ITV

Category: GECs

  • Sony Entertainment Television crosses 100 million subscribers on YouTube

    Sony Entertainment Television crosses 100 million subscribers on YouTube

    NEW DELHI: After being a leader in the linear TV space, Sony Entertainment Television (SET) is making waves on the digital front too. The channel has reportedly crossed 100 million subscribers on YouTube, according to a press statement it released on Tuesday.

    SET’s YouTube channel had crossed the 1,000-subscriber mark in 2009, followed by 10 million in 2017, 50 million in 2019, and 100 million now. Since 2019, its YouTube channel has been registering an average of two million subscribers every month, making it one of the biggest subscriber bases for a broadcast brand.

    From hosting reality shows like Kaun Banega Crorepati to offering Kapil Sharma’s rib-tickling comedy and making India groove to some hypnotic dance moves in Super Dancer, the channel has attempted to headline the category with diverse genres and formats, bringing some of India’s most popular faces to the living rooms. It has also brought inspiring stories of women empowerment with shows like Ladies Special, Patiala Babes coupled with airing India’s longest-running crime shows CID and Crime Patrol that catered to a generation of audiences.

    “We are delighted to hit the 100 million subscription mark on YouTube as the first broadcaster globally. This milestone is a testimony that Sony Entertainment Television’s content performs exceedingly well across all three platforms – Sony Entertainment Television, SonyLIV, and YouTube. This trans platform content success helps us create a robust content pipeline that brings quality, variety, and novelty,” said Sony Pictures Networks digital business head – growth and monetisation Manish Aggarwal.

    With this, SET also becomes the first television channel in broadcasting history, as well as the fourth entity to globally reach 100 million subscribers on YouTube, said the company in a media statement. According to the broadcaster, its YouTube channel has reached over 278 million unique viewers globally in the last 90 days and registered more than half a billion (over lifetime) likes, shares, and comments for its engaging content.

    YouTube director – content partnerships Satya Raghavan said, “Their popularity is testimony to the fact that quality television content can have longevity on YouTube and foster loyal and vibrant communities. Their shows on YouTube are reaching new and diverse audiences every day and we are happy to see the Sony franchise grow across all screens simultaneously.”

  • Covid sweeps TV Land: Rupali Ganguly, other actors test positive

    Covid sweeps TV Land: Rupali Ganguly, other actors test positive

    MUMBAI: The second wave of the Covid2019 pandemic has hit India hard. The country is struggling in its attempt to curb the spread of the deadly virus, and despite vaccine roll-out, cases are on the rise with every passing day. Today, India became the second nation, after the US, to report one lakh new cases in a day.

    This turn of events has precipitated a crisis in the television industry, with more and more actors testing positive every day. The lead actor of Apna Time Bhi Aayega, Megha Ray, is the latest TV celeb to test positive for the novel Coronavirus.

    Balaji Telefilms’ producer Ekta Kapoor recently updated fans about Yeh Hai Chahatein actor Abrar Qazi.

    “Actor Abrar Qazi who is an integral part of the TV show Yeh Hai Chahatein has tested positive for Covid2019. As soon as the symptoms were detected, he received medical help and quarantined himself. Immediately thereupon the entire cast and crew were isolated and tested. The BMC is informed and the sets will be fumigated and sterilised as per the protocol. Currently, the artist is receiving medical attention and under home quarantine. We are constantly in touch with the entire team as their health is our priority. We stand by our commitment to safety and will continue to ensure that all measures prescribed by the authorities are being adhered to,” the producer shared.

    Actor Narayani Shashtri, who is currently seen on Aapki Nazron Ne Samjha, is also one of the actors who has come down with the virus.

    Full House Media producer Sonali Jaffar informed that the entire cast and crew were immediately isolated and tested. The BMC was notified and the sets were to be fumigated and sterilised as per the protocol.

