ITV

Tag: namit sharma

  • A+E Global Media Group & Arré Studio to bring ‘Alone’ to India

    A+E Global Media Group & Arré Studio to bring ‘Alone’ to India

    Mumbai: A+E Global Media Group has announced a partnership with Arré Studio to bring the global hit survival format Alone to India for the first time. The announcement was made by Arré Studio CEO Namit Sharma and A+E Media Group’s Asia-Pacific content sales director, Amreet Chahal.

    Alone, described by The New Yorker as ‘the best reality show ever made,’ challenges contestants to survive in the remote wilderness without any external help. Each participant must rely on their survival skills, mental resilience, and resourcefulness to source food and water, build shelter, and endure increasingly harsh weather conditions. With no camera crew, contestants self-film their journey throughout the experience.

    “Alone is an incredible, ambitious format, gripping audiences the world over. We’re excited to be bringing it to India,” said Sharma. “Our audience loves captive reality shows and Alone is a uniquely dramatic and challenging format. This partnership with A+E is a mark of Arré’s commitment to bringing the best international scripted and unscripted formats to our clients and audience.”

    “A+E is thrilled to be partnering with top producers Arré Studio,” said Chahal. “Alone is an awe-inspiring test of the power of human spirit, set in stunning unspoiled wilderness. We can’t wait to bring this to an Asian territory for the very first time”

    Alone first premiered on A+E’s The History Channel US in 2015, and has now run for eleven smash hit seasons with a twelfth season in production. Alone Denmark has aired for eight seasons, and three new European adaptations of the format are shortly to be announced. Alone Australia has been the highest rating original commission in the history of the network channel SBS, and a third season will premiere in 2025.

  • Arré Studio, O4 Media & MBC Korea partner to launch ‘The Masked Singer’ in India

    Arré Studio, O4 Media & MBC Korea partner to launch ‘The Masked Singer’ in India

    Mumbai: Arré Studio have entered into an exclusive option agreement with O4 Media and the creators of the international hit series ‘The Masked Singer’ to bring the pathbreaking global smash hit to Indian audiences.

    The agreement will see Arré Studio developing a localised version of ‘The Masked Singer’ for the Indian market. Known for its unique blend of mystery, music, and entertainment, The Masked Singer has taken audiences by storm since its inception in South Korea, captivating viewers in over 50 countries, including the United States United Kingdom, Australia, and Germany.

    “It’s awesome to be partnering with MBC Korea and Arré Studio to bring The Masked Singer to India,” said O4 Media founder and MD Gary Pudney. “The format’s success across the globe speaks to its universal appeal, and we believe that Indian audiences, with their passionate love for music, will embrace the title with the same enthusiasm.

    Commenting on the deal, MBC, director of the OTT global business team, Haewon Chin said, “We are excited to collaborate with O4 Media and Arré Studio to bring The Masked Singer to India. The show has demonstrated its ability to transcend cultural boundaries, and we believe that the vibrant and diverse Indian entertainment landscape is the perfect home for the next chapter of The Masked Singer.”

    Arré Studio’s CEO Namit Sharma, also expressed his enthusiasm about bringing The Masked Singer to India: “At Arré we believe in creating entertainment that will become part of pop culture and The Masked Singer is a format that has delivered on this in most territories. It is a phenomenal combination of music, celebrity, mystery and humour. We are proud that this is our first international format option and there are many more to follow.”
     

  • Owning IP not priority for Big Synergy

    Owning IP not priority for Big Synergy

    MUMBAI: Broadcasters today are experimenting with a new type of show ownership–that of allowing the creators to hold the intellectual property (IP) rights. Most recently, Swastik Productions decided to own 100 per cent of its magnum opus Porus, which airs on Sony Entertainment Television in India, setting a benchmark in the industry as it went around the world gathering new broadcasters in new countries.

    In an interaction with Indiantelevision.com, Big Synergy partner producer Namit Sharma, however, said that the concept of owning an IP was a very subjective conversation and not too relevant in present times. “A lot of people hype it to make themselves look good, so it makes you look like a kingpin when in actuality, the real monetary value of that IP could be nothing,” he said.

    “I feel that the whole conversation in the industry is overrated. We want to be careful about when we do it and how we do it. We are a production service company. If we wanted to own an IP, we would have started making films, raised Rs 800 crore and taken the risk,” he added.

