ITV

Tag: Punit Goenka

  • Digital space is no longer about just viewing content on multiple devices: Subhash Chandra

    Digital space is no longer about just viewing content on multiple devices: Subhash Chandra

    MUMBAI: With digital content becoming increasingly mainstream, media juggernaut Zee Entertainment Enterprise Ltd (Zeel) is taking extensive measures to drive larger market share of consumer eyeballs. The group intends to push for inorganic growth through improved content services and plans to leverage constant innovation to engage and ensure consumer stickiness on their media platforms

    Zeel plans to monetise its digital offerings like dittoTV and OZEE through a mix of strategies including tie-ups with advertisers, targeted SEO and band solutions. To grow the subscription side of the digital business, the group will focus on multiple technological innovations that empowers consumer to get more by paying less and will allow better user experience and seamless content.

    “The global media and entertainment industry is expected to grow at a CAGR of 4 per cent during 2015-18 to reach around $ 2.3 trillion. This may seem modest in relative terms but its absolute impact is significant… the share of various media is constantly getting recalibrated with digital growing at the fastest rate,” says ZEEL Chairman Subhash Chandra in the annual report 2015-16.

    Further adding, “The digital space is no longer about just viewing content on multiple devices. On-demand viewing patterns have resulted in newer content formats, crisper episodes and differentiated content packaging tailor-made to audience preferences. This is where our expertise of rightly gauging the audience pulse is being leveraged ensuring that rich, engaging and relevant content is offered to our viewers across the globe.”

    According to Chandra, India will be at the cusp of the transformation in the entertainment industry. Chandra and his team are definitely taking instrumental steps in achieving their long term goals and objectives. Its ditto TV offers its subscribers a complete on-the-go entertainment experience with a choice of over 120 premium live channels and over 40,000 hours of on demand content across TV shows, movies and videos. While all the Zeel channels form part of the ditto TV bouquet, it also aggregates both live and on-demand content from other broadcasters to cater to viewer preferences across genres and languages. ditto TV stands apart from other players for its ‘desh ka TV’ and ‘bees ka TV’ feature through which viewers can watch top shows, hours before their telecast along with digital premieres of movies. The platform has also entered the Limca Book of Records for being the only OTT service with the largest bouquet of channels across 13 languages.

    “However, the share of wallet that entertainment commands today is lower than the global average presenting a great opportunity for growth,” he says.

    The riposte recently launched dittoTV with a bouquet of 100 plus channels at a price point of just Rs 20 per month. The price gets even more lip smacking for users subscribing for three months (Rs 50), six months (Rs 90) and annually (Rs 170). The platform has tied up with major Indian broadcasters with the exception of the SunTV group and Star India giving it a portfolio of 100+ Hindi, English and regional language channels, encompassing general entertainment, sports, movies, news and lifestyle on board.

    “With the new avatar of dittoTV, we aim to change the media landscape to suit the evolving media consumption preferences of consumers. It will allow users to control where they watch television in a way that has not been possible before. We are proud to present a platform that will help scale up this transformation by making it affordable for people across a wide economic spectrum,” voices Zeel MD & CEO Punit Goenka.

    OZEE, Zeel’s free of cost VOD platform, launched to provide the vast library of entertainment on anytime anywhere basis, across devices. The platform showcases the latest and full episodes of TV shows from popular Zeel channels like Zee TV, & TV, Zee Marathi, Zee Telugu, Zee Tamil and more. The platform also hosts a vast library of popular music hits from Zee Music Company, and full length movies in Hindi and regional languages. It offers entertainment to over 11.6 mn users, generating 114.4 mn page views and 75.4 mn video views as of March 2016.

    Zeel’s international OTT service, Zee Family TV streams over 30 live channels and has 2,000 plus movies on demand besides 25,000 plus hours of library content. It has over 86,000 users and is available across 152 countries. Zee Family TV is available across devices, and has considerably helped in curbing piracy.

    “Increasing urbanisation coupled with the Phase III and IV digitisation by the government is ensuring better entertainment infrastructure and a more addressable and understandable. Zeel is proactively reorganising its operations focusing on newer delivery formats and ramping up its digital business in line with the changing dynamics of the operating environment,” opines Chandra.