    Several TV actors who also recently tested Covid2019 positive include Aditya Narayan and Shweta Agarwal, Mishkat Verma, Yeh Rishta Kya Kehlata Hai's Kanchi Singh, Ankit Siwach, Namak Issk Ka actress Monalisa, Anupamaa actors Rupali Ganguly, Sudhanshu Pandey and Aashish Mehrotra, and Aap Ke Aa Jane Se actor Karan Jotwani. Other names include Molkki actors Toral Rasputra, Amar Upadhyay and Priyal Mahajan, Nikki Tamboli, Neil Bhatt, Manit Joura, Ariah Agarwal and Daljiet Kaur. TV producer Rajan Shahi also contracted the novel coronavirus.

    This, when TV land was trying to get back on its feet after braving a challenging 2020 marked by production in limbo, viewer migration and scarce ad revenues. But in the face of these troubled times, the industry is determined to weather the situation together and survive. 

  • Privé World Box Office bridges the gap between Indian cinephiles & foreign films

    Privé World Box Office bridges the gap between Indian cinephiles & foreign films

    MUMBAI: While Cinema is said to be a universal language, most of us grew up watching only Indian or Hollywood movies. However, of late, viewers increasingly value quality of storytelling and entertainment over the language of the content itself. it is for these movie aficionados that English language movie channel &PrivéHD launched ‘Privé World Box Office’ – a new category to curate foreign movies from around the world. In a freewheeling chat with Indiantelevision’s Shikha Singh, ZeeL premium channels business head Kartik Mahadev spoke at length about the decision to bring foreign films for Indian audiences, the programming line-up and more.

    Edited excerpts:

    On the decision to curate foreign films for the Indian audience.

    In the quest for entertaining cinema and exceptional storytelling, cinema lovers occasionally come across foreign films through word of mouth but they do not find enough supply or a clear destination to watch them. Our aim was to solve this consumer challenge through curation of titles from ten different languages that have been loved by audiences in their origin country.

    On how foreign films will create an impact on the Indian audiences.

    Director Bong Joon Ho in his award-winning speech at the Golden Globes made a very pertinent remark as he teased moviegoers to embrace the ‘one-inch-tall barrier’ to explore a world of amazing films. Today, the consumer appetite for world-class movies transcending languages has been witnessing a rise by leaps and bounds. Our offering has been crafted with insights that aim to bridge the gap between the Indian film fans and the universal narratives in foreign language films.

    On the promotional campaign and the creative team behind it.

    We have arrived at ‘feel at home, no matter the language’ as the core messaging to bring to the fore a curation of foreign movies with familiar themes that are relatable and enjoyable. Flux @ The Glitch was roped into helm the light-hearted campaign along with Jigar Fernandes, Third Floor Films, who brought the vision to life with his direction. The film marks the return of the legendary Deepak Tijori along with the evergreen Renuka Shahane who brings their expertise along with the new age internet sensation Rohit Saraf. Through the lens of a typical Indian family, the film captures a relatable situation in a foreign language through a fun-filled banter amongst the family.

    On the programming line-up.

    The offering includes a mix of genres ranging from romance, drama to action and comedy thus catering to the tastes of all movie lovers. A new movie will be released every week with our viewers having the option of watching the movie at their convenience on any day of the week @9 PM. Some of our key titles include the latest instalment of the biggest French action franchise Taxi 5, the top-grossing Norwegian monster movie, Ragnarok, one of the craziest French love stories, Jeux D’enfants aka Love Me If You Dare, The Idol (Arabic) directed by the two-time Academy Award nominee Hany Abu-Assad among others. Some of the other titles to premiere include the French comedy, Fonzy, the Chinese neo-noir crime thriller The Wild Goose Lake, the Norwegian drama film based on a real-life event, Utøya: July 22 and others like The Farewell (Mandarin), Headhunters (Norwegian) and Pain And Glory aka Dolor Y Gloria (Spanish).

    On advertiser interest and sponsors on board.

