ITV

Tag: Priyanka Datta

  • Network18 appoints News X’s Karishma Dhawan

    Network18 appoints News X’s Karishma Dhawan

    MUMBAI: The factual entertainment genre in India is witnessing several changes — revamps, channel launches and senior level movements. After hiring former Discovery Networks programming head Arun Thapar as its EVP and head of content, Network18 has appointed Karishma Dhawan as the cluster head of History TV18, FYI TV18 and international business.

    In her second stint with the network, she will handle ad-sales, client servicing and sales management of the entire network.

    Dhawan will report to the group’s recently appointed executive vice president of English news cluster and network sales head for north and south Priyanka Datta as well as VP of head sales for Forbes India and international business for English news channels of the network, Preeti Sahni. The two executives report to TV18 president for revenue and Forbes CEO Joy Chakraborthy.

    With more than 13 years of experience of generating revenue beyond the regular vanilla advertising, she has handled brands such as HT City, Indian Express, Radio City, Trav Talk and CNN IBN, etc. She has also handled concept sales on profit and generated revenue through organising events, media partnerships and AFPs, and integrations.

    Prior to taking this role, she was with NewsX as the sales head since March 2016. She handled the national responsibility for all the regional sales team (revenue, sales grooming, hiring etc.)

    She was hired as the assistant VP and regional head of HistoryTV18 in April 2013. In her tenure of around three years with the group, Dhawan was responsible for revenue generation as well as grooming and creating next level managers.

  • Network18 appoints News X’s Karishma Dhawan

    Network18 appoints News X’s Karishma Dhawan

    MUMBAI: The factual entertainment genre in India is witnessing several changes — revamps, channel launches and senior level movements. After hiring former Discovery Networks programming head Arun Thapar as its EVP and head of content, Network18 has appointed Karishma Dhawan as the cluster head of History TV18, FYI TV18 and international business.

    In her second stint with the network, she will handle ad-sales, client servicing and sales management of the entire network.

    Dhawan will report to the group’s recently appointed executive vice president of English news cluster and network sales head for north and south Priyanka Datta as well as VP of head sales for Forbes India and international business for English news channels of the network, Preeti Sahni. The two executives report to TV18 president for revenue and Forbes CEO Joy Chakraborthy.

    With more than 13 years of experience of generating revenue beyond the regular vanilla advertising, she has handled brands such as HT City, Indian Express, Radio City, Trav Talk and CNN IBN, etc. She has also handled concept sales on profit and generated revenue through organising events, media partnerships and AFPs, and integrations.

    Prior to taking this role, she was with NewsX as the sales head since March 2016. She handled the national responsibility for all the regional sales team (revenue, sales grooming, hiring etc.)

    She was hired as the assistant VP and regional head of HistoryTV18 in April 2013. In her tenure of around three years with the group, Dhawan was responsible for revenue generation as well as grooming and creating next level managers.

  • Network18 strengthens revenue team; Joy Chakraborthy hires Priyanka Datta & Preeti Sahni

    Network18 strengthens revenue team; Joy Chakraborthy hires Priyanka Datta & Preeti Sahni

    MUMBAI: There’s change afoot at Television18 and Network18 following their acquisition by the Mukesh Ambani group last year. The companies saw a rash of exits close to it being taken over – and afterwards too – as executives long associated with Raghav Bahl’s team decided to move out.

    But looking at the past few months, both the companies have been strengthening the senior management team. Amongst the standout hires who have come in since is Rahul Joshi as CEO (News) and editor-in-chief and he has followed up by building the team editorially with journalists and editors for the channels being roped in.

    Another solid news industry resource recruited in May 2016 was Joy Chakraborthy, who came in as president revenue of TV18, allowing Joshi to concentrate more on management and editorial. Recently Joy was entrusted with further responsibility as CEO of Forbes India, thus consolidating television and the business magazine revenues under one head.