    The media brand offers content in multiple languages and has a strong presence in over 171 countries with a total viewership of 1 billion around the globe. It has a network share of 17.9 per cent while its total revenue comes close to Rs 58,515 million.

  • Digital space is no longer about just viewing content on multiple devices: Subhash Chandra

    Digital space is no longer about just viewing content on multiple devices: Subhash Chandra

    MUMBAI: With digital content becoming increasingly mainstream, media juggernaut Zee Entertainment Enterprise Ltd (Zeel) is taking extensive measures to drive larger market share of consumer eyeballs. The group intends to push for inorganic growth through improved content services and plans to leverage constant innovation to engage and ensure consumer stickiness on their media platforms

    Zeel plans to monetise its digital offerings like dittoTV and OZEE through a mix of strategies including tie-ups with advertisers, targeted SEO and band solutions. To grow the subscription side of the digital business, the group will focus on multiple technological innovations that empowers consumer to get more by paying less and will allow better user experience and seamless content.

    “The global media and entertainment industry is expected to grow at a CAGR of 4 per cent during 2015-18 to reach around $ 2.3 trillion. This may seem modest in relative terms but its absolute impact is significant… the share of various media is constantly getting recalibrated with digital growing at the fastest rate,” says ZEEL Chairman Subhash Chandra in the annual report 2015-16.

    Further adding, “The digital space is no longer about just viewing content on multiple devices. On-demand viewing patterns have resulted in newer content formats, crisper episodes and differentiated content packaging tailor-made to audience preferences. This is where our expertise of rightly gauging the audience pulse is being leveraged ensuring that rich, engaging and relevant content is offered to our viewers across the globe.”

    According to Chandra, India will be at the cusp of the transformation in the entertainment industry. Chandra and his team are definitely taking instrumental steps in achieving their long term goals and objectives. Its ditto TV offers its subscribers a complete on-the-go entertainment experience with a choice of over 120 premium live channels and over 40,000 hours of on demand content across TV shows, movies and videos. While all the Zeel channels form part of the ditto TV bouquet, it also aggregates both live and on-demand content from other broadcasters to cater to viewer preferences across genres and languages. ditto TV stands apart from other players for its ‘desh ka TV’ and ‘bees ka TV’ feature through which viewers can watch top shows, hours before their telecast along with digital premieres of movies. The platform has also entered the Limca Book of Records for being the only OTT service with the largest bouquet of channels across 13 languages.

    “However, the share of wallet that entertainment commands today is lower than the global average presenting a great opportunity for growth,” he says.

    The riposte recently launched dittoTV with a bouquet of 100 plus channels at a price point of just Rs 20 per month. The price gets even more lip smacking for users subscribing for three months (Rs 50), six months (Rs 90) and annually (Rs 170). The platform has tied up with major Indian broadcasters with the exception of the SunTV group and Star India giving it a portfolio of 100+ Hindi, English and regional language channels, encompassing general entertainment, sports, movies, news and lifestyle on board.

    “With the new avatar of dittoTV, we aim to change the media landscape to suit the evolving media consumption preferences of consumers. It will allow users to control where they watch television in a way that has not been possible before. We are proud to present a platform that will help scale up this transformation by making it affordable for people across a wide economic spectrum,” voices Zeel MD & CEO Punit Goenka.

    OZEE, Zeel’s free of cost VOD platform, launched to provide the vast library of entertainment on anytime anywhere basis, across devices. The platform showcases the latest and full episodes of TV shows from popular Zeel channels like Zee TV, & TV, Zee Marathi, Zee Telugu, Zee Tamil and more. The platform also hosts a vast library of popular music hits from Zee Music Company, and full length movies in Hindi and regional languages. It offers entertainment to over 11.6 mn users, generating 114.4 mn page views and 75.4 mn video views as of March 2016.

    Zeel’s international OTT service, Zee Family TV streams over 30 live channels and has 2,000 plus movies on demand besides 25,000 plus hours of library content. It has over 86,000 users and is available across 152 countries. Zee Family TV is available across devices, and has considerably helped in curbing piracy.