    While consumers undoubtedly are at the core of what we offer, our major focus in 2021 is to delight our brand partners by providing value through our offerings. We have seen great sponsor interest for the property with Cetaphil onboard as the presenting partner and Standard Chartered as the special partner for the block.

    On the marketing activations to bring this offering to audiences.

    With the Covid2019 outbreak, we have witnessed a surge in television viewership alongside brands engaging on digital through Live video formats. In the English cluster, we have adopted digital engagement alongside television as part of the channel marketing strategy. We had a robust marketing campaign rolled out across TV, digital, trade, on-ground screenings and bolstered via PR that targets the six metros. Digital has always played a pivotal role in our marketing mix. Through Rohit Saraf and Renuka Shahane's social media handles, we teased movie fans with a teaser that intrigued the movie lovers, which was later released across digital and TV. We also hosted a fun-filled Valentine’s day activity with Rohit Saraf on Instagram reels, which garnered immense traction via UGC as fans reached out to the actor with their proposal messages in a foreign language.

    On the channel’s plan for 2021.

    In the coming months, we will have the Ticket To Hollywood movie airings for the biggest Hollywood blockbusters. We will continue to bring originals on Zee Café that add to the repertoire of locally nuanced content along with iconic international shows. The foreign language premieres as part of Privé World Box Office will continue to entertain movie fans with new movies every week through the coming months and we have more in the pipeline. So, all in all, it’s a promising and packed content line-up for the Zee English cluster.

  • Zing is all set to play Korean dramas in Hindi

    Zing is all set to play Korean dramas in Hindi

    MUMBAI: Hallyu has impacted Indian youth in a big way. Korean pop, dramas, and beauty were already thriving subcultures in India, but in 2020 these became part of India’s mainstream.

    The testimony is in the rising numbers of everything Korean. A recent OTT platform report stated, “The viewing for K-dramas on their platform in India increased more than 370 per cent in 2020 over 2019”. The number of streams for K-pop doubled in 2020 and BTS was among the top five artists overall on a leading music streaming app. At many levels, K-Dramas are more relatable than US or British shows due to the similarity in cultures of both the countries, adding to their popularity.

    Keeping in mind the obsession that GenZ & millennials have, Zing became the first channel in the genre to launch K-Dramas & tap into this fast-growing trend. Zing aired Boys Over Flowers which got an overwhelming response from the audience. The show pushed Zing back into leadership position. Viewership was high across all time-bands but the original time-band increased by 2X! Given the success of the first show, Zing has decided to continue to bring joy in the viewer’s lives by launching more K-Dramas, starting with Descendants of the Sun this week.

    ZeeL music cluster  deputy business head Pankaj Balhara said, “K-Pop and K-Dramas have been an important sub-culture among India’s GenZ for a few years now and 2020 took this fandom many-folds higher. One of the key reasons for the popularity of K-Dramas is the massive similarities between the two cultures. For e.g. Romance is depicted in a very similar manner and themes include Rich boy, poor girl, intense love story triangles, etc. They also believe in family values which resonates well with the Indian audiences. After the massive success of Boys over flowers, we have decided to air more K-dramas on the channel. Through content innovation either creating or curating, we want to give best of entertainment to our consumers.”

    Catch Descendants of the Sun, Mon – Fri, 2pm only on Zing

  • &TV brings slice-of-life story ‘Aur Bhai Kya Chal Raha Hai?’

    &TV brings slice-of-life story ‘Aur Bhai Kya Chal Raha Hai?’

    MUMBAI: Small talk or conversation starters, as we call it, is a customary way to connect with people or to know about the happenings in their lives. One such conversation starter used every day by most Indians when they meet a friend, neighbour, family, or acquaintance is Aur Bhai Kya Chal Raha Hai. Echoing this culture in a light-hearted narrative is the slice-of-life story of the two families – the Mishras and the Mirzas – in & TV's brand-new show, Aur Bhai Kya Chal Raha Hai? 

