Category: GECs

Zeel reports higher op revenue, PAT for Q2 2020

BENGALURU: The Subhash Chandra-led Zee Entertainment Enterprises Ltd (Zeel) reported 7.6 percent and 7.4 percent y-o-y growth in total and operating revenues for the quarter ended 30 September 2019 (Q2 2020, quarter or period under review) as compared to the corresponding year ago quarter Q2 2019. Profit after tax grew 6.7 percent y-o-y, while Total comprehensive income (TCI) declined 9.5 percent y-o-y. Operating profit (EBITDA) grew 2.5 percent y-o-y in Q2 2020 as compared to Q2 2019.

Zeel reported total revenues of Rs 2,190.13 crore and Rs 2,034.79 crore for Q2 2020 and Q1 2019 respectively. Operating revenue for the period under review was Rs 2,122.01 crore and Rs 1,975.86 crore respectively. PAT for Q2 2020 was Rs 412.09 crore, while it was Rs 386.10 crore for the corresponding year ago quarter. TCI for Q1 2020 and Q1 2019 were Rs 471.77 crore and 521.43 crore respectively. Simple operating EBITDA for the quarter under review was Rs 692.93 crore (32.65 percent margin) and for Q2 2019 it was 675.72 crore (34.20 percent margin of operating revenue.

Growth in revenue in Q2 2020 was driven by 1.2 percent and 19 percent y-o-y growths in advertisement and subscription revenue respectively. Zeel reported ad revenue of Rs 1,224.66 crore in Q2 2020 and Rs 1,210.60 crore in Q1 2019. The company reported subscription revenue of Rs 723.50 crore in Q2 2020 and Rs 608.16 crore in Q1 2019.

Zeel managing director and CEO Punit Goenka said through an earnings release: “I am pleased with the performance we have exhibited during the quarter. Our entertainment portfolio continues to grow from strength to strength across all formats and maintained its leading position. Our television network has emerged stronger post the implementation of tariff order on the back of a strong customer connect and brand pull of its channels. ZEE5 continued to gain traction across audience segments and markets, driven by its compelling content library and expanding of partnerships across the digital eco-system. This strong operating performance allowed us to deliver industry leading growth in both advertising and subscription despite the tough macro-economic environment. Domestic subscription growth of 27 percent has reaffirmed the value proposition our television network has built over the years. The impact of tariff order has now largely settled down and has brought increased transparency along with improved monetisation. Our domestic advertising revenue growth, though significantly lower than historical trend, is higher than the industry growth. We have witnessed an improvement in ad spends through the quarter and we believe that the onset of festive season along with measures taken by the government will help revive the consumption growth."

Let us look at the other numbers reported by Zeel

Total Expenditure for Q2 2020 grew 9.2 percent y-o-y to Rs 1,514.13 crore from Rs 1,386.45 crore in Q2 2019. Operating costs in Q2 2020 grew 23.4 percent y-o-y to Rs 896.25 crore from Rs 726.34 crore. Other expenses during the quarter under review declined 18.6 percent y-o-y to Rs 195.31 crore from Rs 240.03 crore. Employee benefits expense in Q2 2020 grew 25.8 percent y-o-y to Rs 212.26 crore from Rs 168.72 crore. Ad and publicity expensed in Q2 2020 declined 24.1 percent y-o-y to Rs 125.26 crore from Rs 165.05 crore finance costs in Q2 2020 more than tripled (3.3 times) y-o-y in Q2 2020 to Rs 17.97 crore from Rs 5.45 crore.

October 18, 2019
Sony Pictures Networks India doubles the Joy of Diwali with their #AbIndiaAurBhiHappy offer for its premier channels, Sony Entertainment Television (SET), Sony SAB and Sony MAX

MUMBAI: This festive season, Sony Pictures Networks India (SPN) brings cheer to the Hindi entertainment loving Indian viewers through its ‘Ab India aur bhi Happy’ offer. Bringing joy to every household, SPN has announced a special offer, allowing consumers to avail of a festive à-la-carte pricing of Rs. 12/- month on its premier entertainment channels, SET, Sony SAB and Sony MAX.

