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Tag: Alok Agrawal

  • Zee Media brings DNA under its fold

    Zee Media brings DNA under its fold

    MUMBAI: It was in early 2012 that the Subhash Chandra owned company Essel Group bought out its Joint Venture (JV) partner D B Corp’s 50 per cent stake in the English national newspaper DNA, cementing the media baron’s presence in the print media. Now, it has taken a long leap again. In a recent announcement to the Bombay Stock Exchange (BSE), Zee Media Corporation Limited (ZMCL) announced its intention to venture into the print media business with the amalgamation of Essel Publishers that brings out DNA and itself.

     

    Following a postal ballot held between 30 October and 28 November, 95.46 per cent or 652 people out of 683 shareholders were in favour of the amalgamation.

     

    “Having already built a nationwide largest television news network with its varied news channels, with an object of creating a news powerhouse in the country, Zee Media aspires to expand its product offering across multiple platforms, regions and languages,” read the document to investors on the amalgamation scheme.

     

    And it was in keeping with Zee group chairman Subhash Chandra statement in a release a while ago that the company is on a mission to consolidate its broadcast, print and internet content under one umbrella.

     

    According to ZMCL CEO Alok Agrawal, the merger process has just begun and will take a year to complete. And the net result (says the document sent out to shareholders following which they gave the fusing of the two firms the nod) will be that : “Zee Media will be in a position to leverage the combined network of resources, working in an integrated newsroom through multiple platforms as well as providing a bouquet of services to advertisers which would strengthen its market reach.”

     

    “Stories will be shared across the two mediums thus allowing English, Hindi and other regional languages to benefit from each other,” says Agrawal. With this move, ZMCL employees will be also be multi-tasking just like in other efficiently run media organisations the world over.

     

    At the same time, it means additional work as well. “Employees will get cross exposure now. Those who accept the challenge will prosper and those who don’t will falter. That’s the law of the land,” remarks Agrawal.

     

    Since 2009, the management of DNA has been handled by the Essel Group with Malcolm Mistry as the current CEO. The integrated newsroom will take some time to evolve. Initially, the focus will be on evaluating the requirement for separate offices for the two media entities, consolidating the teams wherever possible in various cities nationally, and in the process generate savings.

     

    ZMCL has its eye set firmly on expanding DNA by launching new editions in newer towns in phases. DNA is currently published from Mumbai, Pune, Ahmedabad, Jaipur, Indore and Bengaluru. Delhi would be the next target;however, Agrawal says it will take some time as Delhi is a very competitive market with The Times of India and The Hindustan Times fiercely battling each other.

     

    According to the Indian Readership Survey 2012 Q4 topline findings the circulation of DNA was 972, 000. The number may well have gone up significantly since then.

     

    Was it easy to convince shareholders about the expansion plans? “The overwhelming response we got was surely a bit of a surprise but they saw the good opportunity. As a TV channel, our reach was limited and the amalgamation makes it more holistic and well rounded,” explains Agrawal. ZMCL claims that its bouquet of six channels in the news space reach out around 130 million viewers.

     

    The deal proposed to shareholders was that for every 11 shares of Re 1 each held in Essel Publishers, 2 shares of Re 1 each from ZMCL would be issued and allotted. But no shares would be given for fractional entitlements. Post the announcement, the market value of ZMCL’s share saw a spike and at the time of filing this report it was quoting at Rs 14.04 on the BSE.

     

    The authorised share capital of Essel Publishers and ZMCL put together has been enhanced to Rs 170 crore with Rs 70 crore from Essel Publishers and Rs !00 crore from ZMCL.

     

    The amalgamation scheme became effective from 3 December and thus Essel Publishers now stands dissolved without being wound up. And all the newspaper staff have henceforth become ZMCL employees.

     

    ZMCL’s financial result for Q2 2014 showed that advertising and subscription revenues were higher than the previous quarter. Total revenue for Q2 2014 was Rs 160.7 crore with ad revenue at Rs 52.92 crore and subscription revenue at Rs 24.9 crore. PAT stood at Rs 2.8 crore while EBIDTA stood at Rs 74.8 crore.

  • Zee News targets Gen Y

    Zee News targets Gen Y

    MUMBAI: ZMCL’s (ZEE Media Corporation Ltd) main Hindi news channel Zee News is targeting the youth demographic.

     

    For starters, the management has given the channel and programming packaging a total makeover with bright and peppy colours being added. Fresh, zingy promos have been hitting the airwaves as part of a campaign titled ‘Khabrein apke rangon mein’ which tries to drive home the point “that news is never black and white, there are several hues to it.”