    “Increasing urbanisation coupled with the Phase III and IV digitisation by the government is ensuring better entertainment infrastructure and a more addressable and understandable. Zeel is proactively reorganising its operations focusing on newer delivery formats and ramping up its digital business in line with the changing dynamics of the operating environment,” opines Chandra.

    The media brand offers content in multiple languages and has a strong presence in over 171 countries with a total viewership of 1 billion around the globe. It has a network share of 17.9 per cent while its total revenue comes close to Rs 58,515 million.

  • ZEEL’s Akash Chawla replaces Pradeep Hejmadi as Business Head of Zee TV

    ZEEL’s Akash Chawla replaces Pradeep Hejmadi as Business Head of Zee TV

    MUMBAI: ZEEL has elevated Akash Chawla and Deepak Rajadhyaksha for key roles in Zee TV to drive the organizations goals.

    In addition to his current portfolio as Business Head- Essel Vision Productions Limited/Zee Studios, Chawla will now also take charge as the Business Head of Zee TV. In his earlier broadcasting stint, Chawla has successfully spearheaded the marketing function for the flagship and national channels like ZeeTV, Zee Cinema and Zee Classic.

    He has also played a pivotal role in the launch of channels like &pictures, Zee Anmol and Zindagi. All the functions of Zee TV like marketing, research and PR will align with Chawla.

    Meanwhile, Deepak Rajadhyaksha, who has been successfully leading the role as the Business Head of Zee Marathi, will now take charge as the Deputy Business Head, Zee TV. He will report to Akash Chawla. The entire programming, OAP and Operations team would align and report to Rajadhyaksha.The duo will work closely with ZEEL – MD & CEO, Punit Goenka to bring Zee TV towards its leadership journey.

  • ZEEL’s Akash Chawla replaces Pradeep Hejmadi as Business Head of Zee TV

    ZEEL’s Akash Chawla replaces Pradeep Hejmadi as Business Head of Zee TV

    MUMBAI: ZEEL has elevated Akash Chawla and Deepak Rajadhyaksha for key roles in Zee TV to drive the organizations goals.

    In addition to his current portfolio as Business Head- Essel Vision Productions Limited/Zee Studios, Chawla will now also take charge as the Business Head of Zee TV. In his earlier broadcasting stint, Chawla has successfully spearheaded the marketing function for the flagship and national channels like ZeeTV, Zee Cinema and Zee Classic.

    He has also played a pivotal role in the launch of channels like &pictures, Zee Anmol and Zindagi. All the functions of Zee TV like marketing, research and PR will align with Chawla.

    Meanwhile, Deepak Rajadhyaksha, who has been successfully leading the role as the Business Head of Zee Marathi, will now take charge as the Deputy Business Head, Zee TV. He will report to Akash Chawla. The entire programming, OAP and Operations team would align and report to Rajadhyaksha.The duo will work closely with ZEEL – MD & CEO, Punit Goenka to bring Zee TV towards its leadership journey.

  • FY-16: Zeel’s revenue up 20 percent on higher ad, subscription revenue

    FY-16: Zeel’s revenue up 20 percent on higher ad, subscription revenue

    BENGALURU: The Subhash Chandra led content and broadcast player Zee Entertainment Enterprises Limited (Zeel) reported a 19.8 per cent  hike revenue for the year ended 31 March 2016 (FY-16, current year) as compared to the previous year. The growth was driven by a 28.9 percent growth in Zeel’s advertising (ad) revenue, supplemented by a 14.7 percent growth in subscription revenue. Zeel reported consolidated revenue (Total income from operations, TIO) of Rs 5,851.46 crore in FY-16 as compared to Rs 4,883.65 crore in FY-15.

    Note: (1) The unit of currency in this report is the Indian rupee – Rs (also conventionally represented by INR). The Indian numbering system or the Vedic numbering system has been used to denote money values. The basic conversion to the international norm would be:
    (a) 100,00,000 = 100 lakh = 10,000,000 = 10 million = 1 crore.
    (b) 10,000 lakh = 100 crore = 1 arab = 1 billion.
    (2) All numbers in this report are consolidated unless stated otherwise.

    Ad revenue in the current year was Rs 3,429.64 (58.6 percent of TIO) as compared to Rs 2,660.30 crore (54.5 percent of TIO) in the previous year. Subscription revenue in the current year was Rs 2,057.87 crore (35.2 percent of TIO) as compared to Rs 1,793,48 crore (36.7 percent of TIO) in FY-15.