    A 20 year old veteran of the media industry – with experience ranging from The Times of India group to Star India to Zee Entertainment to India Today – Joy is now building his team under him. He has brought in Priyanka Datta as executive vice president to head the English news cluster (CNBC-TV18, CNBC-TV18 Prime HD and CNN News18) and network sales head for north and south.

    Another senior professional, Preeti Sahni has been appointed as vice-president to head sales for Forbes India and International business for English news channels of the network.

    Says Joy: “I am pleased to welcome Priyanka and Preeti to the Network18 family. Both Priyanka and Preeti come with right learnings and experience to take on their respective mandates at Network18. Priyanka Datta comes with a well-rounded understanding of TV channels, having headed ad sales and brand solutions roles at Zee. Preeti Sahni comes with specialization in luxury and international sales, having worked on and headed senior roles with premium media brands in her earlier roles.”

    Priyanka has around 20 years of experience with an exposure to sales, marketing, business management and P&L. and was last associated with Zee Entertainment for 14 years wherein she headed sales nationally for almost all channels of Zee Network as well as their Brand Solutions Cell. Her last assignment with Zee was that of Business Head of Zindagi and the FTA GEC channels.

    Prior to joining Network18, Preeti was with BCCL as general manager handling the luxury and international businesses. Preeti has a vast professional repertoire in product management and sales, and is skilled in conceptual marketing and business development. Prior to BCCL, she has worked with brands like India Today, HT Media, Oracle and Scholastic.

  • Network18 strengthens revenue team; Joy Chakraborthy hires Priyanka Datta & Preeti Sahni

    Network18 strengthens revenue team; Joy Chakraborthy hires Priyanka Datta & Preeti Sahni

    MUMBAI: There’s change afoot at Television18 and Network18 following their acquisition by the Mukesh Ambani group last year. The companies saw a rash of exits close to it being taken over – and afterwards too – as executives long associated with Raghav Bahl’s team decided to move out.

    But looking at the past few months, both the companies have been strengthening the senior management team. Amongst the standout hires who have come in since is Rahul Joshi as CEO (News) and editor-in-chief and he has followed up by building the team editorially with journalists and editors for the channels being roped in.

    Another solid news industry resource recruited in May 2016 was Joy Chakraborthy, who came in as president revenue of TV18, allowing Joshi to concentrate more on management and editorial. Recently Joy was entrusted with further responsibility as CEO of Forbes India, thus consolidating television and the business magazine revenues under one head.

    A 20 year old veteran of the media industry – with experience ranging from The Times of India group to Star India to Zee Entertainment to India Today – Joy is now building his team under him. He has brought in Priyanka Datta as executive vice president to head the English news cluster (CNBC-TV18, CNBC-TV18 Prime HD and CNN News18) and network sales head for north and south.

    Another senior professional, Preeti Sahni has been appointed as vice-president to head sales for Forbes India and International business for English news channels of the network.

    Says Joy: “I am pleased to welcome Priyanka and Preeti to the Network18 family. Both Priyanka and Preeti come with right learnings and experience to take on their respective mandates at Network18. Priyanka Datta comes with a well-rounded understanding of TV channels, having headed ad sales and brand solutions roles at Zee. Preeti Sahni comes with specialization in luxury and international sales, having worked on and headed senior roles with premium media brands in her earlier roles.”

    Priyanka has around 20 years of experience with an exposure to sales, marketing, business management and P&L. and was last associated with Zee Entertainment for 14 years wherein she headed sales nationally for almost all channels of Zee Network as well as their Brand Solutions Cell. Her last assignment with Zee was that of Business Head of Zindagi and the FTA GEC channels.

    Prior to joining Network18, Preeti was with BCCL as general manager handling the luxury and international businesses. Preeti has a vast professional repertoire in product management and sales, and is skilled in conceptual marketing and business development. Prior to BCCL, she has worked with brands like India Today, HT Media, Oracle and Scholastic.