     

    For some time now, the channel has been pitching that the Indian youth need to change their thinking to change the nation (soch badlo desh badlo). And this new campaign is another effort on the part of Zee News to lure the fickle but curious youth to tune in to its daily bulletins.

     

    Says ZMCL CEO Alok Agrawal: “The aim is to be their eyes, ears, and conscience. The channel will be in tandem with their world, in sync with their energy. With ‘Khabrein Apke Rangon Mein’, we will interact with them, touch their life and wear their pride. We aim to empower, influence and impact the opinion of this youthful and vibrant India.”

     

    “In today’s scenario the youth is interested in what is happening nationally and globally,” says ZMCL editor Sudhir Chaudhary.  “Our efforts will be to reach and connect with the viewers, especially youth and provide them with news that is contemporary, vibrant and topical.”

     

    Many have tried but few have succeeded in hooking the quickly evolving young viewer – for too long. Will Zee News’ fresh push yield results?

  • Zee 24 Gantalu faces acid test

    Zee 24 Gantalu faces acid test

    MUMBAI: Change is in the air at Zee Media Corp Ltd’s (ZMCL) Telugu news channel Zee 24 Gantalu. Reason: the management has decided to restructure the straggler in the ZMCL portfolio, which has been buffeted by competition in the hyper-news state of Andhra Pradesh.

    ZMCL had set up Zee 24 Gantalu in a 50:50 association with a local politician Satyanarayanan Botsa, whose brother Sateesh Botsa ran the channel.

    “It is not viable for us to run it in its current state. We have invested heavily in Zee 24 Gantalu and have tried many different strategies to make it work. But it has been losing a lot of money,” says ZMCL CEO Alok Agrawal. “We are currently reevaluating the options before us.”

    Among the options before it is shutting down the channel. But Agrawal says no decision has been taken in this direction. “We will know clearly in a couple of weeks what we will do,” he points out.

    What is clear is that the association between Botsa and ZMCL will not continue with Zee 24 Gantalu, if one goes by what Sateesh Botsa has told indiantelevision.com. Quoting him: “It was a management call to stop the channel due to several reasons. Now it is completely a ZMCL property. As a news channel it has stopped but they (Zee) may want to continue it as another channel.”

     

    Alok Agrawal admits that the channel has been incurring losses and that they are looking at restructuri

    A surf through the Telugu news channels space shows that Zee 24 Gantalu is airing only entertainment video footage and fillers without any ticker as of now. Additionally, rival channels told indiantelevision.com that Zee 24 Gantalu staff has started approaching them for jobs. An employee stated that the management has hammered out a severance package under the direction of ZMCL CFO Dinesh Garg which includes three months pay. Agrawal however stated that this is not true and that it could be possible that employees have chosen to look for jobs, because they know that a major restructuring is planned. Zee 24 Gantalu reportedly has 300 employees working with it.

    The channel has been in the news recently because of the cases which have been filed against it for the stories it has aired – the latest one involving the Andhra Pradesh Police DGP V Dinesh Reddy. According to sources, this was one of the reasons that prompted Botsa to opt out.

    Who chose to opt out is not clear, but clearly a new chapter is about to be written in the Zee 24 Gantalu saga.

  • Industry leaders’ thoughts on Independence Day

    Independence. We in India have had it for so many years that the India that is emerging does not know what it is like to not be free. For millions, the struggle to get freedom from the British, Portuguese and sundry other rulers are just chapters in their history books. But occasions like Independence Day and Republic Day remind us that we were once subservient and that we overcame bondage and won our freedom.

    15 August is the 67th year of our independence. For sure, the Indian flag will be hoisted in neighbourhoods all over India. Smaller flags will be mounted on cars, cycles and bikes. And even smaller ones pinned on our shirt pockets. Patriotic songs will be played out on radio and on TV.

    And hopefully for a day we will forget all our complaints against rising prices, economic upheaval, a political and administrative class that is showing little backbone for fair governance and well-being of its citizenry, corruption and the lack of respect that many in India have for women. Hopefully, we will remember the price that was paid for the valuable freedom that we enjoy today. And feel proud to be Indian. We, at indiantelevision.com surely are and even proudly carry it in our name.

