ITV

Tag: Essel Group

  • Zee News goes Free-To-Air

    Zee News goes Free-To-Air

    MUMBAI: Subhash Chandra’s national Hindi news channel Zee News is now a Free-To-Air (FTA) channel. The decision was taken at a board meeting held on 6 May 2016.

    A flagship property of Zee Media Corporation company and a subsidiary of Essel Group, the channel was founded in 1999 and is an Indian news and current affairs channel.

    It may also be recalled that ZMCL CEO Bhaskar Das was recently moved to Zee Unimedia Limited as president and chief growth and innovation officer. 
    Zee Media Corporation Limited is India’s one of the largest news network with 10 channels, Mumbai edition of DNA newspaper and digital properties like zeenews.com and dnaindia.com.

  • Living Foodz draws up an appetising menu: website, app, new shows

    Living Foodz draws up an appetising menu: website, app, new shows

    MUMBAI: Essel Group’s international food and lifestyle channel, Living Foodz, had hit Indian television waves in September 2015. The channel is already riding on a wave of success within 7 months of its launch. Apart from curating 100 hours of original content for the Indian market, Living Foodz will roll-out its website in May, while the application will launch by June this year. The channel plans to create a marketing buzz within 30 to 60 days. Living Foodz is also looking at converting into HD by the end of this financial year and has already applied for a few licenses and is waiting for approvals.

    “Converting Living Foodz into HD is definitely on the agenda. We have already applied for a few licenses. In any case, 100 per cent of our programming is in HD but as far as the audiences are concerned, the HD penetration is still limited. Business viability and economics dictate that you have a good enough audience reach to justify advertising revenue. It will have to be an optimum and improvement call at an appropriate time for us to decide whether we should create an additional HD channel or go solo HD”, revealed Zee Entertainment’s Living Group APAC and India CEO Piyush Sharma.

    The channel believes that producing original content plays a pivotal role in ensuring enhanced reach. With many channels lying on content library and syndication, Living Foodz stresses on making quality content to enhance brand equity and hold audiences.

    As reported earlier by Indiantelevision.com, under the Living Entertainment umbrella, the group will unveil its other new channel Living Zen, which it plans to launch in the third quarter. Focused on health, wellness and happiness, it is likely to be followed by the launch of Living Rootz, Living Homez and Living Travelz every quarter thereafter.

    Living Foodz claims to have a 40 per cent market share in the lifestyle genre and will continue to focus on food as its strong component for content. To strengthen its footprint in the lifestyle space, the channel has announced a new show Sunday show Ganga:The Soul of India. Bollywood actress Dia Mirza will make her debut on TV with this new offering. The show will launch on 1 May 2016 and will air at 12 noon with a repeat telecast at 7 pm on the same day. The one hour per episode 10 episode show will see Mirza narrating the multi-faced story of the Ganges as she travels through many towns along the majestic river.

    Promising to give viewers a peek into the legacy shaped by India’s longest river, the show has bagged Airtel 4G as title sponsor and Gowardhan Ghee as co-powered by sponsor, while American Tourister is the travel partner. The travel food documentary will explore every part of what the river has to offer, including the people, history, mythology, anthropology, adventure, music and the cuisine.

    “Quality of content is very important to attract viewers as well as advertisers on any show. The reason why we have these sponsors on board is because of our ambitious content. Travelling is an enriching experience that often remains etched in our memories forever. Ganga: The Soul of India will give our viewers a never-before opportunity to experience the culture, history and cuisine offered along the banks of the sacred Ganges through the eyes of Dia Mirza, who is an ardent traveller. We could not think of a better concept and host to marry the ideas of travel and culture in the Indian context,” said Living Foodz business head Amit Nair.

    “It is impossible for me to encapsulate in a sentence the boundless joy, the learning, the discovery, the adventure Ganga: The Soul of India has brought to my life. For those seeking to define the idea of India, this is the journey to be a part of!” said Mirza.

    The show allowed her to combine her passion and love with professional experience, added Mirza. She also said that while the show was a deeply spiritual and inward journey, it was also physically challenging. This was especially true in higher terrains.

    “Before this, I had said no to reality shows and the typical formats that actors get offered. I want people to make their own roadmap. Slow travel gives you a personal, warm and an enriching experience. TV gives you the opportunity to present yourself as who you are. The show encompasses all that I wanted to explore and do,” she said further.

