GECs
Sahara snares Sridevi for small screen debut
Its Sridevi, finally.
After letting rumours that Bollywood top glitter would stud forthcoming Sahara TV programmes permeate the industry, the channel has finally zeroed in on the yesteryear queen bee to play the lead in its new serial.
The as-yet-unnamed 104-episode serial promises to showcase Sridevi’s talent, hitherto unseen on the small screen. This will be the actress’ first celluloid appearance (big or small screen) after a three-year hiatus, claims Sahara. The announcement that Sridevi will be the channel’s star value comes as a dampener of sorts after reports that Amitabh Bachchan might be appearing next on Sahara, after the Kaun Banega Crorepati season ended in January.
Sahara TV promoter Subroto Roy had in July 2001 set up a committee consisting of Modi Entertainment Group’s Buena Vista Television CEO Pratik Basu, programming head Basaav Raj, its ad agency Percept Advertising’s promoters Harindra and Shailendra Singh, and other senior managers from within the company. The Percept duo along with the Sahara team were given the task of looking after the programming and marketing of the channel. With some Rs 100-120 million set aside for the channel’s overhaul, it was clear there was some serious intent to get the channel up and going. November saw Sahara really get into the groove with the launch of a host of new programmes on its prime time slot, between 8 and 9 pm, ranging from mythological series to family dramas. It was around the same time that the reports about Bollywood biggies being roped in surfaced.
One interesting fallout of this new initiative is that the small screen will see the revival of an old rivalry. That between Sridevi and Madhuri Dixit. In fact it was Madhuri who displaced Sridevi from her perch as the Queen of Bollywood. With the Madhuri-hosted marriage show Shubh Vivaah certain to have its debut on Sony Entertainment any time after 30 June how Sridevi’s show fares will be watched with interest.
And judging by the fact that there there are no details forthcoming as to what the new Sahara show entails, it seems to indicate that the programme launch might take a few months. This may well mean that both shows will be ready to air at around the same time.
Certainly something to look forward to.
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.