Across the country, television viewing households can now enjoy SPN’s top-rated marquee prime time entertainment programs such as KBC, The Kapil Sharma Show, Indian Idol, Taarak Mehta ka Ooltah Chashma, Tenali Rama and more, along with an unlimited repertoire of Hindi movies. All this from the comfort of their homes and at just Rs. 12/- month.

In the wake of TRAI’s revised guidelines on TV channel tariffs Sony Pictures Networks had launched a comprehensive consumer education campaign, #RishtaPakkaSamjho with Mr. Amitabh Bachchan to empower consumers to make an informed choice of the various pricing options, either on an à-la-carte basis or a combination/bouquet. This campaign successfully addressed viewer’s concerns and dilemmas on channel subscriptions costs and maximum retail packs.

October 15, 2019
Endemol Shine India buys the rights for Richa S. Mukherjee’s Kanpur Khoofiya Pvt. Ltd

MUMBAI : Harper Collins India is thrilled to announce that author Richa Mukherjee’s new novel, Kanpur Khoofiya Pvt. Ltd, published in August this year, has been purchased by Endemol Shine India in a pre-empt. Endemol Shine India buys the rights for Richa S. Mukherjee’s Kanpur Khoofiya Pvt. Ltd Mumbai-based agency The Story Ink was the advisor on the deal.

Published in partnership with Black Ink, bestselling writer Ravinder Singh’s imprint, Kanpur Khoofiya… is a crime-fiction adventure laced with humour and intrigue. It involves two protagonists – a small-town private investigator, Prachand Tripathi and his wife, Vidya Tripathi. When a curious new case requires them to tail a movie actress, and she goes missing, the couple find themselves under the glare of the police and must put their skills to the test before they become victims of a dangerous game.

Endemol Shine India CEO Abhishek Rege said, ‘We at Endemol Shine India are always on the lookout for stories and characters that are authentic, relatable and enjoyable. For a while now we have been focused on developing quality content, not just for the Indian market but something that would elicit curiosity across the world. Kanpur Khoofiya is such a story that works across mediums and geographies. This book’s wide appeal is what caught our attention when we were first introduced to it by The Story Ink. Richa S. Mukherjee has brought alive a wonderfully earthy and vibrant tale set in a small-town milieu, rarely seen in the detective genre, that is such an international favourite. Authentically Indian yet globally relevant, Prachand Tripathi, is a character from the heartland of the country that everyone will identify with and definitely want to watch.’

Author Richa S. Mukherjee said, ‘The relentless dreams of this intrepid detective from Gwaltoli aren’t his alone. We’ve toiled, laughed and cried together! And there can be no greater joy for a writer to witness the characters and stories they’ve conjured, take form and materialize on screen and reaching a wider audience. I’m humbled that so many wonderful people share this dream and I can’t wait to see the Tripathis thrill and entertain viewers with their antics!’

Black Ink Books publisher Ravinder Singh said, ‘The reviews of this book online would tell why the story deserves to be taken to those who don’t read books. This combination of humour and thriller, so well crafted by Richa S. Mukherjee, must unfold in an audio and video format. Prachand Tripathi, the clumsy detective and protagonist, can make the adaptation of Kanpur Khoofiya…stand at par with Johnny English and Pink Panther.’

Diya Kar, publisher and rights director, HarperCollins India, said, ‘We are delighted that the Tripathis of Kanpur will soon come alive on screen. Richa S. Mukherjee is a natural storyteller—Endemol Shine India has picked a winner!’

This is the first-ever option deal for Mukherjee, whose debut novel, I Didn’t Expect to Be Expecting, a hilarious take on pregnancy, was published in 2018.