    Digital players are furiously churning out new formats to attract the moving eyeballs of younger audiences. New formats, ideas, execution–you get it all. But TV isn’t far behind. TV today has innumerable reality shows to pick from and is not restricted to saas-bahu sagas, sitcoms and period dramas.

    Sharma, feels that the Hindi GEC genre will not be experimenting anymore but this will be the prerogative of the digital industry. “They [Hindi GECs] are going to try and stick to what they have, whereas now all the experiments will start happening in the over the top and regional. We have a lot of developments happening in both these spaces,” he said.

    Shedding light on his plans for digital space, he said that talks with industry daddies Amazon and Netflix are on. “As part of a two-year plan, we intend to focus on getting together with storytellers; they could be filmmakers, writers, book authors, film writers, and they could be people who may have never written anything.” Big Synergy will set the ball rolling in the regional market with South India.

    Big Synergy, a part of the Anil Ambani-led Reliance Group, had tied up with Phantom Films, led by Anurag Kashyap, to create entertainment content across television and digital media. Speaking about the partnership, he said that there wasn’t any phenomenal interdependence apart operational synergies between the two entities. Both production set-ups co-ordinate in interesting ways behind the scenes.

    Recently, Big Synergy produced a web series for Viu named Kaushiki that has garnered a lot of traction for the OTT platform. The production company is looking to produce five marquee web series, such as Bose: Dead/Alive, in the next one year along with its slate of regular shows for OTTs.  

    Also read:

    Sony Yay banks on originals with a slew of fresh content

    No reason for GECs to panic as IPL grabs eyeballs

    The era of dance reality shows

  • Pitch game: Sell your idea in 30 seconds says Paritosh Painter

    Pitch game: Sell your idea in 30 seconds says Paritosh Painter

    MUMBAI: The last session of PromaxBDA witnessed a candid and fun conversation between broadcast executives and agencies, who acknowledged the elephant in the room – pitching. For many agencies and their clients, pitching is a hot and sensitive topic.

     

    The session with Namit Sharma, Abhijit Avasthi, Maxus South Asia’s Kartik Sharma and Reliance Broadcast Network’s Paritosh Painter was moderated by Reliance Broad Network CEO Tarun Katial.

     

    Panelists had a unanimous answer to the three key points that one must prepare before engaging in a pitch. They are as follows: 1) Knowing what the client wants, 2) A unique idea and 3) Conviction to pitch the idea before presenting it to the client.

     

    Sharma was of the opinion that one should share ideas in the time given. He said, “You have five minutes to convince the client. If he is not convinced in that time then you should move on to plan B,” he said.

     

    Avasthi added, “You need to be ruthless to yourself while evaluating the idea so that you can get the best out of it.”

     

    Maxus’ Sharma further added, “You need to work for the client, so that he can benefit and that should also be a point that one should keep in mind.”

     

    Replying to Katial’s question as to whether ideas should be original or inspired, Painter said, “Ideas are generally original, but the client might not understand it at the first instance. At that point, one needs to give them referral points so that they understand it better. Hence they are original and inspired.”

     

    On questioning about the tangibility of the idea, Sharma said, “It can be a combination of both. But pitching needs execution.”

     

    An agency wins or loses a pitch on the basis of the execution. Maxus’ Sharma said, “A brilliant idea can help us win a pitch.” Stating an example, he said that there have been times when his team has gone unprepared for a pitch, but the client has liked the idea and they have won pitches. Indeed, he is of the opinion that winning or losing a pitch doesn’t depend on the tangibility of the idea.

     

    When asked as to what happens when a tangible idea is not strong, Avasthi said, “Personally, since I come from the advertising background, I feel one needs to evaluate the idea and then pitch it. I have seen instances when my team has come up to me and we have brainstormed the idea because I am quite aware that they will not be able to polish it. So I try to pull out something breakthrough from their idea.”

     

    Painter asserted that one should sell the idea in 30 seconds. He said, “I am generally convinced about my idea so that I can sell it. When I evaluate pitches, I first try to understand the intention of the pitch. Is it business or passion that is driving the person? If it is business then the person sitting in front of me has to do a lot of hard work to convince me, but if it is passion, 70 per cent of the convincing job is done. You just have to push the person the extra 30 per cent for you to say yes. And that person will do it, because a lot of passion drives him to do that.”

