch
Mumbai: Zee has always been proactive in providing Indian youth with a global platform to showcase their talent. The channel is all set to welcome another season of its immensely popular franchise for the youngest dancing talent in the country, “Dance India Dance (DID).” The fifth season of “DID L’il Masters” is set to premiere on 12 March and will air on Saturdays and Sundays at 9 p.m, only on Zee TV.
The channel has come up with an interesting marketing strategy to ensure that the new season creates mass hysteria of an unforeseen magnitude. Catering to more than one lakh people per day, the channel also used floating OOH in key Mumbai sites like Bandra Worli Sea Link and Juhu Beach for high-impact visibility.
The highlight initiative was the biggest and first-of-its-kind fan-sourced 360-degree dance video mosaic on the streets of Mumbai. The idea provided passionate dancers a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity to express their undying love for dance while being captured by a 360-degree rotating camera.
Each such 360-degree dance video of a DID buff dancing their hearts out made its way into a 30 feet x 11 feet video mosaic. The three-day activity that commenced on 5 March at Bandra’s Carter Road Promenade, witnessed a total of 1500+ entries by 7 March, thus paving way for the channel to make a spectacular entry into the International Book of Records. The gorgeous judge of the show, actor Sonali Bendre too participated in this activity by recording the final video to register a world record of the ‘World’s biggest 360-degree video mosaic’ using maximum, unique 360-degree videos sourced within 72 hours.
Taking the joy of dancing into the by-lanes of India where dreams often do not find avenues, Zee TV collaborated with GiveIndia to host dance workshops for underprivileged kids supported by the giving platform in Varanasi, Ahmedabad, and Nagpur. While the three talented DID L’il Masters skippers- Vaibhav Ghuge, Vartika Jha and Paul Marshal demonstrated simple choreography for the kids to follow, it was the unbridled joy and innocent love for dancing on each of their faces that made the workshops such a huge success! As part of this noble initiative, DID L’il Masters is raising funds to educate and empower underprivileged children.
GECs
Sebi sends show-cause notice to Zee over fund diversion, company responds
Regulator questions 2018 letter of comfort and governance lapses; company vows robust legal response
MUMBAI: India’s markets watchdog has reignited its long-running scrutiny of Zee Entertainment Enterprises, issuing a sweeping show-cause notice that drags the broadcaster and 84 others into a widening governance storm.
The notice, dated February 12, has been served by the Securities and Exchange Board of India to Zee, chairman emeritus Subhash Chandra and managing director and chief executive Punit Goenka, among others. At its heart: allegations that company funds were indirectly routed to settle liabilities of entities linked to the Essel Group.
The regulator’s probe traces its roots to November 2019, when two independent directors resigned from Zee’s board, flagging concerns over the alleged appropriation of fixed deposits by Yes Bank. The deposits were reportedly adjusted against loans extended to Essel Group entities, triggering questions about related-party dealings and board oversight.
A key flashpoint is a letter of comfort dated September 4, 2018, issued by Subhash Chandra in his dual capacity as chairman of Zee and the Essel Group. The document, linked to credit facilities availed by certain group companies from Yes Bank, was allegedly known only to select members of management and not disclosed to the full board—an omission SEBI believes raises red flags over transparency and governance controls.
Zee has pushed back hard. In a statement, the company said it “strongly refutes” the allegations against it and its board members and will file a detailed response. It expressed confidence that SEBI would conduct a fair review and signalled readiness to pursue all legal remedies to protect shareholder interests.
The notice marks the latest twist in a saga that has shadowed the broadcaster since 2019. What began as boardroom unease has morphed into a full-blown regulatory confrontation. The final reckoning now rests with SEBI—but the reputational stakes for Zee, and the message for India Inc on governance discipline, could scarcely be higher.