Endemol Shine India has previously optioned several books published by HarperCollins India, including Yudhanjaya Wijeratne’s Numbercaste, Arjun Raj Gaind’s Maharaja Mystery trilogy and Shweta Taneja’s Anantya Tantrist trilogy.

October 15, 2019
‘Zee TV, Essence and Flipkart join hands to surprise fans this festive season’

MUMBAI: This year, with the festive season around the corner, entertainment joined forces with e-commerce to delight consumers with a billion-dollar idea! In a truly unique initiative, Zee TV collaborated with Flipkart and media agency Essense and attempted to make TV viewing truly interactive during Flipkart’s annual sale – Big Billion Days. Viewers could scan a QR code on screen during the airing of Zee TV’s top-rated primetime dramas Tujhse Hai Raabta and Kundali Bhagya to shop for the look of Kalyani’s smart kitchen and get the same gifts as Srishti had picked for her family. These featured products were all made available at discounted prices on an exclusive co-branded webpage on Flipkart.

This initiative by Zee TV and Essence with Flipkart has set new benchmarks for the industry with audiences getting a chance to don their favourite protagonist's look or take pride in having a smart kitchen like their favourite star, they also saw value for money without any compromise on the entertainment quotient of the episode.

Speaking on the initiative, Ashish Sehgal, Chief Growth Officer- ZEE said, "In the business of entertainment, one of our key objectives remains making our brands increasingly tangible and accessible to our consumers. To achieve this objective, it has been our constant endeavor to re-invent our offerings at regular intervals with creativity, technological transformation coupled with collaboration as key pillars .

One such unique proposition is clubbing the power of reach of television to point of purchase! Our collaboration with Essence and Flipkart had our flagship channel Zee TV turning Interactive in the course of Flipkart’s Big Billion Days Sale wherein across a couple of shows, not only did we connect with viewers on an emotional level through content but satisfied their impulse purchase desires by connecting them to a Flipkart-Zee platform, thereby bringing point of purchase to consumer right in their living room.”

Vikas Gupta- Vice President and Head of Marketing, Flipkart said, “Big Billion Days is India’s biggest and most loved shopping festival and this offered an innovative way to showcase the plethora of shopping options on Flipkart. We showcased top products across Mobiles , Fashion, Electronics, Large, Home & Kitchen while the audience watched their favourite shows on Zee TV. This was a great example of merging online with offline and communication with commerce.”

“Television content has always had a wide-reaching impact on people. It not only shapes perceptions and beliefs, but also consumer fashion trends today. The clothes and accessories worn by TV protagonists can be aspirational for viewers, who want to own similar products. This insight led us to the QR code activation on Zee TV, using simple yet effective technology that allows viewers to immediately gain access to desired products on Flipkart during the Big Billion Days festival. This is a great collaboration between the TV channel, Flipkart and Essence to deliver a first-of-its-kind ecommerce experience to consumers in India,” said Anand Chakravarthy, Managing Director, India, Essence.

October 15, 2019
Viacom18 launches Har Din Diwali campaign with exclusive pricing for COLORS & COLORS Kannada

MUMBAI: Spreading the cheer this festive season, Viacom18 announces a-la-carte price for its flagship Hindi GEC COLORS and Kannada GEC COLORS Kannada at Rs 12/month each. In line with this special festive price, Viacom18 is launching a consumer awareness campaign ‘Har Din Diwali’ encouraging viewers to now subscribe to these channels at its new price point. As part of this offer, the a-la-carte price of COLORS and COLORS Kannada has been reduced from the present price of Rs 19 to Rs 12 per month each.

Commenting on the initiative, Viacom18 group CEO & MD Sudhanshu Vats said, “As a broadcast network, our aim is to make our channels more accessible and affordable to all viewers across the country. While we are launching a slew of exciting shows on our channels, this festive offer – ‘Har Din Diwali’will further empower our consumers to access their favourite shows at a more affordable price point.”