    Profit after tax (PAT) for the current year increased 5 percent to Rs 1,026.77 crore (17.5 percent margin) as compared to Rs 977.50 crore (20 percent margin) in FY-15.

    Zeel’s Operating profit (EBITDA) for FY-16 stood at Rs 1,509.55 crore (25.8 percent EBITDA Margin) which was 20.4 percent higher than the Rs 1,253.70 crore (25.7 percent EBIDTA margin).

    Total Expenditure in FY-16 increased 19.7 percent to Rs 4,425.95 crore (75.6 percent of TIO) from Rs 3,692.27 crore (75.7 percent of TIO).

    Numbers for Q4-16

    For the quarter ended 31 March 2016 (Q1-16, current quarter), TIO  increased 13.7 percent year-over-year (y-o-y) to Rs 1,531.62 crore from Rs 1,347.05 crore, but declined 4 percent quarter-over-quarter (q-o-q) from Rs 1,595.08 crore in the immediate trailing quarter.

    Zeel reported 29.1 percent growth in y-o-y ad revenue to Rs 864.51 crore as compared to Rs 669.66 crore (47.7 percent of TIO). The current quarter’s ad revenue however declined 8.2 percent q-o-q from Rs 941.88 crore (59 per cent ofTIO).

    Subscription revenue in Q1-16 increased 16.4 percent y-o-y to Rs 594.41 crore (38.8 percent of TIO) as compared to Rs 510.77 crore (37.9 percent of TIO) in Q4-15 and increased 13.9 percent q-o-q from Rs 521.80 crore (32.7 percent of TIO) in Q3-16.

    PAT in the current quarter increased 6.9 percent y-o-y to Rs 260.61 crore (17 percent margin) from Rs 230.77 crore (17.1 percent margin), but declined 5.2 percent q-o-q from Rs 275 crore (17.2 percent margin).

    EBIDTA in the current quarter increased 52.7 percent y-o-y to Rs 413.57 crore (27 percent EBIDTA margin) from Rs 270.75 crore (20.1 percent margin), but declined 3.9 percent q-o-q from Rs 430.19 crore (27 percent EBIDTA margin).

    Total Expenditure in Q4-16 increased 4.7 percent y-o-y to Rs 1,145.38 crore (74.8 percent of TIO) from Rs 1,093.70 crore (78 percent of TIO), but declined 3.3 percent q-o-q from Rs 1,185.01 crore (74.3 percent of TIO) in Q3-16.

    Company Speak

    Chandra added, “The results have once again shown that the Company is committed to the goal of profitable growth and enhancing shareholder wealth. The growth in the quarter has been satisfactory and the investment in the new channels has started showing results. We strive to seek out growth opportunities which will give sustainable long term growth. True to our philosophy of ‘World is one family’, we will continue to entertain the audience around the world with our content.”

    Zeel managing director and CEO Punit Goenka, Managing said, “I am happy to announce that our sustained growth momentum through the year continued in the fourth quarter as well and we have ended the year on a strong note. Our growth has been ahead of the market growth trajectory which is being reflected in the improving viewership share of our network. We continue to see strong growth in both existing and new products.”

    “In the last quarter we launched OZEE which is a one stop destination for all Zee content online. We understand that Digital will be a key part of our growth in the future and hence we are geared for expansion on that front as well. We also rebranded our sports channel portfolio in line with our vision to provide the consumer a superior viewing experience.”

    “We would continue to innovate on the content front to serve our audiences. With the growth in consumption on digital platforms the content production has been democratized and it will lead to increase in content variety for the consumer. Zee has a strong pedigree in the content creation business and we will continue to maintain and build on it,” added Goenka.

    Click here for earnings release.

    Click here for Financial release.

  • FY-16: Zeel’s revenue up 20 percent on higher ad, subscription revenue

    FY-16: Zeel’s revenue up 20 percent on higher ad, subscription revenue

    BENGALURU: The Subhash Chandra led content and broadcast player Zee Entertainment Enterprises Limited (Zeel) reported a 19.8 per cent  hike revenue for the year ended 31 March 2016 (FY-16, current year) as compared to the previous year. The growth was driven by a 28.9 percent growth in Zeel’s advertising (ad) revenue, supplemented by a 14.7 percent growth in subscription revenue. Zeel reported consolidated revenue (Total income from operations, TIO) of Rs 5,851.46 crore in FY-16 as compared to Rs 4,883.65 crore in FY-15.