  • Zindagi’s second original show ‘Aadhe Adhoore’ to mark Ajai Sinha’s comeback on TV

    Zindagi’s second original show ‘Aadhe Adhoore’ to mark Ajai Sinha’s comeback on TV

    MUMBAI: Producer Ajai Sinha, who is known for landmark fiction series on Indian television like Hasratein, Justajoo, and Astitva – Ek Prem Kahani is all set to make a comeback on television after a span of four years. And this time round, Sinha’s production house Ananda Films has readied a fiction series titled Aadhe Adhoore for Zee Entertainment Enterprises Ltd’s (Zeel) Hindi entertainment channel Zindagi.

     

    Aadhe Adhoore will be Zindagi’s second home grown fiction series, which is all set to go on air from 14 December. The show will be aired from Monday to Saturday at 9.50 pm. It may be recalled that the channel recently launched its first original fiction show Bhaage Re Mann on 30 November.

     

    Zindagi has roped in India’s Basmati Rice as the co-powered by sponsor and also is eyeing more brand associations for the show.

     

    Speaking to Indiantelevision.com about the show, Zindagi & Zee Anmol cluster head Priyanka Datta says, “Aadhe Adhoore is a story set in Kapurthala of Jassi, who is a perfect Bahu, neighbour and daughter-in-law. The story highlights her caring nature and her willingness to do things. It’s a beautiful emotion that we are trying to touch upon. We are neither trying to be judgmental nor impose any views on the audience.”

     

    With two back to back original fiction show launches in a couple of weeks, Datta throws light on the channel’s programming strategy saying, “The channel’s strategy has been very clear from the beginning. Zindagi aims to bring the best of content, storylines and dialogues for viewers.”

     

    Further elaborating on the same, she adds, “Everything that we telecast on Zindagi is original content. Initially we got shows from Pakistan but it was original for the Indian audiences. Then we went ahead and brought a show from Turkey, which is again new for the audience here. Similarly, we brought these two new shows and also produced Shukriya in the past. Moving forward, this will continue to be our strategy. Our aim is to be the window to provide the best of entertainment anywhere and everywhere across the globe. So be it India, Pakistan, Turkey or any other country, we will continue to bring good stories to our viewers.”

     

    Following the trend of unconventional timing of the show, she informs, “When Zindagi launched, we had shows in the 8 pm and 8.55 pm time slot. So we always had timings that may not necessarily be a clock hour therefore that is what we continue to do even now.”

     

    Aadhe Adhoore will be a finite series, which will run for four months. The channel has a substantial bank of episodes as the style of working and shooting is different for the finite show. Almost 40-45 per cent of the show has been canned before it goes on air.

     

    Zindagi will ready a 360 degree marketing campaign to promote the show across platforms. “We are using television, radio and outdoor platforms for our promotional activities,” she informs.

     

    On his return to television, Sinha says, “I’ve always tried to push the envelope when it comes to content and presented stories that stand out. Making a show for a channel that is differentiated from regular GECs and has got critical acclaim for its content like Zindagi has been a challenge for me. We wanted to create a show that brought out the essence of the modern Indian woman – the real woman who we see around us. The casting, screenplay, locations and original soundtrack will be of a quality that will surely set it apart from what’s seen on television today. I hope audiences will love the story and its characters like they have in all my earlier shows.”

     

    Sinha’s last show was Kesariya Balam Aavo Hamare Des, which aired on Sahara One from 2009 – 2011.

  • Zindagi forays into Turkish content with ‘Feriha’

    Zindagi forays into Turkish content with ‘Feriha’

    MUMBAI: Known for airing Pakistani series on Indian television, Zee Entertainment Enterprise Limited’s (ZEEL) Hindi channel Zindagi is all set to launch a new Turkish drama for Indian audiences. Titled Feriha – a Turkish Tale of Love, the series will go on air starting 15 September, every Monday to Friday at 7pm.