In addition to the celebratory pricing, the festive season will also witness the channels showcasing marquee properties such as Bigg Boss 13, Bigg Boss Kannada, ChhotiSardarni, Shakti, Khatron KeKhiladi,AgniSakshi, Lakshmi Baramma, Mangala Gowri Maduve, amongst others.

Viacom18 had introduced a pioneering awareness building campaign during the implementation of New Tariff Order, titled ‘Ek Me Hai More Yahaan’ that advocated the comprehensive value for money that the ‘COLORS Wala Value Plus Pack’ provided to its viewers. The campaign had also successfully highlighted the clear concerns of the consumers over the rising costs of entertainment channel packages across genres by defining the strategy of the network wherein all the bouquets across Hindi, English and Regional entertainment were packaged in a manner to help the viewers keep their monthly budgets in check.

October 14, 2019

Marking its 27th Anniversary, Zee announces attractive Festive Bonanza Offer on its leading entertainment channels

MUMBAI: The television industry has successfully managed to transition to the New Tariff Order (NTO) regime. Zee, as the leading television network of the country has collaborated extensively with industry players to ensure a smooth transition. To mark its 27th Anniversary, Zee has taken yet another consumer initiative, by announcing a Festive Bonanza Offer on its leading entertainment channels. As part of this festive offer, the a-la-carte price of Zee TV, Zee Marathi, Zee Bangla, Zee Telugu, Zee Kannada & Zee Sarthak have been reduced from the present Rs. 19# to Rs. 12# per month.

The MRP regime has brought about a significant positive change in the television broadcast industry. The biggest change for consumers has been the freedom to choose their favourite TV channels and pay only for what they like to watch. In the new pricing regime, ZEE has been leading the change with customer-centric packs focused on affordability and greater value for consumers. As an industry first, ZEE launches an attractive Festive Bonanza Offer on the a la carte prices of several leading channels of the network in order to provide an opportunity to more and more consumers to enjoy the wholesome family entertainment.

During the transition phase, there have been a wide variety of questions in the minds of viewers. To address these queries, over the last few months ZEE initiated and anchored nation-wide initiatives to onboard Indian families into the new ecosystem and ease them into the new structure. These included multi-media multi-stakeholder communication initiative, ‘Channels Ka Chunaav 2019’ and the nationwide movement of ‘Lo Control Back’ to spread awareness of the viewer’s ability to choose in the new ecosystem, and further emphasize on their right to demand the channels of their choice from their operators.

ZEE Chief Revenue Officer – Affiliate Sales Atul Das said, “Zee is the pioneer of Indian television industry. Starting with ‘Zee TV’ 27 years ago, and with addition of its strong regional language offerings over the years, Zee is today the No.1 Entertainment Network in the country. Zee further demonstrated its leadership by becoming the first major broadcaster to declare MRPs under the NTO regime, in August 2018. While there were teething issues during the initial phase of NTO transition, it has brought greater transparency across the television value chain.”

He further added “With the announcement of this amazing Festive Bonanza Offer, we have taken yet another initiative for providing greater value to our consumers. Under this offer, MRP of our leading entertainment channels are available at an attractive MRP of Rs 12# during the festive season. We believe that this will greatly enhance consumer engagement with our channels, across the country. We urge subscribers to take full benefit of the festive offer.”

Commenting on the initiative, Zee Entertainment Chief Marketing Officer Prathyusha Agarwal said “With the movement from low involvement bulk purchase to high involvement active unit purchase, the MRP regime is a great move for the consumer. ZEE with its strong channel brand and culturally rooted content has become an obvious first choice for viewers. We firmly believe that we have fundamentally great products and robust value offerings. As a broadcast network, our endeavor therefore is to make our channels more and more accessible to the maximum number of viewers across the country. This Festive Bonanza Offer would be an irresistible consumer delight and will go a long way in deepening consumer loyalty with the TV entertainment category.”