    Produced by Amjad Hussain Sheikh of Shade Productions, the show will feature local talents in the lead, with Akansha Sharma as Sakina Mirza, Farhana Parveen as Shanti Mishra, Pawan Singh as Zafar Ali Mirza, and Amrish Bobby as Ramesh Prasad Mishra. Aur Bhai Kya Chal Raha? Hai will premiere on 30 March 2021, at 9:30 pm on &TV, airing every Monday to Friday.

    The new property will bring to the fore Lucknowi culture, with &TV setting a new benchmark in television entertainment with homegrown content, local talent, and production capabilities. Set against the backdrop of the city of nawabs, the show will give a glimpse of situational comedy that ensues when two culturally opposite families are forced to share a roof, manoeuvre day-to-day concerns of small-town-living and highly competitive wives. The show captures the long-standing Ganga-Jamuni tehzeeb of Lucknow through the two families – the Mishras and the Mirzas, cohabiting in an old nawabi haveli. Each wishing to own the haveli and not share it with the other leads to constant bickering and amusing scuffles around everyday issues and incidents.

    Portraying the harmless jealousy between the neighbouring wives, Shanti and Sakina, and their henpecked husbands – Ram Chandra Mishra and Zafar Ali Mirza, the show will take the viewers through an entertaining and engaging story revolving around these two families who are 'Acche Waqt Ke Sabse Bade Dushman Aur Bure Waqt Ke Sabse Acche Dost.' In all this, will be a neighbourhood WhatsApp group titled Aur Bhai Kya Chal Raha Hai run by the local political leader's domestic help, keeping the Mishra-Mirza housewives up-to-date with all the latest and juicy happenings and gossips in their mohalla and using every piece of information to outdo each other.

    &TV business head Vishnu Shankar said, “&TV has always been successful in presenting culturally rich, relatable, and enjoyable content to its viewers. Whether it is Bhabiji Ghar Par Hai or Happu Ki Ultan Paltan, the audience has showered their love in appreciation for these shows. So far, we have been showcasing various stories which are based in MP and UP but are shot in Mumbai. Today we are proud to present to you a completely Lucknow based show, Aur Bhai Kya Chal Raha Hai?, which is shot entirely in Lucknow with local talent and production unit. We hope to receive the same love and support from our audience for our latest content offering.”

    Shade Productions producer Amjad Hussain Sheikh shared, "There have been several stories on television and movies depicting Indian culture. However, for the first time, we have a locally sourced story, written and produced with complete local talents, including the entire team of production and actors, shot in Lucknow city's local locations, capturing its culture's true essence and way of life. We are confident that the story will resonate with the audience on various levels – be its relatable characters of neighbouring couples, their constant squabbles, the Ganga-Jamuni tehzeeb, the everyday commoner's issues, so on and so forth. It is an ambitious project with an equally ambitious dream team. We are quite excited about it and looking forward to the audience's appreciation and acceptance."

  • Little Singham to battle it out against ‘Kaal Ki Shatir Chaal’

    Little Singham to battle it out against ‘Kaal Ki Shatir Chaal’

    MUMBAI: Little Singham's biggest enemy, the demon Kaal, is back with a vengeance. After three Kaal movie franchises with Kaal ka Badla being the highest rated Indian animation movie in 2020, this powerful villain is back with its fourth edition titled Kaal Ki Shatir Chaal. In collaboration with Reliance Animation and Rohit Shetty Picturez, Discovery Kids is all set to premiere this special movie on 20 March at 11:30 am. With characters that have enthralled and kept kids at the edge of their seat, this film will see Little Singham and friends on yet another mission to keep their nemesis Kaal Rakshas from accomplishing his villainous plans.  

    Kaal Ki Shatir Chaal is co-powered by leading brands such as Byju's, Yakult, Act II popcorn, and revolves around Little Singham’s biggest enemy Kaal who uses his Buri Shaktiyaan (Krodha and Lobheena) to spread anger and greed in the world. While our superhero cop goes after the Buri Shaktiyaan to destroy them, he ends up losing all his powers and gets pulled into Pataal lok instead. Will Kaal succeed in destroying the world by defeating the world’s best cop and our very favourite Little Singham? It will be interesting for the audience to watch how the tiny hero will be able to save the world this time without his powers, in this exciting mega hit.  