     

    The discussion then took the curve of whether an experienced person’s pitch value is more than that of a youth. Sharma opines that the idea must be focused on and not the experience of the person. On the other hand, Avasthi and Maxus’ Sharma opined that it depends on the client. If the client is new then youngsters do present pitches, while if it is an old and important client then an experienced person should give the pitch.

     

    Concluding the discussion with tips on what one should do after the pitch, Avasthi said, “The person should take ownership of the pitch and it is important that the other person is concurrent with that.”

     

    Painter asserted, “One must do a thorough research on the idea and on the client.”

     

    Concluding, Maxus’ Sharma said, “Ask a lot of questions and you will get rich insights. During the pitch have a feedback and close the pitch with a dialogue.”

  • Zee TV programming head Namit Sharma quits

    Zee TV programming head Namit Sharma quits

    MUMBAI: Zee TV programming head Namit Sharma has called it a day at the organisation after a stint that lasted a little more than a year.

    According to information available, Sharma put in his papers earlier this week and his last day at the organisation will be 8 May, 2015.

    In the interim,Zee TV business head Pradeep Hejmadi will be overseeing the programming at the channel till such time that a replacement is found.

    Confirming the development to Indiantelevision.com, Sharma says, “I’ve decided to move on from Zee TV and explore other opportunities.  I am happy that during my stint at Zee TV we have seen significant success with distinctive programming concepts in an extremely competitive genre. The last 14 months have been an incredible experience working with some of the best talent in the television business.”

    He further adds, “I am happy that our audience has reacted well to innovative content like Kumkum Bhagya, Jamai Raja, Neeli Chatri Waale and the recent DID Super Moms Season 2.  I have worked with a great team here and am confident that they’ll continue to lead the channel to even greater heights. As I complete 20 years in the entertainment business, it’s time to look forward to newer challenges.”

    Prior to joining Zee Entertainment Enterprises Ltd (Zeel) in February 2014, Sharma was Wizcraft Television and Films business head and chief creative officer. He had replaced Ajay Bhalwankar at Zee, who had quit to join Sony Entertainment Television (SET) as chief creative officer.

    As yet undecided on his next career move, Sharma will be taking a small mid-career break. “Honestly there are no plans as of now. But I will definitely be in the television business,” he informs.

  • Zee TV launches second part of ‘Maharakshak’ trilogy

    Zee TV launches second part of ‘Maharakshak’ trilogy

    MUMBAI: Evil might have taken on different contemporary forms but their origins can be traced back to ancient mythology. Fantasy, as a genre, had little or no representation on Indian television until Zee TV introduced the ‘Maharakshak’ trilogy in November 2014.

     

    Experiencing a fantasy world brought alive through cutting-edge visual effects, state-of-the-art graphics technology and stunt choreography of international standards for the very first time on Indian television, viewers instantly connected with the first part of the trilogy – Aryan. 

     

    Having raised the bar for action thrillers and the fantasy genre on Indian television with Aryan, Zee TV has now launched the second part of the ‘Maharakshak’ trilogy – Devi, which tells the story of a girl who discovers superpowers within her and sets out on a mission to combat contemporary social evils.

     

    Produced by Essel Vision Productions, it will occupy the weekend slot and will air every Saturday and Sunday at 7 pm. Where on one hand, Aryan appealed especially to children and men, adding great value to Zee TV’s weekend ‘family unifier’, Devi aims to provide entertainment for each member of the family inclusive women this time. 

     

    Six months of brain storming

     

    Devi has been a part of the plan ever since the channel launched its first part in trilogy series – Maharakshak Aryan. Zee TV programming head Namit Sharma said that the channel was sure that it wanted to tell a story on the super-heroine.

     

    Sharma revealed that extensive research had been done for the show. The channel had researched about the well-known epic battle in Hindu mythology, about good vs evil that occurred between Brihaspati and Shukracharya. “We used that as a point to start writing

    the story and even before Aryan went on-air, we had started penning the second series.”

     

    Essel Vision Productions business head and also the producer of the show Akash Chawla states that shows like these, which involve a little bit more of research take anywhere around six months and sometimes even more considering the special effects and graphics behind the show. 