The festive season would also be accompanied by an exciting content line up of fiction and non-fiction shows, blockbuster movies and events across the ZEE network channels. To name a few – Movie Masti with Maniesh Paul, Dil Ye Ziddi hai & Zee Rishtey Awards on Zee TV, Zee Marathi awards & Lagnachi Wife Weddingchi Bayko on Zee Marathi, Zee Kutumbam Awards, Drama Juniors Season 5 & No.1 Kodalu on Zee Telugu, Jothe Jotheyalli, Zee Kutumba Awards & Uge Uge Mahadeshwara on Zee Kannada, WTPs like Shesh Theke Shuru, Kidnap & many more upcoming new fiction shows on Zee Bangla and Gruhalaxmi on Zee Sarthak.

ZEEL currently offers a total of 60 channels (43 SD and 17 HD) in 11 languages and reaches a total of 148 million households every day. The MRP price has been revised for the following channels, under the Festive Bonanza Offer.

Channel	Present MRP^#	Promotional Scheme^#
Zee TV	19	12
Zee Bangla	19	12
Zee Sarthak	19	12
Zee Marathi	19	12
Zee Telugu	19	12
Zee Kannada	19	12

October 12, 2019

Star India announces festive offer for a-la-carte channels

MUMBAI: In keeping with the festive spirit, Star India announces ‘Tyohar ka Upahar’, a promotional offer for its 16 a-la-carte channels including its popular channels — Star Plus, Maa TV, Star Jalsha, Vijay, Asianet and Hungama TV. The festive offer prices will be available with immediate effect.

“The Star network is known to offer best-in-class content inspiring a billion imaginations, making us a household name today,” said Star and Disney India country manager Sanjay Gupta. “With this promotional offer for the festive season, we hope to spread even more cheer and get more families to experience and engage with our varied entertainment offerings,” he added.

Viewers can enjoy an exciting content line-up across the network including ‘Nach Baliye’ finale, ‘Yehh jadu hai jinn ka!’, ‘TED Talks India Nayi Baat’, ‘Dance Plus’ on Star Plus, ‘Manasi Chi Choodo’ along with the World TV premiere of ‘Vinaya Vidheya Rama’, ‘Bigg Boss Telugu’ finale, ‘Sixth Sense’ on Maa TV,‘Sreemoyee’, ‘Dance Dance Junior’ and ‘Mohor’ on Star Jalsha, ‘Kaatrin Mozhi’, ‘Thazampoo’and ‘The Wall’ on Vijay, the World TV premiere of ‘Ambili’ and ‘Vanambaadi’ on Asianet, and ‘Upin & Ipin- new season, ‘Selfie with Bajrangi’- new season, ‘Shinchan’- new season and movie premier ‘Pokemon – Arceus Aur Jeevan ka Jewel’ on Hungama to name a few.

Below is the promotional pricing for the festive season:

Channel	Festive Offer Price (INR)	Current Price (INR)
Star Plus	12	19
Maa TV	12	19
Star Jalsha	12	19
Asianet	12	19
Vijay	12	17
Asianet Movies	12	15
Star Sports 1 Marathi	8	13
Star Sports 2	5	6
Hungama TV	1	6
National Geographic	1	2
Star Sports 3	1	2
Vijay Super	1	2
National Geographic Tamil	1	2
National Geographic Telugu	1	2
Nat Geo Wild	0.1	1
Star Sports First	0.1	1

October 12, 2019

Bringing alive the adventure of Roadies, Viacom18 Consumer Products and Work With Fun launches ‘Café Roadies’

MUMBAI: Celebrating the robust legacy of one of India’s longest-running reality shows, Viacom18 Consumer Products in association with ‘Work With Fun’ announced the launch of ‘Café Roadies’ in Noida today. The café will be a social pad for those who take inspiration from the road less travelled while they unwind over hearty meals and drinks with their troupe.