    Discovery Kids head Uttam Pal Singh said, “Bigger and more terrifying the villain, the bigger and more iconic emerges the Hero. Very rarely do we see a villain hold such a sway over kids imagination, ‘Kaal’ is one of those iconic villains. Little Singham V/s Kaal Ki Shatir Chaal is an edge of the seat action adventure. The raging popularity of Little Singham, his swag, action and humour has aided the character to emerge as a foremost IP and also inspired young viewers to be good citizens, be brave, be a good friend, care for fellow citizens and we take immense pride in that.”

    Reliance Animation CEO Tejonidhi Bhandare said, “We’re excited to bring yet another thrilling adventure from one of our most successful franchises, Little Singham, to the Discovery Kids Channel. We’ve managed to create such unique characters that they have been able to stand on their own and Kaal is definitely one of them. He may be a villain for the most part, but our younger audiences seem to truly enjoy the role he plays in challenging Little Singham on his adventures.”

    To celebrate the success of Kaal franchise and in anticipation of the premiere of its next big film, Discovery Kids is all set to host ‘Kaal Fan Fest’ – a hunt for the biggest Kaal dan. The fest co-powered by Byju’s and Britannia Tiger Krunch will be a non-stop 12-hour fan quiz on Discovery Kids channel, giving viewers a chance to win every hour. Exciting prizes and a title of ‘Kaal ka Sabse Bada Fan’ that will be featured through a video across Discovery Kids’ social channels, await one lucky winner.  

  • DW partners with Epic for ‘Eco India’ series

    DW partners with Epic for ‘Eco India’ series

    MUMBAI: DW’s flagship TV series, Eco India, which focuses on finding sustainable and environment-friendly solutions for a wide range of issues, has launched its Hindi series on In10 Media Network’s infotainment channel Epic. 

    The Eco India series by DW is an attempt to bring to the masses stories of the change-makers who have found innovative ways to solve the problems faced in day-to-day life as well as across various sectors and industries. 

    The series sheds light on how communities in India are coming up with innovative solutions for a wide gamut of issues such as food shortage, and rising sea levels in Mumbai among others. It also attempts to showcase some of the impactful stories of sustainable eco-friendly endeavours such as lake conservation in Bengaluru, new ways of taking care of livestock and earning money with cow dung, and recycling of industrial cloth wastes.

    In10 Media Network acquisition & syndication network senior AVP Adita Jain said, “Epic is committed in its endeavour to bring to the viewers some of the most exceptional content about India covering a wide range of topics. The Eco India series is the perfect opportunity for us to play our part in generating awareness around the need to adopt environment-friendly solutions for various industrial and domestic challenges. We are delighted to partner with DW.”

    DW distribution asia head Andrés Palacios-Degwitz said, “We are delighted to partner with Epic for the Eco India series to bring to light some of the new age environmental innovations. Epic has established itself as an India-centric platform for infotainment and Eco India Hindi series fits well in the Epic content library.”

    The Eco India English series is available on Epic On.

  • Viacom18 expands its Hindi movies cluster with Colors Cineplex Bollywood

    Viacom18 expands its Hindi movies cluster with Colors Cineplex Bollywood

    MUMBAI: Viacom18 Media is all set to make an exciting new addition to its existing bouquet of channels with the launch of Colors Cineplex Bollywood – the ultimate destination for Bollywood movies. The channel will launch with a robust library of Bollywood hits on 1 April 2021 across all leading DTH and cable platforms including DD FreeDish.