     

    While Umang Jain will essay the title role of Devi, popular actor Rohit Bakshi will essay the role of her guru Brihaspati. The evil Shukracharya will be played by actor Indraneil Sengupta.

     

    Chawla further reveals that the actors first got trained for martial arts before the show went on-floors. “It is just not research. It is also how that research has to be converted into something which is more entertainment led, rather than just a ‘gyan’ led show,” he added.

     

    Chawla believes that this kind of show caters to a worldwide audience. “If you look at any kind of audience world over, you will see that unless it is factual content being made for a factual based channel, you will need to doctor the script and modulate it in a manner which can become more entertaining for the audiences,” said Chawla. 

     

    According to Chawla, for an audience what matters is the kind of content running on the channel. “For them it is not about research or training; for audiences it is what they basically watch. I can talk about what went behind the research but it has no meaning for the audience.”

     

    Unlike fiction shows, which takes an entire day to shoot a single episode, fantasy shows have a different story to tell. Some episodes will have more of VFX and some will have less. The action sequences take much longer time to shoot. “If you have action sequences, you cannot give out content more than seven to eight minutes a day. But if you have a linear story-telling, the content that you take out in a day will be far more,” explained Chawla.

     

    A panel of four-five writers are working on the show. The second part of the series will run for 13 weeks with 26 episodes planned. The show will open with a bank of four-five episodes. The shoot location is based out of Madh Island in Mumbai and a lot of the shoot is outdoors. 

     

    The Maharakshak Devi promo VFX has been done by Hardik Gajjar’s Vertex Volt.

     

    Chawla feels that with regards to such shows, quality of execution is not an issue. “It always depends upon the kind of time, production planning and how much is it that you want to simplify or complicate the story,” Chawla said. 

     

    He believes that as a story-teller, the above factors should be taken into account; otherwise it may fall into the loop of complex story-telling which is not going to work. “That is the basic requirement. For audiences, it is the execution which matters,” he explained.

     

     

    Fantasy as a genre works for a certain set of audiences like kids, but not the entire family. “Channel’s experiment with a new story is always welcome but in the end, content is king. Let’s see if the channel is able to entertain the audiences and grab the attention of a new set of people,” opined a media planner. 

  • Zee raises voice against new-age dowry via new show ‘Service Wali Bahu’

    Zee raises voice against new-age dowry via new show ‘Service Wali Bahu’

    MUMBAI: Zee TV, which has through its shows highlighted social issues like remarriage, girl child-trafficking, women empowerment, complexes that surround a girl’s dark complexion etc, is now ready with its latest offering. 

     

    The channel will be launching yet another story of hope and inspiration, a voice against new-age dowry. In a city like Mumbai, where a working woman thinks of herself as a financially independent individual, somebody else in another part of the country is looking at her as an exploitation opportunity.

     

    And that’s exactly what the channel’s latest early primetime offering brings to fore. Christened – Service Wali Bahu, the show is produced by Village Boy Productions’ Rakesh Paswan and is an attempt to curb this unhealthy approach towards marriage by creating awareness.

     

    Set in the small town of Jamshedpur, the story revolves around a career-oriented woman (Payal) who can support her in-laws with a steady income post marriage. She’s ambitious and yet has her family values intact. Having broadened her horizons through education and learning and managed to build meaningful career for herself, Payal has a distinct vision about her husband and his family with whom she will spend her entire life with.

     

    It explores an inspiring journey of ummeed, from being a self-driven, super achieving daughter who has always made her parents proud to falling into a trap of a new-age dowry system where her in-laws look to her as a steady source of family income.

     

    With the new series, the channel makes the dead slot of 6.30 pm alive. Earlier Zee TV aired Pavitra Rishta in this slot, which concluded its journey in October 2014. The channel has been airing repeats since then. The new series will premiere on 23 February and will air every Monday-Saturday at 6.30 pm.

     

    “We were constantly developing subjects for the 6.30 pm slot. We were looking for an exciting drama and a concept that can catch the viewers’ attention very quickly. While we were developing the concept, we were also meeting a lot of writers and producers. This is when Rakesh narrated to us a one liner, which just clicked for our 6:30 pm slot offering.  We did not have to explain anything to the viewers, the title played its own magic,” says Zee TV programming head Namit Sharma.