As one of the most innovative and experiential additions to the ever-burgeoning spirit of the cafe culture in India, Café Roadies is infused with the never say die 'Roadies Attitude'. Capturing the essence of youthfulness and vibrancy, reawakening their passion and rekindling their youth, with the idea of making customers feel liberated, while simultaneously aspiring them to live on one’s own terms, Café Roadies intends to be their solace and give them a memorable experience, that stands for all things travel and adventure.

Commenting on the launch of Café Roadies, Mahesh Shetty, Head- Network Sales, Viacom18, said, “At Viacom18, we believe in creating a relationship with our consumers across multiple touch-points. Our Consumer Products business therefore, works towards bringing alive content and the spirit they embody. Roadies is one of our network’s longest running shows and has a cult of its own, making it a perfect fit for extending into a lifestyle franchise. After launching Roadies range of apparels, accessories and well-being products, we are happy to partner with ‘Work With Fun’ to bring an out of TV Roadies experience to Noida and will soon expand into other markets.”

Speaking on the association, Neeraj Singhal and Ankit Gupta from Work With Fun, “Café Roadies will be the avant-garde of community and food spaces in Delhi, and across India. We have tried to articulate a place that brings adventure irrespective of their unique tastes, a feature that is evident in the menu and the name itself. It stands to serve people who love the idea of community and togetherness. We wanted to create a space that is synonymous with comfort, for an audience that prefers spending time with their loved ones or in groups and are looking to enhance their everyday experiences like Roadies. Café Roadies welcomes the audience, who have an extraordinary sense of recreation, to indulge in an ambient setting."

The rugged Roadies environment with its ritualistic activities and striking interiors will bring alive a larger than life essence to the café. To incorporate the feeling of live experiences, the café will showcase theme-based insights, entertainment via Roadies inspired events, task zones, and activities, making it a go-to place for Roadies enthusiasts. The café will also dedicate a small section to display official Roadies merchandise.

The cafe will present an enviable selection of delectable dishes and refreshing drinks. The menu is segregated in the quintessential Roadies style. Starting from Short Cut to Hell-th (soups) it includes more choices such as Survival of the Fittest (salads), Real Hero Waale Pakode, The Deadly Sins (Desserts) like Desi Cheesecake (Pan Cheesecake), Gulab Jamun with a Twist (chocolate Gulab Jamun). The café’s range of cocktails makes it distinct, constituting from the different attributes of Roadies Contestants such as The LIIT Roadie (special choice of LIITs; Wild Card, From the eat etc) , The Desi Roadie (an assortment of cocktails that include Cutting Peg, Drinks from the Fields) The Brave Roadie, The Mighty Roadie, to name a few.

October 11, 2019
ZEEL CMO Prathyusha Agarwal on niche channels in NTO, regional portfolio and subscription growth

MUMBAI: Zee Entertainment Enterprises Ltd (ZEEL) CMO Prathyusha Agarwal believes that the new tariff order (NTO) was TRAI’s best move for the industry as it has opened one more way to monetise apart from advertising. Now, subscription revenues count too. Post NTO, Zee’s subscription revenue has grown by 46 per cent in the last quarter.

Agarwal says that there was a popular belief that niche channels would suffer the most with the implementation of NTO but there was a subscription uptake. She said, “Contrary to popular belief the subscription uptake was great. We see it as an opportunity now that there will be subscription numbers available, which will be in millions.”

She further says, “So, if an advertiser is trying to reach out to premium audiences or English-consuming audiences, they know that these are the millions of people available, and what kind of consumption they are indulging in as well. So I think that NTO is a good move for niche channels. Of course, at first, the last mile was giving the idea that English channels are only available in higher-priced packs and such things. But we campaigned for the English cluster and that’s our focus even today. That's a great way to go for a niche channel and even for the advertiser, as this is where they have audiences who have consciously purchased you and you can reach out through advertising.”