    Targeted towards the metro audience of Mumbai and Delhi as well as Hindi speaking markets of Maharashtra, Gujarat, Uttar Pradesh, Bihar, Madhya Pradesh and Rajasthan, Colors Cineplex Bollywood aims to entertain and engage Bollywood movie buffs with a slew of titles spanning across different genres. In line with its brand proposition of ‘Hit Hai!’, the channel will showcase commercial potboilers of the 80’s such as Amar Akbar Anthony, Kaalia, Namak Halaal, to the 90’s hit movies like Hum Dil De Chuke Sanam, Raja Hindustani, Jeet, Dil, Kachche Dhaage to millennial favourites like Golmaal, Dabangg, Hera Pheri franchise as well as latest blockbusters like Chhalaang, Padmavaat, Student of the Year 2, Andhadhun thus catering to viewers of all ages. With its diverse offering, Colors Cineplex Bollywood will acknowledge the purest form of cinema which stands for wholesome entertainment.

     Viacom18 Hindi mass entertainment and Kids TV network head Nina Elavia Jaipuria says, “The launch of Colors Cineplex Bollywood will bolster Viacom18’s play in the Hindi Mass entertainment category and strengthen our share in the Hindi movie genre specifically. Aimed at appealing to the masses, the channel is a natural extension of our current Hindi movie portfolio. We are excited about this launch and look forward to becoming the ultimate destination for the best of Bollywood on television.”

    Viacom18 Hindi movies cluster head Rohan Lavsi, adds, “The charm of Bollywood movies lies in the unparalleled blend of intense drama, powerful action and soulful music delivered on a grand scale. Colors Cineplex Bollywood encapsulates wholesome entertainment defining the ultimate movie viewing experience for our viewers. With a robust library spanning decades, the channel will celebrate the iconic dialogues, unforgivable villains, energetic dancers, superstars and much-loved characters that have not only made an important contribution to Indian cinema but have also become an integral part of our daily lives.”

    With the launch of Colord Cineplex Bollywood, Viacom18 will further expand its movie portfolio with an aim to gain significant presence in the Hindi movie space. With the telecast of only Hindi movies, the channel will fulfil the insatiable appetite for Bollywood movies. Colors Cineplex Bollywood’s launch will also be accompanied by a robust marketing plan.

  • On casual sexism & gender disparity: ‘Ishk Par Zor Nahi’ promises something different

    On casual sexism & gender disparity: ‘Ishk Par Zor Nahi’ promises something different

    MUMBAI: Sony Entertainment Television has strengthened its primetime line-up with the launch of Ishk Par Zor Nahi from 15 March. Ishk Par Zor Nahi, a new-age, young love story of Ahaan and Ishqi – two people who are not just different in personality, but also share polarising viewpoints about marriage. Starring Akshita Mudgal as Ishqi and Param Singh as Ahaan Malhotra, the show is produced by Four Lions Films, and will air Monday to Friday at 9:30pm.

    Sony Entertainment Television & digital business content head Ashish Golwalkar shared that the channel is known for its variety entertainment, unique storylines and lovable characters. His effort is to create a property that can impart knowledge, highlight social and cultural issues prevalent in the society and leave a long-lasting image in the minds of audiences.

    Said he: “We have had a great start to the year, and we are committed to bring forth an eclectic mix of narratives to our viewers. Ishk Par Zor Nahi has a flavour of romance through an accidental couple who are poles apart from each other and nurture different perspectives on marriage, relationships and family. It is a fresh young love story with relatable characters, and we are pleased to partner with Gul Khan and Deepti Kalwani for this show. We are certain the audience will enjoy what the show has to offer.”

    According to Golwalkar, television has a limited scope in terms of creative expression, but what sets Ishk Par Zor Nahi apart is the way the makers have weaved the storyline. He credits Four Lions Films co-founder Gul Khan for coming up with the idea.

    “I’ve been working with SET for the past five years, and we’ve tried to collaborate on a project numerous times but somehow it didn’t work out. Finally, during the lockdown, I approached Khan to create a love drama. From there on, the process of writing, re-writing, casting started,” he detailed.