     

    Sharma feels that the story is relevant in today’s time and allows the channel for a beautiful socially relevant story telling. According to him the USP of the show is that it delivers a message and makes a statement about how a woman can balance work and home both, successfully despite problems.

     

    The makers and the channel started discussing the show almost four-five months back. “It is a turnaround show for me,” says Sharma.

     

    He further adds that unlike other shows where Zee works with multiple writers and collates thoughts, which takes a lot of time, in this show the channel has worked with Paswan as the only writer, which was an advantage.  “Rakesh’s strength is that he is a writer and his writing comes very naturally. The rest falls into place quickly. Here, we are writing it with a very clear focus about her journey, tribulations etc,” Sharma says.

     

    Paswan, who has worked with the channel before and delivered shows like Afsar Bitiya and Dulhan, believes that the new series questions mindset that looks to exploit a working woman for her ability to learn. “The differentiated concept of the show and its treatment is aimed at making the audience sit up and question the motivations with which people approach marriage,” says Paswan.

     

    The show has already got a title sponsor on-board in Wagh Bakri. “We are quite happy the way advertisers are responding to the series. Within four days of putting the promo on-air we got a title sponsor,” Sharma informs.

     

    The new series will be competing with original running show like Suhani Si Ek Ladki on Star Plus while other channels telecast repeats.

  • Zee TV extends early primetime with new show ‘Hello Pratibha’

    Zee TV extends early primetime with new show ‘Hello Pratibha’

    MUMBAI: Zee TV will be launching a new show called Hello Pratibha. The channel will extend its early primetime from 7 – 8 pm with this show, which is slated to go on air from 27 January.

     

    Five episodes have been canned as of now. The show will be aired from Monday – Saturday at 7.30 pm. This is the first time that the channel is experimenting with its fiction programs extending till Saturday.

     

    Zee TV’s fantasy series Maharakshak Aryan is nearing its end as it was commissioned for 13 episodes. The second story in the trilogy is slated to commence within four-five weeks.  Bandhan will continue to air on Saturdays too at 7 pm in place of Maharakshak Aryan. On the other hand, Sapne Suhane Ladakpan Ke show will see curtains down after a two-year long stint with the channel. It will be replaced by Hello Pratibha at 7.30 pm.

     

    Zee TV programming head Namit Sharma says that being a new show, the objective was to give it more exposure and ample room for growth and hence the channel decided to airing it from Monday – Saturday instead of the usual Monday-Friday format.

     

    Produced by Shakuntalam Telefilms, it will celebrate the journey of a woman. The story explores the protagonist’s journey of rediscovering her identity and gaining her lost confidence.

     

    Elaborating on the show, Sharma says, “It’s about everything and yet about nothing. The story is about ‘change’ and the protagonist represents every woman who, post-marriage, prioritises the needs of her family over her own.”

     

    Shakuntalam Telefilms founder and producer Shyamashis Bhattacharya says that the series is not a new concept that is being presented on television, but yet the story-telling is innovative and different.

     

    Bhattacharya believes that Indian audiences have often seen the kitchen politics women face but rarely have television soaps tapped into what a home-maker truly wants for herself.

     

    “Hello Pratibha offers just that – an intimate, up-close and personal look into the mind of a housewife who’s dedicated her life to family. And in the process, lost touch with the girl she once was before she tied the knot. With its differentiated content, the show will connect with thousands of housewives out there and hopefully set them thinking as to whether they should re-connect with who they once were before marriage,” Bhattacharya says.

  • The movers and shakers of 2014

    The movers and shakers of 2014

    To achieve something, one needs to let go of something, 2014 saw many stalwarts of the media and entertainment sector taking that leap.

    From being bitten by the entrepreneur bug to grabbing on to better opportunities, the industry saw a number of movements. Some of these created a stir while others went down as “regular” developments. Nonetheless, Indiantelevision.com lists down some of the major movers and shakers of the years…

     

    Ajay Bhalwankar: He is a man who can be credited to providing valuable programming inputs across content on various channels. The year 2014 was like a shuffling battle for Bhalwankar. After spending almost 19 years with Zee Entertainment Group, with his last stint as programming head at Zee TV for six years, he joined Sony Entertainment Television (SET) on 7 April, 2014 as chief creative officer. Now in SET, he provides creative leadership and direction for the channel, and leads the programming and OAP (on-air-promotions) teams. Spanning various roles of creating, writing, programming, producing and directing entertainment content, he is an industry veteran with over 20 years of experience.