    Note: (1) The unit of currency in this report is the Indian rupee – Rs (also conventionally represented by INR). The Indian numbering system or the Vedic numbering system has been used to denote money values. The basic conversion to the international norm would be:
    (a) 100,00,000 = 100 lakh = 10,000,000 = 10 million = 1 crore.
    (b) 10,000 lakh = 100 crore = 1 arab = 1 billion.
    (2) All numbers in this report are consolidated unless stated otherwise.

    Ad revenue in the current year was Rs 3,429.64 (58.6 percent of TIO) as compared to Rs 2,660.30 crore (54.5 percent of TIO) in the previous year. Subscription revenue in the current year was Rs 2,057.87 crore (35.2 percent of TIO) as compared to Rs 1,793,48 crore (36.7 percent of TIO) in FY-15.

    Profit after tax (PAT) for the current year increased 5 percent to Rs 1,026.77 crore (17.5 percent margin) as compared to Rs 977.50 crore (20 percent margin) in FY-15.

    Zeel’s Operating profit (EBITDA) for FY-16 stood at Rs 1,509.55 crore (25.8 percent EBITDA Margin) which was 20.4 percent higher than the Rs 1,253.70 crore (25.7 percent EBIDTA margin).

    Total Expenditure in FY-16 increased 19.7 percent to Rs 4,425.95 crore (75.6 percent of TIO) from Rs 3,692.27 crore (75.7 percent of TIO).

    Numbers for Q4-16

    For the quarter ended 31 March 2016 (Q1-16, current quarter), TIO  increased 13.7 percent year-over-year (y-o-y) to Rs 1,531.62 crore from Rs 1,347.05 crore, but declined 4 percent quarter-over-quarter (q-o-q) from Rs 1,595.08 crore in the immediate trailing quarter.

    Zeel reported 29.1 percent growth in y-o-y ad revenue to Rs 864.51 crore as compared to Rs 669.66 crore (47.7 percent of TIO). The current quarter’s ad revenue however declined 8.2 percent q-o-q from Rs 941.88 crore (59 per cent ofTIO).

    Subscription revenue in Q1-16 increased 16.4 percent y-o-y to Rs 594.41 crore (38.8 percent of TIO) as compared to Rs 510.77 crore (37.9 percent of TIO) in Q4-15 and increased 13.9 percent q-o-q from Rs 521.80 crore (32.7 percent of TIO) in Q3-16.

    PAT in the current quarter increased 6.9 percent y-o-y to Rs 260.61 crore (17 percent margin) from Rs 230.77 crore (17.1 percent margin), but declined 5.2 percent q-o-q from Rs 275 crore (17.2 percent margin).

    EBIDTA in the current quarter increased 52.7 percent y-o-y to Rs 413.57 crore (27 percent EBIDTA margin) from Rs 270.75 crore (20.1 percent margin), but declined 3.9 percent q-o-q from Rs 430.19 crore (27 percent EBIDTA margin).

    Total Expenditure in Q4-16 increased 4.7 percent y-o-y to Rs 1,145.38 crore (74.8 percent of TIO) from Rs 1,093.70 crore (78 percent of TIO), but declined 3.3 percent q-o-q from Rs 1,185.01 crore (74.3 percent of TIO) in Q3-16.

    Company Speak

    Chandra added, “The results have once again shown that the Company is committed to the goal of profitable growth and enhancing shareholder wealth. The growth in the quarter has been satisfactory and the investment in the new channels has started showing results. We strive to seek out growth opportunities which will give sustainable long term growth. True to our philosophy of ‘World is one family’, we will continue to entertain the audience around the world with our content.”

    Zeel managing director and CEO Punit Goenka, Managing said, “I am happy to announce that our sustained growth momentum through the year continued in the fourth quarter as well and we have ended the year on a strong note. Our growth has been ahead of the market growth trajectory which is being reflected in the improving viewership share of our network. We continue to see strong growth in both existing and new products.”