    It has also launched a coffee table book amalgamating the entire journey of Mirza and the team from Gomukh in the Himalayas to the Gangasagar delta where it meets the Bay of Bengal.

    “The numbers speak for us. One of the key reasons why people watch us rather than any other channel is because we create original relevant content set in context for our viewers. All our shows have a deeper connection with the audience which leads to more viewer engagement and time spent. As far as creating original content in the factual space goes, I think we are the leaders making the largest amount of factual entertainment content,” added Nair.

    As far as the marketing goes, Ganga: The Soul of India will be cross promoted on the other channels under Zee Network. The show will be primarily displayed on TV and digital platforms while the channel has also planned more specific market activities like the book launch.

    With a strategically shaped business road map, it will be interesting to see how this new feature in the growing factual entertainment genre can retain its dominance.

     

  • Living Foodz draws up an appetising menu: website, app, new shows

    Living Foodz draws up an appetising menu: website, app, new shows

    MUMBAI: Essel Group’s international food and lifestyle channel, Living Foodz, had hit Indian television waves in September 2015. The channel is already riding on a wave of success within 7 months of its launch. Apart from curating 100 hours of original content for the Indian market, Living Foodz will roll-out its website in May, while the application will launch by June this year. The channel plans to create a marketing buzz within 30 to 60 days. Living Foodz is also looking at converting into HD by the end of this financial year and has already applied for a few licenses and is waiting for approvals.

    “Converting Living Foodz into HD is definitely on the agenda. We have already applied for a few licenses. In any case, 100 per cent of our programming is in HD but as far as the audiences are concerned, the HD penetration is still limited. Business viability and economics dictate that you have a good enough audience reach to justify advertising revenue. It will have to be an optimum and improvement call at an appropriate time for us to decide whether we should create an additional HD channel or go solo HD”, revealed Zee Entertainment’s Living Group APAC and India CEO Piyush Sharma.

    The channel believes that producing original content plays a pivotal role in ensuring enhanced reach. With many channels lying on content library and syndication, Living Foodz stresses on making quality content to enhance brand equity and hold audiences.

    As reported earlier by Indiantelevision.com, under the Living Entertainment umbrella, the group will unveil its other new channel Living Zen, which it plans to launch in the third quarter. Focused on health, wellness and happiness, it is likely to be followed by the launch of Living Rootz, Living Homez and Living Travelz every quarter thereafter.

    Living Foodz claims to have a 40 per cent market share in the lifestyle genre and will continue to focus on food as its strong component for content. To strengthen its footprint in the lifestyle space, the channel has announced a new show Sunday show Ganga:The Soul of India. Bollywood actress Dia Mirza will make her debut on TV with this new offering. The show will launch on 1 May 2016 and will air at 12 noon with a repeat telecast at 7 pm on the same day. The one hour per episode 10 episode show will see Mirza narrating the multi-faced story of the Ganges as she travels through many towns along the majestic river.

    Promising to give viewers a peek into the legacy shaped by India’s longest river, the show has bagged Airtel 4G as title sponsor and Gowardhan Ghee as co-powered by sponsor, while American Tourister is the travel partner. The travel food documentary will explore every part of what the river has to offer, including the people, history, mythology, anthropology, adventure, music and the cuisine.

    “Quality of content is very important to attract viewers as well as advertisers on any show. The reason why we have these sponsors on board is because of our ambitious content. Travelling is an enriching experience that often remains etched in our memories forever. Ganga: The Soul of India will give our viewers a never-before opportunity to experience the culture, history and cuisine offered along the banks of the sacred Ganges through the eyes of Dia Mirza, who is an ardent traveller. We could not think of a better concept and host to marry the ideas of travel and culture in the Indian context,” said Living Foodz business head Amit Nair.

    “It is impossible for me to encapsulate in a sentence the boundless joy, the learning, the discovery, the adventure Ganga: The Soul of India has brought to my life. For those seeking to define the idea of India, this is the journey to be a part of!” said Mirza.

    The show allowed her to combine her passion and love with professional experience, added Mirza. She also said that while the show was a deeply spiritual and inward journey, it was also physically challenging. This was especially true in higher terrains.

    “Before this, I had said no to reality shows and the typical formats that actors get offered. I want people to make their own roadmap. Slow travel gives you a personal, warm and an enriching experience. TV gives you the opportunity to present yourself as who you are. The show encompasses all that I wanted to explore and do,” she said further.