    Indiantelevision.com‘s young team of journalists spoke to senior professionals from the advertising, broadcasting, cable TV and marketing sectors to get a fix on their feelings on India‘s 67th Independence Day. And also to gather from them on what their favourite patriotic song or movie is. Read on to feel patriotic:

    O&M India executive chairman & NCD Piyush Pandey

    I am very proud to be an Indian. I think India is a very significant country with many diverse cultures and we have come a long way. In the future, I wish the country to be in a much better shape than what it is currently.

    Mile Sur Mera Tumhara is my favourite patriotic song and truly depicts the light of Indian culture and unity amongst Indians.

    NDTV executive vice chairperson Narayan Rao

    I feel good that we live in an independent country but it shouldn‘t be taken for granted.

    I‘d like broadcasting to be world class and for journalism to have high standards, credibility and ethics.
    My favourite song is Saare Jahan Se Achchha.
    Publicis director, CCO south Asia Bobby Pawar

    Yes I am proud and happy as well that I am living in an independent country as an independent man.

    I really don‘t have any ideas about where the industry is headed. If I did know, then I probably would make millions on it. However, I am very optimistic about the growth in the industry.

    My favourite movie is my friend‘s Prasoon Joshi‘s film Rang De Basanti and the title song from the same movie is my favourite song.

    Discovery Networks Asia Pacific, sr VP & GM, head of revenue, pan-regional ad sales & south asia, Rahul Johri

    I am proud of being an Indian and happy about it. I think in the coming years the broadcasting industry will evolve as the market evolves. I see many more options on offer for viewers and I see the broadcasting industry only growing further.

    My favourite patriotic song is the video Ye Mera India by Saleem and Suleiman which is on Animal Planet.

    Zee, chief content and creative officer Bharat Kumar Ranga

    I renamed myself from Mukesh to Bharat, when I was in the fourth standard. I fell in love with Manoj Kumar‘s character as Bharat inUpkaar. So when I was filling my form for fifth standard, I renamed myself as Bharat. This is how deeply I feel about India. Though firangi competition is welcome, but in India only Indians will rule. I am among those, who believes in the country.

    It is in India, that media enjoys the stature of being the fourth pillar. It started with print and went on to books and films. There was a certain independence given to broadcasters, but that was not utilised to the maximum. Though India has done well in a lot of sectors, but growth in media has not been great. We need to break away from daily and weekly competitions to unleash the power of media.

    My favourite patriotic song is Mere Desh Ki Dharti from the movie Upkaar, I still get all charged up hearing the song. Purab and Paschim was one movie which aptly brought out the power of India, and that is my favourite patriotic movie.
    Draftfcb+Ulka advertising ED & CEO Ambi M G Parameswaran

    I am proud to be an Indian. And I value my freedom. 
    As a nation, the change I would like to see is that the slowdown, which we are witnessing, goes away. I know it will be another 12-18 months before that happens, but then we will see double digit growth after that. The GDP growth needs to regain momentum, business confidence need to rise, rural development really needs to happen, and food prices need to come down.

    My favourite patriotic movie is the Tamil film Kappalottiya Thamizhan.
    Star Den Media Services, CEO Gurjeev Singh Kapoor

    We feel proud to be independent and we celebrated Independence Day at our workplace too on 14 August. Everyone was wearing small paper flags across their hearts proudly. We decked up the office with balloons and placed a small flag on every workstation.

    In broadcasting, freedom of expression is critical and this has rarely happened in the past, but it is witnessing a change. Things have gone through a revolutionary change and kudos to the industry for bringing in this welcome change.

    I love patriotic movies, but Saat Hindustani (1969) andShaheed (1965) figure among my favourites.

    Zee News CEO Alok Agrawal

    I feel good as an Indian. We are living in a democratic country. There are lots of things we need to do to improve. We all have some amount of influence that we can use.

    We are launching an entire new initiative Bharat Bhagyavita. Our responsibility as media is to inform and empower people with knowledge and make them aware of their rights and encourage them to do something about what‘s going on.

    Nothing comes to mind. I don‘t go by defining a favourite. Any patriotic song is fine. I like almost all songs.

    Media Consultant, Sanjeev Hiremath

    For me patriotism is a feeling and cannot be defined in a song, though I really love the Hollywood movie ‘Independence Day‘.

    In the 67th year of Independence, the biggest achievement for India is that it is no longer considered as a developing nation. A lot of Indian companies are now investing in overseas business. Our GDP is robust and we are above world average. I am proud to be an Indian and the reason is its diverse culture. My only concern is that though individually we are progressing, the country collectively isn‘t. Even today 70 per cent of the population lives on 1.50 dollars a day. It makes me sad. The political scenario needs to improve.