     

    Based in Istanbul, Feriha – a Turkish Tale of Love, is a story of a young, beautiful and ambitious girl born in a family of humble means. The girl-next-door named Feriha aspires to touch the sky and has a burning desire to succeed in a world that her parents consider as alien. Born to a janitor father and housekeeper mother, Feriha earns a fully paid scholarship in an elite University where the city’s affluent parents send their children. In the struggle for acceptance among her rich peers, she portrays herself as one of them and lies about her background.

     

    Speaking about the launch of the new Turkish show, Zindagi & FTA Cluster business head Priyanka Datta said, “After Pakistani series, we are introducing our first Turkish show Feriha.  The culture they have is closely connected to India and we can easily relate to them. With this Turkish show we are targeting the younger audiences aged between 15 – 30 years. If you see our other shows which are from Pakistan, it attracts people in the age group of 35- 45, but Feriha is entirely a college romance and so it will be more relatable with the younger audiences.”

     

    With dating app Woo as the title sponsor, the show will have 20 – 40 episodes.

     

    While FCB Ulka will handle the creative innovations, the mandate of media agency has been given to MEC.

     

    Talking about the marketing activities, Datta informed, “Apart from television we are also looking at other platforms. We will aggressively promote the show through our network along with other youth and music channels. We will also use radio as a medium to generate awareness. We are running a contest for the audiences and the winner will get a chance to travel all the way to Turkey.”     

     

    The show effortlessly blends in with the channels’ brand philosophy Jodey Dilon Ko as it encapsulates the essence of different relationships.

     

    The channel reached one year landmark recently and commenting on the journey so far Dutta said, “The journey started with Pakistani shows and then eventually we introduced Indian original series Shukriya. Now we are getting into Turkish content. We have received phenomenal response and appreciation. The journey so far has been very good for us. We will keep enhancing our portfolio.”

     

    Talking about the response that Zindagi has received from the advertisers, Datta asserted, “Initially we started with 11-12 clients, within a month we reached to 24 -25 clients and we ended the year with 140- 150 clients on board.”

  • Zindagi forays into original non-fiction programming with ‘Shukriya’

    Zindagi forays into original non-fiction programming with ‘Shukriya’

    MUMBAI: Hindi general entertainment channel (GEC) from the Zee Entertainment Enterprises Limited (Zeel) stable, Zindagi has forayed into a new territory. The channel, which was launched in 2014 with shows from Pakistan, is now gearing up to launch its first original non-fiction show. Titled Shukriya, this reality show has been produced by Frames Production.

     

    This, according to the channel, is just the beginning, as it plans to launch a number of original shows in this quarter. Refusing to spell out the genre of the original shows in the pipeline, Zindagi and FTA cluster business head Priyanka Datta said, “The fact that we air finite shows gives us the opportunity to create more content and churn out more original programming.”

     

    The new show Shukriya, which premieres on Sunday, 9 August at 8 pm, is a 13 episode series, which is designed to urge people to pause life, reflect and acknowledge the good things life has given.

     

    “Given the format of the channel, it was clear that when we got onto creating original programming, it had to be something which built an emotional connect with the audience,” opined Zeel chief business officer Sunil Buch. 

     

    With original content in its programming mix now, the channel will however continue to air shows from Pakistan. “Pakistan has a legacy of great content and we have a huge library of shows from the country. Considering the cultural overlap, it was but natural for us to get shows from Pakistan when we launched with the theme of ‘Jodey Dilon Ko.’ We want to give our viewer varied content experience and so we decided to launch original content, this doesn’t mean we will discontinue those shows,” said Buch. 

     

    Shukriya, according to Datta, as a concept marries well with the brand philosophy of ‘Jodey Dilon Ko.’ 

     

    Anchored by Gunjan Utreja, this reality programme will give people a platform to exhibit their real emotions and in turn give those they want to thank a memory that will last a lifetime. The show will travel to several cities including Delhi, Mumbai and parts of North India. “All 13 episodes of the first season have been canned. We will come up with multiple seasons of Shukriya,” informed Datta. 