    It has also launched a coffee table book amalgamating the entire journey of Mirza and the team from Gomukh in the Himalayas to the Gangasagar delta where it meets the Bay of Bengal.

    “The numbers speak for us. One of the key reasons why people watch us rather than any other channel is because we create original relevant content set in context for our viewers. All our shows have a deeper connection with the audience which leads to more viewer engagement and time spent. As far as creating original content in the factual space goes, I think we are the leaders making the largest amount of factual entertainment content,” added Nair.

    As far as the marketing goes, Ganga: The Soul of India will be cross promoted on the other channels under Zee Network. The show will be primarily displayed on TV and digital platforms while the channel has also planned more specific market activities like the book launch.

    With a strategically shaped business road map, it will be interesting to see how this new feature in the growing factual entertainment genre can retain its dominance.

     

  • ZMCL appoints WION’s Rohit Gandhi as editor-in-chief for its English daily

    ZMCL appoints WION’s Rohit Gandhi as editor-in-chief for its English daily

    MUMBAI: : Zee Media Corporation Limited (ZMCL) announced that its English news channel WION head Rohit Gandhi will take on additional responsibility as editor-in-chief of its English daily DNA. The new appointments will come into effect today,7 April. All editorial functions will henceforth report to Rohit Gandhi.

    Additionally, Shreyasi Goenka, who has been mentoring the content at DNA for a while, will now take the responsibility of content advisor and will guide all functions of DNA. Uday Nirgudkar who has been heading DNA along with Zee 24 Taas, will now continue to lead Zee 24 Taas as its business head.

    Commenting on the new leadership, Essel Group & Zee Media Corporation Limited (ZMCL) chairman Subhash Chandra said, “One of our Vision 2020 goals is to become a leading global media conglomerate which is hugely dependent on our ability to create an organization that has the capacity to achieve its desired aspirations. We believe that the convergence of our media businesses i.e. television news and print platforms is an opportunity that will help us to achieve this organizational aspiration. With Zee Media’s ambition to get into English News broadcasting, both the brands put together give the organization an opportunity to serve our audiences better.”

    Shreyasi Goenka said, “Since its launch in 2005, DNA has become the preferred choice for India’s young and dynamic readers. We have been continuously innovating with offerings like ‘I Am IN – dna of India’, a technology enabled initiative, that promises to enlighten, engage and empower citizens of India in getting involved in the cause for better governance.We are confident that this new seamless organizational structure will bring in fresh insights and views, thus helping us to leverage resources more effectively and in maximizing our market potential.”

    Speaking on his new appointment, Rohit Gandhi said, “We are moving to expand our coverage and the editions of DNA. It is a great opportunity for us to bring more textured content from all parts of India to give our readers a far deeper understanding of India and the world. I look forward to working with Shreyasi in building an insightful newspaper.”

     

  • ZMCL appoints WION’s Rohit Gandhi as editor-in-chief for its English daily

    ZMCL appoints WION’s Rohit Gandhi as editor-in-chief for its English daily

    MUMBAI: : Zee Media Corporation Limited (ZMCL) announced that its English news channel WION head Rohit Gandhi will take on additional responsibility as editor-in-chief of its English daily DNA. The new appointments will come into effect today,7 April. All editorial functions will henceforth report to Rohit Gandhi.

    Additionally, Shreyasi Goenka, who has been mentoring the content at DNA for a while, will now take the responsibility of content advisor and will guide all functions of DNA. Uday Nirgudkar who has been heading DNA along with Zee 24 Taas, will now continue to lead Zee 24 Taas as its business head.

    Commenting on the new leadership, Essel Group & Zee Media Corporation Limited (ZMCL) chairman Subhash Chandra said, “One of our Vision 2020 goals is to become a leading global media conglomerate which is hugely dependent on our ability to create an organization that has the capacity to achieve its desired aspirations. We believe that the convergence of our media businesses i.e. television news and print platforms is an opportunity that will help us to achieve this organizational aspiration. With Zee Media’s ambition to get into English News broadcasting, both the brands put together give the organization an opportunity to serve our audiences better.”