    What is good about the cable and satellite industry is that we are not 10 years behind when we compare ourselves to other countries. We have been making gradual progress and now with DAS, in the next two years we will be up close with the world cable and satellite industry.

    Playtime Creations TV producer Hemal Thakakar

    As an Indian we feel proud that we had so many great men and women who gave their lives for freedom we enjoy today. Somewhere I think we have failed them and have misused freedom which they got for us. I hope, pray and wish we correct that.

    For broadcasters, future is shining. Digitisation is beginning of new horizon as our country gets hungry for more entertainment and infotainment. New avenues are discovered and looking at the Indian diaspora and the fact that we are a young nation, the broadcast industry is going to get a major boost.

    My favourite song is the title track from the film Swades and Kandho Se Milte Hain Kandhe.

  • ZMCL reports 112 per cent PAT growth in Q1-2014 compared to Q1-2013

    BENGALURU: Zee Media Corporation Limited (ZMCL), formerly Zee News Limited announced good growth figures for Q1-2014 as compared to Q1-2013, but middling to flat and lower results when compared to the previous quarter Q4-2013. The Company owns and operates seven news/current affairs and regional language channels, namely Zee News, Zee Business, Zee 24 Taas, Zee 24 Gantalu, Zee Uttar Pradesh Uttarakhand, Zee Madhya Pradesh Chhattisgarh and Zee Punjab Haryana Himachal.

    Let us take a look at the Q1-2014 figures

    ZMCL reported more than doubling of PAT (112 per cent) to Rs 8.51 crore in Q1-2014 as compared to PAT of Rs 4.01 crore in Q1-2013 and a 6.1 per cent growth as compared to Q4-2013.

    Operating revenues grew 12.2 per cent (y-o-y) to Rs 77.68 crore in Q1-2014 as compared to Rs 68.88 crore reported in Q1-2013. However, ZMCL‘s operating revenues for Q1-2014 were 1.7 per cent lower than the Rs 79.04 crore reported for Q4-2013. Income from operations at Rs 70.2 crore in Q1-2014 grew 16.4 per cent from Rs 60.286 crore in Q1-2013.

    Advertising revenues which constituted 68.1 per cent of the total revenues for Q1-2014 grew 14.2 per cent (y-o-y) to Rs 52.9 crore as compared to Rs 46.32 crore (67.2 per cent of total revenues for the quarter) in Q1-2013 and were up 1.4 per cent as compared to the Rs 52.19 crore (66 per cent of the total revenues for the quarter) reported in Q4-2013.

    Subscription revenues in Q1-2014 also grew, albeit at a higher rate of 19.3 per cent to Rs 21 crore (27 per cent of the total revenues for the quarter) as compared to the Rs 17.6 crore (25.6 per cent of the total revenues for the quarter) reported for Q1-2013, but were 5.4 per cent lower than the Rs 22.2 crore (28.1 per cent of total revenues for the quarter) ZMCL reported for Q4-2013.

    Other sales and services saw a drop of 23.2 per cent to Rs 3.78 crore in Q1-2014 from Rs 4.96 crore reported in Q1-2013 and were 19.2 per cent lower than the Rs 4.68 crore for Q4-2013.

    In Q1-2014, total expenses saw a small jump of 7.6 per cent to Rs 68.37 crore from the Rs 63.55 crore reported in Q1-2013 and were 8.1 per cent lower than the Rs 74.4 crore for Q4-2013.

    ZMCL director Punit Goenka said, “Our ambition to reach deeper into the lives of our viewers has led us to change our name from Zee News Limited to Zee Media Corporation Limited. We will continue to pursue growth in the untapped regions of our country and provide them with varied news, infotainment and entertainment content across delivery platforms. Apart from the latest launch of Zee Madhya Pradesh Chhattisgarh, we have also launched Zee Rajasthan recently. The channel has content for all facets of the viewer from Rajasthan, be it crisper local news bulletins, entertainment programmes reflecting the typical lifestyle or discussions on issues related to the common Rajasthani man.”

    ZMCL whole-time director Alok Agrawal said, “Even as we are aggressively expanding our regional channel bouquet, we have not left sight of our current deliverables. We have made efforts to squeeze even more efficiency out of our operations and have restricted increase of various costs. On the other hand, both Advertising and Subscription Revenues have shown an increase over the last year. We have taken special initiatives related to the content which are expected to yield results in the coming quarters.”