    The insights of the show are not very sublime or tough it is very simple, the way it is packaged makes it more engaging. It is a simple story of how two contrasting people come closer and eventually fall in love. What differentiates it is the value system, there upbringing, how they respond to societal norms which are deeply embedded within each family, added Golwalkar.

    Khan is looking forward to working with Sony Entertainment Television for the second time. She mentioned that while Four Lions Films is known for making romantic shows, there are many things which remains unsaid; SET has given her the platform to speak her mind and address these underlying issues.

    “In our society, casual sexism has become so common that we have questioning it. In a same household a girl and boy are treated differently, it is engraved in our minds that we have to change once we get married. It changes the way how we grow as an individual and at times bring a full stop to our happiness,” she shared.

    Khan went on to say not to be deceived by the show’s initial impression – it might look like a simple love story, but as the story unravels, audiences will witness intense drama. Normally, it takes three to four months to write the script for a show, but in this case, it took much more time as the makers were trying to strike the right balance. She also revealed that the team at Sony TV was quite demanding, in a positive manner. They were quite precise over what they wanted out of the show. 

    While addressing a virtual conference, Golwalkar clarified that the intention of Ishk Par Zor Nahi is not to influence audiences or instruct them what is right or wrong; rather, it seeks to entertain them and, along the way, subtly raise some thought-provoking questions. He further added, “We didn’t have many launches in the second half of last year but this time we are working on experimental shows, then there is a sitcom genre with Sargam Ki Sadhe Sati, Punyashlok Ahilyabai is doing well for us in the 7.30 pm slot. Our recently launched show, Kyun Utthe Dil Chhod Aaye is also performing well. So, in an all we are trying to bring variety with our fiction shows.”

  • Reliance Big Synergy CEO Rajiv Bakshi calls it quits, joins ZeeL

    Reliance Big Synergy CEO Rajiv Bakshi calls it quits, joins ZeeL

    KOLKATA: Reliance Big Synergy CEO Rajiv Bakshi has stepped down from his position. Bakshi has now joined Zee Entertainment Enterprises Ltd (ZeeL) as its chief operations officer – revenue. According to sources close to the development, he will report to ZeeL South Asia business president Rahul Johri.

    The Harvard Business School alumnus has more than 20 years of diverse work experience in business transformation, P&L and commercial operations, corporate strategy, brand management, product development, digital strategy and market expansions across varied industries.

    According to the source mentioned above, he will work towards achieving ZeeL’s revenue objectives by identifying and leveraging internal synergies across all linear and digital platforms. In his new role at ZeeL, Bakshi will lead the sales strategy and operations function. In addition to that, he will also be responsible for leveraging technology to augment the revenue vertical. He will drive the marketing initiatives and focus on strengthening relations with key external stakeholders and partners.

    Bakshi joined Reliance Big Synergy back in 2018. During his stint at the company, he led it to branch out the content studio across all genres with high focus on fiction while it was earlier known as a non-fiction powerhouse. Along with that, he aggressively scaled its hold over regional language shows as well. The company has produced content for Star Maa, Zee Punjabi, Dangal, Zee5 and many more under his guidance. Enterr10 TV Network’s Bhojpuri channel launched a social mythology series produced by Reliance Big Synergy in January, a genre where the production house never worked earlier.

    Under his leadership, the studio produced some of the top rated TV shows across national and regional networks  in Hindi, Telugu, Punjabi, Bhojpuri and other languages. More importantly, he pushed the business in the booming OTT segment as well to produce web series for both international and homegrown platforms.

    He was conferred the ‘CEO Of the Year’ 2020 award by the jury of World Brand Congress, World Marketing Congress and CMO Global. The award was given in recognition of Bakshi’s differentiated strategy to establish Reliance Big Synergy as a leading content development and production powerhouse in India.

    Earlier in his career, Bakshi also turned around Discovery Networks’ India and South Asia business as the head of products and marketing, and is credited for building its 11-channel portfolio.