    Shreyasi Goenka said, “Since its launch in 2005, DNA has become the preferred choice for India’s young and dynamic readers. We have been continuously innovating with offerings like ‘I Am IN – dna of India’, a technology enabled initiative, that promises to enlighten, engage and empower citizens of India in getting involved in the cause for better governance.We are confident that this new seamless organizational structure will bring in fresh insights and views, thus helping us to leverage resources more effectively and in maximizing our market potential.”

    Speaking on his new appointment, Rohit Gandhi said, “We are moving to expand our coverage and the editions of DNA. It is a great opportunity for us to bring more textured content from all parts of India to give our readers a far deeper understanding of India and the world. I look forward to working with Shreyasi in building an insightful newspaper.”

     

  • &TV way of entertainment completes one glorious year

    &TV way of entertainment completes one glorious year

    MUMBAI: The &TV way of entertainment has completed one year in the most competitive of all television genres – Hindi General Entertainment Channels (HGEC). Despite having a HGEC, Zee TV media Mogul Dr Subhash Chandra’s media and entertainment conglomerate Essel Group lead by MD Punit Goenka decided to launch one more and that’s how the &TV came being.
    Rajesh Iyer was roped in as the business head and he got the perfect combination of programming, distribution and marketing in place to give the channel a perfect ignition. The launch stage was ready and Shah Rukh Khan was the gear-up factor to the ignition. The Fauzi was back on television and a new channel was on air. Sab Se Shaana Kaun generated the much needed buzz. 

    From the shows like India Poochega… Sab Se Shaana Kaun ,which was produced by Big Synergy, to Deal or No Deal and The Voice produced by Endemol, the channel has left no stone unturned in making its one year journey glorious.  

    Produced by Edit II Production, Bhabhi Ji Ghar Par Hai, was another stepping stone for the channel. This high rated show has created the trend and made other channels to follow the vibes. 

    In crime thriller space, Contiloe Entertainment’s Agent Raghav was another successful show for the channel which has also won the 14th Indian Telly Awards 2015 for the ‘best thriller programme.’

    “&TV launched as the sixteenth Hindi GEC channel in one of the most competitive and high-stake television genres in India, which was a big risk in itself. The channel had one of the best take-offs a Hindi GEC could have, with an average OTS of 72 per cent (which means 72 per cent of Hindi Speaking Population had access to the channel at launch across all forms of linear TV). To cite an example for comparison, EPIC channel, another competitor in the HGEC genre, had an OTS of 42 per cent during its week of launch. The credit for the channel’s high availability and viewership goes to the distribution team, but must also be shared with the content team. With high interest content like India Poochhega…Sabse Shaana Kaun? at the time of the launch and its highest rated show Gangaa, along with airing mass entertainers like Chennai Express, Entertainment and Agneepath, &TV has struck the perfect balance between off and on-air strategies, resulting in stickiness as well as reach” explains Chrome DM CEO and founder Pankaj Krishna.

    Hefty investment in order to get out quality content was the way forward for &TV from it’s very beginning. “The channel forayed to thriller with Agent Raghav , produced by Contiloe Entertainment with an investment of between Rs 20 – 25 lakhs per episode. The top viewed shows Begusarai and Gangaa were created at a cost of Rs 8 – 9 lakhs per episode, whereas the Nivedita Basu’s upcoming show Meri Awaaz Hi Paihchaan Hai will easily make the channel dish out over Rs 10 lakh per episode. 

    On the other hand, Bhabhi Ji Ghar Par Hai, didn’t start off very expensive but now the show is doing really good hence the production cost has gone up to 15 lakh per episodes. Whereas its show historical show Razia Sultan was created at the cost of 15 lakhs per episodes.  The biggest spend was IPSSK where excluding host over Rs 40 lakhs per episode was spent. So quality was always a priority and the network backed the priority with necessary investments. The channel should be proud of where it stands today” asserts a media observer on condition of anonymity.    

    The ad rate card of the channel has seen a 25 per cent hike over the last year and advertisers’ traction has also been evolving thick and fast as per media planners’ insights.