     

    Promotional strategy for Shukriya 

     

    The channel’s new concept has been backed by some unique promotional strategies. “Every communication highlights not just the real emotions, but also embodies the spirit of Shukriya,” said Datta.

     

    According to her, the real hero is the concept of the show. “We have ensured that this stands out in all the promotional activities, be it in print, radio, outdoor or digital. The aim is to create an element of surprise that will inspire people to do the same,” she added.

     

    Creative communication has been given a new age approach that drives interactivity. The identity of the campaign was centered around #Shukriya. Three short promos have been created and seeded across platforms like Facebook, Youtube and all digital platforms of Zindagi.

     

    “The first two videos have already created a social surround driving close to 7.9 lakh views and counting,” she informed.

     

    The channel has also associated itself with e-commerce player Snapdeal for a dedicated Shukriya Store on its website and app. “This initiative is in association with friendship day, where Zindagi and Snapdeal give netizens discounted offers to buy special Shukriya gifts for loved ones,” said Datta.

     

    Additionally, Zindagi in association with Big FM created unique Shukriya experience for their listeners where RJs were heard saying Shukriya to local unsung heroes across its 24 stations. 

     

    “We have taken this ahead on Zindagi by creating a special section called ‘Keh Do Shukriya’ wherein Gunjan and RJ Siddharth will narrate some real life stories that have reached to us through Big FM,” she said.

     

    With ordinary people being a part of the show, the channel will also visit close to 50 housing colonies in Delhi to celebrate Shukriya day with residents. 

     

    Multiplex viewers have also been targeted across more than 400 screens for three weeks with blockbusters like Bajrangi Bhaijaan, Drishyam and Mission Impossible 5.

     

    “This is alongside high impact print and TV campaigns including leveraging the platforms of our sister concern ZMCL to drive tune-ins in our key markets,” concluded Datta.

  • Zindagi completes one year; launches contest for viewers

    Zindagi completes one year; launches contest for viewers

    MUMBAI: This June, Zindagi viewers will get the opportunity to be a part of a landmark event as the channel celebrates its first anniversary with the ‘Your Choice Contest.’

     

    Starting 15 May, viewers from across the country can choose the show featuring their favourite Zindagi Jodi, which will later be featured on the channel in June.

     

    Zindagi business head Priyanka Datta said, “We are grateful to the our viewers for constantly supporting us on our journey and on our first anniversary we would like to do something special for them by giving them the power to choose the show that they would like to watch. Over this one year we have received tremendous support from our viewers and would like to extend this token of our appreciation.”

     

    Participants of the ‘Your Choice’ contest will vote for their favourite couple out of four, namely Fawad Khan and Sanam Baloch from Waqt Ne Kiya Kya Haseen Sitam, Ahsan Khan and Mehwish Hayat, who were seen romancing in the show Mere Qatil Mere Dildaar, Fahad Mustafa and Mehreen Raheal from the show Mastani Mahi and Adeel Hussain and Aamina Sheikh, who charmed audiences in their hard hitting show Piya Re.

     

    Audience can participate in the contest by giving a missed call on the number pertaining to their favourite couples or tweeting with the mentioned hashtag for their favourite couples. Interested viewers can also log on to www.zindagitv to get a chance to vote for their favourite couple.

     

    The contest will run from 15 May to 31 May, 2015 and only five lucky winners will be shortlisted. Not only will the winners get a chance to watch their favourite couple but will also win a hamper from Zindagi. The winners shall be declared on the channel’s Facebook page and Twitter handle.

  • Zindagi weaves Pakistani love story around partition

    Zindagi weaves Pakistani love story around partition

    NEW DELHI: Zindagi, the entertainment channel from the Zee stable, plans to make original programmes in India during the coming year and may also make some programmes, which have a combination of Indian and Pakistani artistes.

     

    Zindagi channel business head Priyanka Datta stressed that every serial has its own priority market and that the marketing budgets for this channel were comparable to any other general entertainment channel (GEC).