  • Zee Media drives into Rajasthan

    Zee Media drives into Rajasthan

    MUMBAI: When Zee group chairman Subhash Chandra, launched India's first private Hindi general entertainment channel way back in the early nineties, he named it so because he wanted it to be the ultimate provider of entertainment to Indians the world over. Now the group is taking that vision a step further. 33 channels already under its belt and it is all set to add to that tally with a few new ones. Among the first of these is the regional offering: Zee Rajasthan Plus.

    CEO Alok Agrawal says that with the new venture, Zee is attempting to portray Rajasthan's rich culture on the channel

    The channel, which is under the umbrella of Zee Media Corporation Ltd (ZMCL), will have an equal balance of news and entertainment and is being bundled under something its CEO Alok Agrawal calls the "terrestrial entertainment network (TEN)."

    "Agreed, that the investment needed for it is going to be more than that needed for a general news channel," says Agrawal. "But it's something we believe has a lot of potential." Sources indicate that the Zee Media management has kept aside about Rs 15-20 crore per annum for the channel.

    Headquartered in Jaipur and headed by regional head Purushottam Vaishnav, it is targeting the Hindi speaking audiences in India with a programming mix in Hindi and Rajasthani dialects and is set for a launch on 31 July. With the slogan 'mera shaan mera abhimaan', the channel plans to integrate many genres in one channel with 'something for everyone.'

    Its entertainment offering will have both fiction and non-fiction shows touching on a bit of travel, automobile, real estate, shopping, food, and investments. Its news programming slate will have both half hour shows and smaller news bulletins covering regional, national and international developments and will be fed by news bureaus and news representatives and crews in almost all major Rajasthani cities (even at the block level). Its existing infrastructure for the various Zee News channels will, of course, be of great help.

    "Rajasthani people are very proud of their culture and we are going to reflect that in our channel," says Agrawal. Its target audience ranges from children to the elderly with specific shows for each during the day.

    The weekend will have more feature shows and a lunch time movie will be telecast which is either set in the state or about the local people. Additionally, popular shows from the Zee group's catalogue are to be be telecast for a few weeks but in due course, original commissioned and localised programming, keeping the state's vibrant culture in mind, will be added to the FPC, reveals Agrawal.

    A big bang marketing and promotional campaign has been planned post-launch. It includes promos on the Zee TV network channels, billboards, radio, print, online and below the line activities in Rajasthan. Agrawal proudly says that pre-teelcast more than 50 brands – both local and national – have signed on, taking advantage of the inaugural ad rates which are on for a limited time.

    Zee Rajasthan Plus is being beamed off Asiasat 3S (105.5 degrees east) and will be available free during a six month preview period on both cable TV and satellite, following which the plan is to go pay, explains Agrawal."The idea is to initially focus its distribution push on Rajasthan, and then move into other states," he adds.

    Of course, it will be running into head on competition with existing players like ETV Rajasthan, and Sahara Samay's regional news channel. But Agrawal believes that should not be a problem. "Our whole effort is to bring people from different walks of life, together, on the channel," says Agrawal. "And we have got our strategy right."

    He and his team probably have, but it's now over to the viewers.

  • Jitesh Rajdeo to head sales of Zee News Ltd

    NEW DELHI: Zee News Ltd (ZNL) has appointed Jitesh Rajdeo as its chief sales officer to head the sales function of all the news channels of the company.

    Rajdeo will report to ZNL chief executive officer Alok Agrawal.

    “With Zee News Ltd’s mantra of ‘Soch Badlo, Desh Badlo’, we aim at building a network of persistent and consistent actions throughout the length and breadth of the nation keeping in mind consolidation of our leadership position. To put the words into action we have decided to aggressively take newer initiatives and hence want to ramp up our team”, said Agrawal.

    Rajdeo was earlier promoted to the position of Revenue Head of DNA in March 2011 from his profile of Network Head – Key Accounts in Zee Entertainment Enterprises Ltd (Zeel). He has been associated with the Zee Group since 2000, having worked in various capacities in the organisation. During his tenure with the group, he has worked as national sales head of Zee Cinema as well.

    In 2009, when Zee restructured its ad sales division to form two core clusters, Rajdeo was in charge of the cluster that included the regional GECs (general entertainment channels) and news channels of the group.

    “Rajdeo has been with Zee Group for the past 13 years and had a good track record across various group channels in different roles. This experience would be helpful in taking up his role in ZNL and in helping in our growth,” said Agrawal.