    Industry reaction on the channel’s voyage so far 

    Dentsu Aegis Network chairman and CEO South Asia Ashish Bhasin: “It has done better than what was expected. I do feel it has more scope to grow as time goes by. Ultimately, its ability to sustain good content on a continuous basis will work for the channel. The content was well connected with the consumer and that’s one of the reasons why the channel is running successfully. Another, it was also well distributed as a new channel, right from the beginning”

    Industry expert and Purple Canvas founder Gaurav Seth: “&TV made a very promising start a year ago, with a fresh slate of content and differentiated offerings catering to every section of the GEC audience. Shows like Gangaa and Bhabhiji were especially entertaining and made extremely well. They have not however been able to crack the weekend primetime band which is critical to any GEC’s success and that, along with a couple of new weekday primetime hits should be on their wishlist for the coming year. But it’s been a reasonably successful launch year overall, considering the highly competitive space it has entered.”

    Big Snyergy co-founder and director Anita Kaul Basu: “India Poochega Sabse Shaana Kaun? was our first show with Zee, though we had worked together with Zee in past before satellite. Rajesh Iyer is a great guy to work with. He is very sorted and precise when it comes to content and programming. Then there was Sunanda with whom we have worked before at the time of India’s Got Talent when she was in Colors. &TV  took a little time to decide about what they wanted to do but when it happened it happened very fast. It was great working with the team. For a new channel and a GEC channel of that scale it takes time, but &TV in one year has made a mark. The channel brought a big international format to India Who’s Asking? which Zee Network  has never done before. Hence, The  channel has a great lineup of shows and will soon make great impact in the industry.” 

    The House of Originals director Nivedia Basu: “I have a very good experience of working with them, in fact when we came with the idea they were so open minded and they have given me as a first timer to do things according to the way I want. They helped me get all these actors on board for the Meri Awaaz Hi Pechan Hai. Many say that they want to work with the top three broadcasters, but I think & TV soon will be among the top five broadcasters”
    The journey travelled so far certainly signifies that there is a long way to go, meanwhile the air is all filled with the perfume of promise that reminds one of the Robert Frost quote, “I have miles to go and promises to keep before I sleep.”

    Viewership data from week 41, 2015 to week 7, 2016 period

    Source : BARC

    		        

    TG : 4+ HSM

    		        

    Period : Wk 41 – Wk 07’2016

    		        

    Analysis : Impressions (000s) (Weighted Average for the above mentioned period)
  • &TV way of entertainment completes one glorious year

    &TV way of entertainment completes one glorious year

    MUMBAI: The &TV way of entertainment has completed one year in the most competitive of all television genres – Hindi General Entertainment Channels (HGEC). Despite having a HGEC, Zee TV media Mogul Dr Subhash Chandra’s media and entertainment conglomerate Essel Group lead by MD Punit Goenka decided to launch one more and that’s how the &TV came being.
    Rajesh Iyer was roped in as the business head and he got the perfect combination of programming, distribution and marketing in place to give the channel a perfect ignition. The launch stage was ready and Shah Rukh Khan was the gear-up factor to the ignition. The Fauzi was back on television and a new channel was on air. Sab Se Shaana Kaun generated the much needed buzz. 

    From the shows like India Poochega… Sab Se Shaana Kaun ,which was produced by Big Synergy, to Deal or No Deal and The Voice produced by Endemol, the channel has left no stone unturned in making its one year journey glorious.  

    Produced by Edit II Production, Bhabhi Ji Ghar Par Hai, was another stepping stone for the channel. This high rated show has created the trend and made other channels to follow the vibes. 

    In crime thriller space, Contiloe Entertainment’s Agent Raghav was another successful show for the channel which has also won the 14th Indian Telly Awards 2015 for the ‘best thriller programme.’

    “&TV launched as the sixteenth Hindi GEC channel in one of the most competitive and high-stake television genres in India, which was a big risk in itself. The channel had one of the best take-offs a Hindi GEC could have, with an average OTS of 72 per cent (which means 72 per cent of Hindi Speaking Population had access to the channel at launch across all forms of linear TV). To cite an example for comparison, EPIC channel, another competitor in the HGEC genre, had an OTS of 42 per cent during its week of launch. The credit for the channel’s high availability and viewership goes to the distribution team, but must also be shared with the content team. With high interest content like India Poochhega…Sabse Shaana Kaun? at the time of the launch and its highest rated show Gangaa, along with airing mass entertainers like Chennai Express, Entertainment and Agneepath, &TV has struck the perfect balance between off and on-air strategies, resulting in stickiness as well as reach” explains Chrome DM CEO and founder Pankaj Krishna.