    “In the last quarter we launched OZEE which is a one stop destination for all Zee content online. We understand that Digital will be a key part of our growth in the future and hence we are geared for expansion on that front as well. We also rebranded our sports channel portfolio in line with our vision to provide the consumer a superior viewing experience.”

    “We would continue to innovate on the content front to serve our audiences. With the growth in consumption on digital platforms the content production has been democratized and it will lead to increase in content variety for the consumer. Zee has a strong pedigree in the content creation business and we will continue to maintain and build on it,” added Goenka.

    Click here for earnings release.

    Click here for Financial release.

  • Amit Goenka receives honour at MipTV 2016

    Amit Goenka receives honour at MipTV 2016

    Cannes: It was a moment of pride for India at MipTV when Zee International CEO Amit Goenka went on stage at the Carlton Hotel in Cannes on  the French Riviera to receive the organization’s Medaille D’Honneur. It was the first time that an Indian executive had been accorded that recognition.

    Amit received the citation on behalf of his brother and Zeel CEO Punit Goenka  and himself to thunderous applause. He pointed out that the Zee Network had expanded the number of languages it is available to eight. He  spoke about the group’s recent Fillipino launch for its Zee Sine channel recently and highlighted that the broadcaster was readying its German foray called Zee One in July this year.

    He announced that the Zee group was gearing to emerge as one of the top global  media conglomerates by 2020. An he invited the entire TV community to be a part of the Zee TV family.

    Amit was joined at the MipTV dinner cum gala by his lovely wife Navyata.

    Other honorees at the exclusive MipTV Medaille D’Honneur were senior international executives: Germany’s Studiocanal TV MD Rola Bauer,  Disney Media Networks global distribution president Ben Pyne from the US  and Mexico’s Comarex president Marcel Vinay.

    The dinner witnessed attendance from the crème de la crème of Zee TV’s international operations. Present were: Chief Business Officer international business Asia Today Sunita Uchill, Zeel CBO Sunil Buch, Asia TV CEO Europe Neeraj Dhingra, ZLiving CEO India, &APAC Piyush Sharma, Asia TV GmH Business head Friederike Behrends, Asia TV Deputy CEO and CFO Parul Goel, Zee TV president –strategy international business Rajeev Kheror, Zeel region head syndication, India Sharmeen D’souza, and finally Z Living’s Yogesh Karikurve.

  • Amit Goenka receives honour at MipTV 2016

    Amit Goenka receives honour at MipTV 2016

    Cannes: It was a moment of pride for India at MipTV when Zee International CEO Amit Goenka went on stage at the Carlton Hotel in Cannes on  the French Riviera to receive the organization’s Medaille D’Honneur. It was the first time that an Indian executive had been accorded that recognition.

    Amit received the citation on behalf of his brother and Zeel CEO Punit Goenka  and himself to thunderous applause. He pointed out that the Zee Network had expanded the number of languages it is available to eight. He  spoke about the group’s recent Fillipino launch for its Zee Sine channel recently and highlighted that the broadcaster was readying its German foray called Zee One in July this year.

    He announced that the Zee group was gearing to emerge as one of the top global  media conglomerates by 2020. An he invited the entire TV community to be a part of the Zee TV family.

    Amit was joined at the MipTV dinner cum gala by his lovely wife Navyata.

    Other honorees at the exclusive MipTV Medaille D’Honneur were senior international executives: Germany’s Studiocanal TV MD Rola Bauer,  Disney Media Networks global distribution president Ben Pyne from the US  and Mexico’s Comarex president Marcel Vinay.

    The dinner witnessed attendance from the crème de la crème of Zee TV’s international operations. Present were: Chief Business Officer international business Asia Today Sunita Uchill, Zeel CBO Sunil Buch, Asia TV CEO Europe Neeraj Dhingra, ZLiving CEO India, &APAC Piyush Sharma, Asia TV GmH Business head Friederike Behrends, Asia TV Deputy CEO and CFO Parul Goel, Zee TV president –strategy international business Rajeev Kheror, Zeel region head syndication, India Sharmeen D’souza, and finally Z Living’s Yogesh Karikurve.

  • &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)