    Added Rajdeo: “This new role certainly is quite challenging. In my past profiles, whether it was integrating DNA with Zee culture or heading the Network team or even looking after the Regional Cluster of Zeel were major responsibilities. I am ready for the challenge and committed to deliver on the organisation‘s expectations.”

  • Zee News Ltd Q3 ad rev strong, no big fall in carriage fee

    Zee News Ltd Q3 ad rev strong, no big fall in carriage fee

    MUMBAI: A double-digit ad revenue growth has helped Zee News Ltd (ZNL) put up a performance better than the market expectations in the festive quarter but a top executive of the company cautioned that a significant turnaround in spending by advertisers is yet to be visible.

     

    The carriage payout to cable networks has only marginally dropped in the digitised markets and subscription growth has been subdued.

     

    ZNL’s ad revenue rose 14.8 per cent to Rs 595.6 million in the fiscal-third quarter from Rs 518.8 million a year earlier, despite a ‘significant opportunity’ loss in terms of advertising revenues from the government.

     

    “There was a better utilisation of ad inventory during the festival season and we also offered branding and event-based solutions to advertisers. But this is not to say that the ad slowdown has lifted and there is a big turnaround. We will outperform the market which is growing in single digit,” ZNL chief executive officer Alok Agrawal told Indiantelevision.com.

     

    ZNL’s ad revenue growth for the full-fiscal will be in single digit. TV news broadcasters have been fighting the government on ad rates and are not accepting DAVP (Directorate of Audio Visual Publication) advertising. “The standoff continues and NBA (News Broadcasters Association) members are not carrying DAVP ads,” said Agrawal.

     

    ZNL posted a 14.2 per cent growth in net profit to Rs 185.5 million in the third quarter ended 31 December from Rs 162.5 million a year earlier.Its operating profit (Ebidta) in the third quarter stood at Rs 196.7 million against Rs 189.7 million in the corresponding period of the previous fiscal.

     

    The news broadcaster, which has seven channels in its portfolio, reported consolidated revenues of Rs 858.4 million in the third quarter, an increase of 10.1 per cent from Rs 779.7 million a year ago.

     

    Subscription revenue stood at Rs 222 million, down 0.3 per cent from the previous quarter, and up 15.2 per cent from the earlier-year period.

     

    Operating expenditure jumped 12.2 per cent to Rs 661.7 million due to increase in employee costs and other expenses.

     

    Carriage fee has only fallen marginally in the digitised markets. “There has been no significant reduction in carriage fee in the completely digitised markets of Delhi and Mumbai. It has not definitely gone as per the plans of the news broadcasters,” said Agrawal.

  • Zee News’ new brand philosophy is ‘Soch Badlo, Desh Badlo’

    NEW DELHI: “Soch Badlo, Desh Badlo” is the new philosophy of Zee News, stressing its “quest towards purposeful positive change, to balance thoughts and positive actions”.

    The journey from ‘Zara Sochiye’ to ‘Jazba Soch ka’ to ‘Soch Badlo, Desh Badlo’ has been a consistent one for Zee News, aimed at probing, practicing and initiating new thoughts and actions for a positive future, one which is in line with the thoughts of the buzzing democracy that India is today.

    Through this fresh initiative, Zee News not only asks people to have consistent and positive thoughts but also to go ahead and take affirmative action. “It is a more participatory and mutually contributory journey that Zee News wishes to undertake with its viewers. The viewers should move beyond the stage where they were mute spectators but to participate or precipitate change,” Zee News said.

    India has transformed into a thinking nation and the recent surge of responses and the mass activism has propelled Zee News’ involvement where action is also bundled with thoughts.

    Zee News CEO Alok Agrawal said, “‘Soch Badlo, Desh Badlo’ is the right step towards what we had set out to do with provoking the nation’s thought and in trying to be a catalyst in transforming India and the society. We will strive in Zee News to engage with our viewers more and cascade and translate our views into various actions with the public at large for bringing in positive perceivable change.”

  • Alok Agrawal quits Cheil Worldwide

    MUMBAI: After a stint of over four years, Cheil Worldwide South West Asia chief operating officer Alok Agarwal has decided to move on.

    Agarwal‘s next assignment is still unknown.

    He has an experience of over two decades in advertising, branding, communication and marketing. He had joined Cheil Worldwide, India in 2008.

    Prior to joining Cheil, he had worked with Bates as executive vice president for almost five years. He had also worked with Grey Worldwide and IndiaEuro RSCG, India.