     

    Speaking to Indiantelevision.com, Datta said that Zindagi was being touted as the only Hindi premium channel as it got the same kind of ratings that English TV channels get and no Hindi channel in the general entertainment channel commanded those ratings.

     

    Datta claimed that social media and digital platforms are being used actively to market the channel, which has a large following through mails and Twitter.

     

    Speaking on the sidelines of the new series Waqt Ne Kiya Kya Haseen Sitam launch, which commenced on 23 March, she said that the series based on a Pakistani novel had been telecast on Pakistan Television in 2010 but Zee TV had acquired its rights for Zindagi. The new offering will be telecast every Monday to Friday, 8 pm onwards. 
     

     

    Since it is the only series on Zindagi based on the partition of the country, she said certain changes had been made to neutralize the depiction of partition-related scenes to ensure that it did not hurt the sensibilities of people on either side of the border. Datta also stressed that the series was primarily a love story and there was no unnecessary emphasis on partition and its aftermath. The research that had gone into the series also showed realism. 

     

    Denying the fact that the channel was popular only in north India because of its content, Datta said that it was popular not only all over India but was also seen in neighbouring countries including Pakistan.

     

    “Showcasing stories that bind hearts is our aim with every show that we launch on Zindagi. Very few television shows have the enduring impact of Waqt Ne Kiya Kya Haseen Sitam. The show has beautifully dealt with the intricate emotions of love and separation and the poignancy showcased in the drama resonates even today. It is a never-seen-before portrayal of the essence of true love and we are sure that our audiences will enjoy it,” she said.

     

    Set in the 1940s, it is a heart-wrenching love story that depicts the myriad emotions that people went through then and how love triumphed amongst them all.

     

    Karachi based director Haissam Hussaim said love was a universal language and this series had also attempted to show this. Borders do not dilute this sentiment, he added. 

     

    Hussaim said that he had met the author of the novel ‘Bano’ and also done some research on his own. The author had told him that the story was partly based on experiences of some persons close to her, and partly fictionalized.   

     

    He said people needed to educate themselves so as not to be so intolerant.

     

    Lahore based actor Ahsan Khan said all the cast members were asked to read the novel before the series was made.

     

    Khan said, “I play the character of Bano’s brother Saleem, who believes that the nation should not be divided. I think the reason this show was a huge hit was because each and every character in the show has been very well defined and equal care was taken while casting and that is what did justice to this beautiful story. It’s a story that depicts myriad emotions that people went through then and how love triumphed amongst them all.”

     

    Waqt Ne Kiya Kya Haseen Sitam marks the return of Fawad Khan, who is paired opposite Sanam Baloch essaying the role of Bano. It also features an ensemble of legendary and popular actors including Samina Peerzada, Ahsan Khan, Saba Qamar and Mehreen Raheal amongst a host of others.

  • Zindagi appoints Star Plus’ Bharti Sharma as programming head

    Zindagi appoints Star Plus’ Bharti Sharma as programming head

    MUMBAI: It was in June 2014, when Zee Entertainment Enterprises Limited (Zeel) launched a channel nationally, christened Zindagi, for progressive mindset and people who do not have a language barrier. With the best of content from across the border, the network had appointed a separate team for the channel.

     

    The first change in the team happened with the exit of the network’s marketing head for national channels Akash Chawla quitting and moving to Essel Vision Productions as business head. The team is further set for a change.

     

    Now it is learnt from a highly placed source that Vanita Jain, who wears the hat of the programming head, has already resigned from the post and relinquished her position last week. The channel has roped in former Star Plus associate creative producer Bharti Sharma in place of Jain.

     

    Sources tell Indiantelevision.com that Sharma has already joined Zindagi on 9 February, 2015 and will report to the channel’s business head Priyanka Datta.

     

    Sharma was part of the programming fiction team at Star and used to report to Star Plus’ fiction programming head Danish Khan. She was involved creatively in projects like Mahabharat. Her last day at Star was on 6 February, 2015.