    Ajay Trigunayat: TTN English entertainment channels, Romedy Now and Movies Now CEO Ajay Trigunayat quit the network this year. With M K Anand taking over as TTN CEO and business functions being centralised, Trigunayat moved out. Before joining TTN, he was in the Middle East in an entrepreneurial capacity, and had been the business head of the Zee English Channels bouquet, and put in stints at Lintas, Contract and Rediffusion and at Pepsi in a sales role.

    Ajit Thakur: In a shocking development, the man credited for Life OK’s success story, Ajit Thakur decided to call it quits from the network. It was in July this year that he was given an additional charge of managing the network’s youth entertainment channel, Channel V. Currently he is serving his notice period and his last day in the organisation will be February, 2015.

    Abhijit Avasthi: An engineer by education, Abhijit Avasthi was the right-hand man of India’s ad guru Piyush Pandey. After spending more than 10 years at Ogilvy, he finally decided to hang his boots to pursue what he loves the most.

    However, according to reports, Avasthi is likely to set up his own creative agency, a move that he has been contemplating for a while.

    Alok Agarwal: Zee Media CEO Alok Agarwal ended his one and a half years stint at the network to take charge as Network18 group COO.

     

    Bharat Ranga: Since 1998, he had been an invaluable member of the Zee Entertainment Enterprises Ltd (Zeel) family. After a 16-year stint with the network, he bid adieu in the month of October to explore new avenues. While at Zeel, he moved across functions and domains seamlessly, from sales to business head to being the international business head and then, the chief content and creative head for the organisation, he has been instrumental in making Zee’s content an unforgettable one for the audiences. His last project – Zindagi is getting critical acclaim from the masses.

    Dilip Venkatraman and Savvy Venkatraman: ITV Network, which owns and operates news channels NewsX and India News, appointed former CNN IBN and IBN7 CEO Dilip Venkatraman as group COO of strategy and business development. Meanwhile, Savvy joined the network as group chief marketing officer.

     

    KV Sridhar: After 17 long years Leo Burnett India chief creative officer, Pops, moved on to join SapientNitro, an interactive marketing, creative design and technology services agency. The movement did create a stir in the industry with many questions being raised on who can fill his shoes. Rajdeepak Das joined the agency as chief creative officer, soon afterwards.

    MK Anand: The former Disney UTV Media Networks MD MK Anand took over as the new MD and CEO of Times Television Network (TTN), stepping into Sunil Lulla’s shoes.  Anand had previously worked at The Times of India group for nearly 19 years, beginning first with the print business for 14 years and later on with the television business at Zoom from 2004 to 2009. He was the managing director for Disney UTV Media Networks till December 2013. The move saw functions like HR, finance, distribution being centralised and direct reportage to Anand.   

    N P Singh: The industry was treated with a good surprise at the beginning of 2014, when in a major development Multi Screen Media (MSM) promoted its COO N P Singh as the new CEO. He replaced Man Jit Singh who was designated as non-executive chairman and moved to Los Angeles (LA).

     

    Namit Sharma: From a creative background to a broadcast space, it was a challenge for former Wizcraft head for television business Namit Sharma. It was in early February when the news of former programming head Ajay Bhalwankar quitting and Sharma stepping into his shoes came to light. From directing fiction shows at Cinevistaas to film production and script writing at Yash Raj and handling events and non-fiction properties at Wizcraft International Entertainment, Sharma has done it all. As the programming head of the channel, he has brought some best creative ideas to the table.

    Nagesh Chhabria: IndusInd Media Communications Limited (IMCL) CEO Nagesh Chhabria too was seen hanging his boot this year. Chhabria later bought 50 per cent stake in Mumbai-based Bhawani Rajesh Cable & Digitech Services through his company Bhima Riddhi Digital Services (BRDS). He also signed an agreement with Atlas Consolidated LLC – a joint venture between Greenwich Equity Partners and Jagran Infra-Projects led by Sanjiv Mohan Gupta – to create a national MSO with about $200 million being pumped into it.