    Hefty investment in order to get out quality content was the way forward for &TV from it’s very beginning. “The channel forayed to thriller with Agent Raghav , produced by Contiloe Entertainment with an investment of between Rs 20 – 25 lakhs per episode. The top viewed shows Begusarai and Gangaa were created at a cost of Rs 8 – 9 lakhs per episode, whereas the Nivedita Basu’s upcoming show Meri Awaaz Hi Paihchaan Hai will easily make the channel dish out over Rs 10 lakh per episode. 

    On the other hand, Bhabhi Ji Ghar Par Hai, didn’t start off very expensive but now the show is doing really good hence the production cost has gone up to 15 lakh per episodes. Whereas its show historical show Razia Sultan was created at the cost of 15 lakhs per episodes.  The biggest spend was IPSSK where excluding host over Rs 40 lakhs per episode was spent. So quality was always a priority and the network backed the priority with necessary investments. The channel should be proud of where it stands today” asserts a media observer on condition of anonymity.    

    The ad rate card of the channel has seen a 25 per cent hike over the last year and advertisers’ traction has also been evolving thick and fast as per media planners’ insights.

    Industry reaction on the channel’s voyage so far 

    Dentsu Aegis Network chairman and CEO South Asia Ashish Bhasin: “It has done better than what was expected. I do feel it has more scope to grow as time goes by. Ultimately, its ability to sustain good content on a continuous basis will work for the channel. The content was well connected with the consumer and that’s one of the reasons why the channel is running successfully. Another, it was also well distributed as a new channel, right from the beginning”

    Industry expert and Purple Canvas founder Gaurav Seth: “&TV made a very promising start a year ago, with a fresh slate of content and differentiated offerings catering to every section of the GEC audience. Shows like Gangaa and Bhabhiji were especially entertaining and made extremely well. They have not however been able to crack the weekend primetime band which is critical to any GEC’s success and that, along with a couple of new weekday primetime hits should be on their wishlist for the coming year. But it’s been a reasonably successful launch year overall, considering the highly competitive space it has entered.”

    Big Snyergy co-founder and director Anita Kaul Basu: “India Poochega Sabse Shaana Kaun? was our first show with Zee, though we had worked together with Zee in past before satellite. Rajesh Iyer is a great guy to work with. He is very sorted and precise when it comes to content and programming. Then there was Sunanda with whom we have worked before at the time of India’s Got Talent when she was in Colors. &TV  took a little time to decide about what they wanted to do but when it happened it happened very fast. It was great working with the team. For a new channel and a GEC channel of that scale it takes time, but &TV in one year has made a mark. The channel brought a big international format to India Who’s Asking? which Zee Network  has never done before. Hence, The  channel has a great lineup of shows and will soon make great impact in the industry.” 

    The House of Originals director Nivedia Basu: “I have a very good experience of working with them, in fact when we came with the idea they were so open minded and they have given me as a first timer to do things according to the way I want. They helped me get all these actors on board for the Meri Awaaz Hi Pechan Hai. Many say that they want to work with the top three broadcasters, but I think & TV soon will be among the top five broadcasters”
    The journey travelled so far certainly signifies that there is a long way to go, meanwhile the air is all filled with the perfume of promise that reminds one of the Robert Frost quote, “I have miles to go and promises to keep before I sleep.”

    Viewership data from week 41, 2015 to week 7, 2016 period

    Source : BARC

    		        

    TG : 4+ HSM

    		        

    Period : Wk 41 – Wk 07’2016

    		        

    Analysis : Impressions (000s) (Weighted Average for the above mentioned period)
  • Has RK Singh departed from Zee & the Essel Group?

    Has RK Singh departed from Zee & the Essel Group?

    The rumour mill has gone into overdrive again at Subhash Chandra’s corporate offices. The grapevine has it that RK Singh, chief executive, Playwin Infrawest, Essel Group, has left the company as of yesterday.

    It is not clear what exactly the circumstances of his leaving involved, but when contacted, Singh, who is in Chandigarh at the moment, would only say that he is on leave.

    Singh joined Zee Telefilms in September 1999 replacing Vijay Jindal as CEO. He came on board Zee from ESPN Software where he was CEO. In December 2000, after AT Kearney submitted its report on restructuring the organisation, Singh was made group head of corporate services.