Agarwal goes on to say that in tier 2 cities, English content is available only through TV channels and Zee’s aim is to serve them curated content. “Our single-minded focus for the English cluster is about getting great quality, exclusive content and making it available first on TV,” she says.

There is bound to be some pricing variable since this is happening for the first time. “The NTO move has been contrary to all popular belief; pay channels have grown in reach. So there's been a 5 per cent growth at all India level and 10 per cent growth at an HSM-level for pay GECs. From Q1 FY 19 to Q1 FY 20 there is also been a 1.5 per cent increase in total TV viewership,” she reveals.

“Last quarter, we had a 46 per cent growth in subscription revenues thanks to our strong regional channel brands as well. For example in Zee Marathi and Zee Bangla, our share is more than number two and number three put together. We've had that kind of pull in the market and hence the ease of transition was faster for us,” she adds. Agarwal says that where the channel number dropped from 50 to 40, the quality of consumption has improved.

Even though NTO took a toll on several companies’ finances, Agarwal says that there was a larger economic downturn as well. People held on to the money to invest for festive time, which is the later part of the year. That is taking place now.

She goes on to state that the 30 per cent of Zee viewers has converted to 80 per cent. While people knew they wanted Zee channels, the network eased the process and friction.

Recently, TRAI released a consultation paper to review NTO stating that broadcasters have been misusing the new rule. On this, Agarwal says that people are only getting accustomed to the new climate. “I don't think anybody is trying to misuse. When you get a variable for the first time, it will take a while before market dynamics and the feedback loop happens. I would actually say that the entire sector needs to come together and ensure demand pricing stabilises. The current journey is more of a learning journey and it happens in any category where pricing is just about to start,” she adds.

Zee will continue to build culturally deep-seated content and original hours in every region. But the single-minded focus across channels is to drive demand lead subscriptions. “I think there's no better way than consumers asking for your channels and ensuring that we are available, easily accessible and delivering value. Going ahead, the roadmap will strongly drive the behaviour of evolving purchase and subscription and that's what will drive our subscription revenues.”

As clients want to speak to the different regions of India, she says, “We will focus to do more and maybe expand the portfolio in the regional. We will add more and more offerings to speak to the many Indias.”

October 11, 2019
Star and Disney India commit to reduce usage of single-use plastics across their offices

MUMBAI: Star and Disney India has announced their commitment to cut-down on the use of single-use plastics across their offices. As a part of this decision, the company has introduced alternatives to single-use plastics in their office premises.

The company has always been extremely conscious of its carbon footprint and the impact it has on the environment. They have already replaced plastic teacups with paper cups, plastic stirrers with wooden stirrers, tea and coffee sachets with paper sachets, and added biodegradable plastic wrappers for umbrellas. Additionally, plastic bottles have been replaced with glass jars with immediate effect.

“At Star and Disney India, we have always believed in being a responsible corporate citizen and with this small step we want to inspire a more sustainable lifestyle. Today, plastic waste is at epidemic proportions in the world's oceans with over 9 million tons of plastic waste being dumped every year with 40% of this being used only once and disposed,” said The Walt Disney Company APAC President and Star & Disney India Chairman Uday Shankar. “It’s about time for us as corporates to make the change for a better tomorrow,” he added.

On October 2, 2019, National Geographic channel, part of the Star Network launched the Planet or Plastic? Pledge, an initiative aimed at addressing the pressing problem of single-use plastics by raising awareness and encouraging people around the country to take a pledge.

The initiative received an overwhelming response with 47,000 tweets and 881 million impressions on social media. The pledges generated a commitment to reduce 25 million items of plastic in the first 24 hours. In 2012, Star pioneered the digital broadcast ecosystem by moving its content from tape to cloud, dramatically reducing its carbon footprint.

October 10, 2019