    Prem Kamath: The industry was shaken after former Channel V head and Star Pravah general manager decided to quit from Star for better opportunities at A+E Networks as deputy managing director, Asia Pacific. Associated with Star Network since 2007, Kamath had been heading Channel V for more than four years. Seeing his capability, he was given an additional responsibility at Star Network to head Star Pravah in 2013.

    Pradeep Hejmadi: With more than 18 years of well-rounded experience in the Indian media industry spanning media sales, media planning and buying, consumer research, business planning and product development, he is the man with multi-dimensional understanding of the media business. Former TAM Media Research senior vice-president Pradeep Hejmadi quit the organisation to join Zee Entertainment Enterprises Ltd (Zeel) as business head in the month of June. At TAM, he was responsible for revenue generation, client management, new business development and new product development and changed the working dynamics of the TV industry.

    Pratap Bose: Omnicom-owned DDB Mudra witnessed a sudden churn at the top, early this year when DDB Mudra Group COO Pratap Bose resigned from the agency after a six-year stint.

    The exit, who was looking to take over the top job, came after group chief executive officer and managing director Madhukar Kamath was given a four-year extension.

    Raghav Bahl: Network18 founder and chairman Raghav Bahl, sold his baby to RIL chairman and MD Mukesh Ambani for a whopping Rs 4000 crore. What followed this was an upheaval of sorts, as one by one, the main pillars of the company began to fall. As soon as the meeting concluded between Bahl and the management of Network18, departures began which included group CEO B Sai Kumar, COO Ajay Chacko, CNN-IBN deputy editor Sagarika Ghose, IBN Network editor in chief Rajdeep Sardesai, Network18 Media CEO Sanjay Dua, Network18 digital CEO Durga Raghunath, Network 18 CFO RDS Binni Bawa and deputy foreign affairs editor Suhasini Haidar.

    Rajdeep Sardesai: It was in July this year that after nine long years, the face of IBN18 and editor-in-chief Rajdeep Sardesai decided to move on from the network. He later on joined the India Today group as consulting editor. Further, penning his expertise of writing, in November he launched his book – ‘2014: The Election That Changed India’. The book tracks the story of the 16th Lok Sabha elections with a media insider’s view. It was in the same month when deputy editor at CNN-IBN Sagarika Ghose too bid adieu to the Network18 group and joined Times of India as consulting editor. 

    Rajesh Iyer: Associated with the channel since its inception, Colors marketing head Rajesh Iyer has been one of the many behind the success of popular shows like Khatron Ke Khiladi, India’s Got Talent, Jhalak Dikhhla Jaa and Bigg Boss. Iyer quit Colors in March to join Zee Entertainment Enterprises Ltd (Zeel) as its business head, new initiatives, Hindi broadcast. With more than 13 years of experience in marketing and business segment, he aims to create some thrilling benchmarks in the industry.

    Ravi Mansukhani: The year 2014 saw the ending of the seven year innings from IndusInd Media & Communications Ltd. (IMCL) managing director Ravi Mansukhani, who decided to step down from his position. It was said that Mansukhani had expressed the desire to relinquish his services, which was accepted by the board of directors in the board meeting held on 31 January. His next move is yet unknown.

    Sameer Nair: He has donned numerous hats. From selling space in Yellow pages to being a member of a political party, Sameer Nair has had a volatile career. It was in July this year when the former Star India CEO joined Ekta Kapoor’s Balaji Telefilms as Group CEO.

     

    S N Sharma: In what can be described as the biggest setback was the resignation of DEN Networks CEO SN Sharma, who was one of the founding members of the multi system operator. Sharma’s vision of growth through consolidation and digitisation had laid the foundation for the company. He has also spearheaded DEN’s rapid growth with his visionary leadership and unparalleled execution abilities. He has also been the driving force behind taking the company into the digital era.

    Suhasni Haider: In a major development, CNN-IBN deputy foreign affairs editor and prime time anchor Suhasini Haidar bid adieu to the organisation in May this year. To focus on long-format journalism, she joined The Hindu as its diplomatic editor. 

     

    Sunil Lulla: A 30-year media and communication veteran, Sunil Lulla made headlines in July when he decided to move on from Bennett Coleman & Co. Ltd. After almost 10 years with BCCL, Lulla, joined WPP-owned Grey Group as chairman and MD for Grey Group India.
    His joining the advertising industry was homecoming as he had started his career in one.
    However, his appointment led to Grey Group India president and CEO Jishnu Sen moving on from the network.