    His tenure there was however, shortlived as five months later Sandeep Goyal joined the organisation as Zee group broadcasting CEO. Singh was subsequently put in charge of new Essel Group company Playwin Infravest – closely held by Chandra and members of his family – which marked the group’s entry into the online lottery business.

  • Has RK Singh departed from Zee & the Essel Group?

    Has RK Singh departed from Zee & the Essel Group?

    The rumour mill has gone into overdrive again at Subhash Chandra’s corporate offices. The grapevine has it that RK Singh, chief executive, Playwin Infrawest, Essel Group, has left the company as of yesterday.

    It is not clear what exactly the circumstances of his leaving involved, but when contacted, Singh, who is in Chandigarh at the moment, would only say that he is on leave.

    Singh joined Zee Telefilms in September 1999 replacing Vijay Jindal as CEO. He came on board Zee from ESPN Software where he was CEO. In December 2000, after AT Kearney submitted its report on restructuring the organisation, Singh was made group head of corporate services.

    His tenure there was however, shortlived as five months later Sandeep Goyal joined the organisation as Zee group broadcasting CEO. Singh was subsequently put in charge of new Essel Group company Playwin Infravest – closely held by Chandra and members of his family – which marked the group’s entry into the online lottery business.

  • Q3-2016: Zee Learn YoY revenue up 12.4 percent; PAT doubles

    Q3-2016: Zee Learn YoY revenue up 12.4 percent; PAT doubles

    BENGALURU: The Essel group’s education company Zee Learn Limited (Zee Learn) reported 12.4 percent higher YoY Total Income from Operations (TIO, revenue) in the quarter ended December 31, 2015 (Q3-2016,current quarter) at Rs 22.29 crore as compared to Rs 19.84 crore , but was 27.4 percent lower QoQ than Rs 30.70 crore.

     

    Note: 100,00,000 = 100 Lakhs = 10 million = 1 crore

     

    The company’s Profit after tax (PAT) in the current quarter more than doubled YoY (up 2.07 times) at Rs 2.27 crore (10.2 percent margin) as compared to Rs 1.09 crore (5.5 percent margin) and was 2.1 times higher QoQ as compared  to Rs 1.08 crore.

     

    Let us look at the other numbers reported by Zee Learn

     

    Zee Learn’s Total expenditure (TE) in Q3-2016 at Rs 17.20 crore (77.2 percent of TIO) was 1.7 percent higher YoY as compared to Rs 16.91 crore (85.2 percent of TIO), but was 3.49 percent klowerr QoQ as compared to Rs 25.43 crore (86.1 percent of TIO).

     

    Employee Benefit Expense (EBE) in Q3-2016 at Rs 5.99 crore (26.9 percent of TIO) was 5.4 percent as compared to Rs 6.33 crore (31.9 percent of TIO) and was 17.4 percent lower QoQ as compared to Rs 7.25 crore.

     

    In Q3-2016, Zee Learn’s operating cost at Rs 0.64 crore (2.9 percent of IO) was 14.6 percent lower YoY as compared to Rs 0.75 crore (3.8 percent of TIO) and was 24.2 percent lower as compared to Rs 0.85 crore (2.8 percent of TIO).

     

    The company’s marketing, advertisement and publicity expense (marketing expense) for Q3-2016 at Rs 0.58 crore (2.6 percent of TIO) was 58.5 percent lower YoY than the Rs 1.40 crore (7.1 percent of TIO) and was 67.4 percent lower QoQ as compared to Rs 1.78 crore (5.8 percent of TIO) in the immediate trailing quarter.

     

    Other expense in Q3-2016 at Rs 6.07 crore (27.3 percent of TIO) was 40.9 percent more YoY as compared to Rs 4.31 crore (21.7 percent of TIO) and was 18.6 percent lower QoQ as compared to Rs 7.46 crore (24.3 percent of TIO).

     

    Zee Learn says that on June 28, 2015 a fire occurred in one of the warehouses of the company at Bhiwandi near Mumbai and the inventory of educational material lying at the said warehouse amounting to Rs 1416.61 lakh got completely destroyed. Further, Zee Learn says that it has lodged a claim with the Insurance company for the loss incurred. Pending the settlement of insurance claim, the loss is accounted as ‘Claims Receivables’ under other Current Assets to the extent of the above amount. On settlement of the claim by the Insurance company, the difference in loss claim and actual claim received , if any, will be charged to the Statement of Profit and Loss Account.