    Tony D’silva: With Ravi Mansukhani stepping down, IMCL saw a new MD and CEO in Tony D’silva, who was earlier the president of Hinduja Ventures Limited (HVL) and was overlooking its upcoming Headend InThe Sky (HITS) project. D’silva was given additional responsibilities as Group CEO-Media of HVL, and MD and CEO of IMCL.  

    TS Panesar: Star India EVP for distribution TS Panesar, who was entrusted with the responsibility of handling distribution for national DTH and digital addressable systems (DAS) earlier in 2014 when the JV between Star and Zee- MediaPro was broken, quit.  He later joined MSO Hathway Cable & Datacom as head-video business.  

    Vikram Mehra: After spending close to 10 long years at one of the leading DTH companies in India, Vikram Mehra, the chief commercial officer of Tata Sky moved on to Saregama, this year. While at Tata Sky, he was responsible for subscription revenue management, churn management, brand marketing, new product development, consumer analytics, interactive service operations, consumer research and PR, he is handling the digital platform for Saregama.

    Vikram Sakhuja: It was in October that GroupM announced the appointment of Lindsay Pattison as global CEO of Maxus, the post held by Vikram Sakhuja. Till date his next move in the group hasn’t been decided, but he is expected to take up a global role at parent firm GroupM.

     

    Vivek Srivastava: It came as a surprise when the news of former Colors commercial and digital head Vivek Srivastava quitting, shot the mailers. His extensive background in research, awareness of new media and over a decade in the broadcast industry contributed to maintaining the robust presence of all Colors brands in the digital space and managing the overall costs for the brand.  He headed to Times Television Network (TTN) in the month of October as senior vice-president and head of the English Entertainment Cluster, which includes premium channels like Movies Now and Romedy Now.

    (The names are in alphabetical order)

     

  • 2014: A year of change for GECs

    2014: A year of change for GECs

    2014 was a year of change and evolution for Zee TV. The game is not over yet, I think we are still evolving everyday and so are our audiences and that is the real excitement. This year, we saw a lot of buzz and excitement on the channel, around the new properties and we are carving our own identity year-on-year in the general entertainment space.

    The channel created some extraordinary concepts in 2014 and now we are seen as a channel that has clutter-breaking ideas within the traditional format. We have launched shows with very different type of protagonists from Jamai Raja to Bandhan.

    We also came up with a weekend block of Zee Super weekends with Maharakshak Aryan and Neeli Chatri Waale and the other non-fiction shows. So, there was an attempt to provide differentiated content to the viewers and yet something that they will be familiar with very easily. This year, we have also observed a very quick traction for all our new shows. Be it for Kumkum Bhagya or Jamai Raja and even Neeli Chatri Waale which has seen strong growth within eight and nine weeks of its launch.  

    We are happy that people are attracted to the differentiated content that we are providing. 2014 was also a year of experiments in the non-fiction category, right from finding talent in India’s Best Cinestars Ki Khoj to Dil Se Naachein Indiawaale. Moreover, we are now coming back to the traditional Zee show Sa Re Ga Ma Pa Lil Champs as we enter the last leg of the year.

    The idea is to be happy with whatever you do because I think from a product and positioning point of view we have changed in the last nine months. We made a conscious shift about how we look and feel. There is certain uniformity in what we are doing and a certain sense of it coming together. The numbers have been good, so satisfied at that level. We are aligned with the legacy of Zee and yet evolving in a direction that we want to take the channel in.

    I see the same evolution being mirrored in the rest of the industry as well. Channels are providing content that is in the familiar zone but with very different types of protagonists and very different propositions. You may feel like you are watching a show which is in a genre that looks familiar but the story, characters, subjects, the way stories are presented are all different. There is a sense of innovation which broadcasters are giving and audiences are accepting. I think this is a beginning of a good phase.

    Not only Zee, but talking about the whole industry, what we as broadcasters will continue doing is living and breathing what our audiences want and giving them that.

    In 2014, we at Zee have started a new journey and it will take us to a very different place from where we were before. I hope the audiences will be with us in the journey.

    (These are purely personal views of Zee TV programming head Namit Sharma and indiantelevision.com does not necessarily subscribe to these views.)