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Tag: Subhash Chandra

  • Ad, subscription revenues drive Zeel numbers up for third quarter

    Ad, subscription revenues drive Zeel numbers up for third quarter

    BENGALURU: The Subhash Chandra led Zee Entertainment Enterprises Limited reported 17.9 percent year-on year (y-o-y) growth in operating revenue at Rs 2,166.77 crore for the quarter ended 31 December 2018 (Q3 2019, quarter or period under review) as compared to the Rs 1,838.07 crore for the corresponding year ago quarter Q3 2018. EBITDA for the quarter under review increased 26.9 percent y-o-y to Rs 754.29 crore from Rs 594.42 crore.

    Growth in numbers was driven by 21.7 percent and 23.3 percent y-o-y in advertisement and subscription revenues respectively. The company reported ad revenue for Q3 2019 at Rs 1,462.57 crore as compared to Rs 1,202.02 crore in Q2 2018. Subscription revenue for the period under review was Rs 618.48 crore as compared to Rs 501.69 crore in the corresponding year ago quarter. Zeel says that domestic subscription revenue grew by 28.6  y-o-y to Rs 519.2 crore. International subscription revenue for Q3 2019 was Rs 99.3 crore.

    The company reported 50.6 percent growth in profit after tax (PAT) and 49.2 percent higher total comprehensive income (TCI) for Q3 2019 as compared to Q3 2018. PAT in Q2 019 was Rs 562.76 crore as compared to Rs 373.77 crore in Q3 2018. TCI for Q3 2019 was Rs 475.97 crore as compared to Rs 319.10 crore.

    Zeel chairman Chandra said, "India is poised to remain one of the fastest growing economies in the world. Decline in crude oil prices and rationalization of GST rates will further boost the economy and help maintain the growth momentum in consumption. Even in M&E space, content consumption is growing at a brisk pace across mediums. This trend along with macroeconomic tailwinds will drive growth in both advertising and subscription revenues. We have delivered yet another quarter of strong performance across all our businesses. ZEE5 is scaling up in line with our expectations and is on course to become India's number one digital entertainment platform.”

    Zeel MD and CEO Punit Goenka said, "I am really pleased with our performance this quarter which further strengthens our position as India's leading entertainment content company. While our television business continues to consolidate its number one position, ZEE5 is quickly establishing itself as one of the leading digital entertainment platforms in the country. ZEE5 has already become the biggest producer of Indian content amongst the digital platforms and

    the content offering will multiply going forward. Our expanding list of partnerships with telecom operators and players in the digital eco-system, coupled with innovation in pricing, will make ZEE5 accessible to a wider audience.

    With the launch of our Malayalam channel, Zee Keralam, ZEEL now has the widest footprint in country in terms of the languages covered. It will help us further consolidate our network share.

    Advertising outlook for the industry looks upbeat and we aim to outpace the industry growth on the back of our growing network share. After much delay, TRAI's tariff order is now set to be implemented across the country next month. I reiterate that this is a positive step for the industry in the long term and will be beneficial for everyone. While it will take some time for the new system to settle, we are working with all our partners for its smooth implementation."  added Goenka.

    Let us look at the other numbers reported by Zeel

    Total expenses in Q3 2019 increased 7.7 percent y-o-y to Rs 1,441.82 crore from Rs 1,338.38 crore. Employee benefit expense increased 19.4 percent y-o-y in Q3 2019 to Rs 183.38 crore from Rs 153.54 crore in Q3 2018. Operational cost in the quarter under review increased 18.6 percent y-o-y to Rs 797.81 crore from Rs 672.98 crore in Q3 2018.

    Finance costs increased y-o-y in Q3 2019 to Rs 5.52 crore from Rs 2.36 crore during the corresponding period of the previous year. Other expenses reduced 3.1 percent y-o-y in quarter under review to Rs 230.24 crore from Rs 237.51 crore in Q3 2018.

    The company benefitted from fair value gain on financial instruments at fair value through profit and loss for Q3 2019 at Rs 37.64 crore as compared to a fair value loss of Rs 41.92 crore in Q3 2018.

  • ZEE5 maintains momentum with 56.3 mn MAU in third quarter

    ZEE5 maintains momentum with 56.3 mn MAU in third quarter

    MUMBAI: Media conglomerate Zee Entertainment Enterprises Limited (ZEEL) on Tuesday published its third quarter financial results with its OTT ZEE5 demonstrating continued growth.

    ZEEL’s super streamer clocked 56.3 mn monthly active users (MAU) as of December, with a 36 per cent increase since September 2018.

    “ZEE5 is scaling up in line with our expectations and is on course to become India's number one digital entertainment platform," said ZEEL chairman Subhash Chandra.

    Since its February 2019 launch, ZEE5 has adopted an aggressive content strategy, producing original shows in several genres including comedy, drama, reality, thriller, and docu-drama.

    According to ZEEL’s filing with the BSE, users currently spend an average of 31 minutes per day on the app. The platform delivered similar engagement numbers in Q2 as well.

    “ZEE5 is quickly establishing itself as a leading digital entertainment platform,” tweeted ZEEL MD and CEO Punit Goenka, who seemed pleased the OTT’s growth trajectory.

    “Our expanding list of partnerships with telecom operators and ecosystem players, coupled with innovation in pricing, will make ZEE5 accessible to a wider audience,” he added.

    Last year, ZEE5 signed content deals with telecom majors Reliance Jio and Airtel.

    In the first leg of its global rollout, the OTT platform has focussed on South Asian audience across the world.

    Both in international and domestic markets, ZEE5 is confident of scaling up on the back of regional content.

    Since the beginning, the platform has emphasised on content in the “language of comfort”. In line with its regional play, the platform also launched regional subscription packs for Tamil, Telugu and Kannada users.

    During the last quarter, ZEE5 launched Rangbaaz, Karenjit Kaur S2 and Babbar Ka Tabbar S2 in Hindi, Chitra Vichitram and B. Tech in Telugu, What’s Up Velakkari and Alarm in Tamil, Date with Saie in Marathi and Kaali in Bengali.

    Two flagship shows of the platform Karenjit Kaur, Rangbaaz have created quite a buzz in a short span.

    In a bid to strengthen its live offerings, ZEE5 also added a dedicated section for news and even live-streamed the very popular Sunburn music festival.

  • Zee Hindustan turns anchor-less

    Zee Hindustan turns anchor-less

    MUMBAI: The Zee Media Corporation Ltd, part of the Essel Group, today took a path-breaking step in television journalism by formally making its Hindi news channel Zee Hindustan anchor-less.

    Rajya Sabha MP and founder of Zee Dr Subhash Chandra said, “The anchors who appear on news channels often appear to give colour to a particular story. The viewers who really want to follow, or just know about the news are left with no choice but to watch that anchor. We at Zee sensed this urgency and decided to come up with an alternative which will just give news, without any views. And this is how Zee Hindustan was born.” Camera never lies, and with this new channel, the story will speak for itself and the viewers will get the correct news stories, he added.

    He also said, “Since the inception of television news in the country, nobody has thought about giving the viewers a channel which can serve this basic purpose. Zee Hindustan fills that void.”

    ZMCL managing director Ashok Venkatramani said, “The country is heading towards the biggest election battle. In a forced opinionated environment, Zee Hindustan will definitely break the clutter and create a niche for itself amongst viewers. The news in purest form and variety of content will put the channel apart from others”.

    ZMCL editor in chief Purushottam Vaishnav said, “It has been a strenuous two-month-long journey for all of us and my team did a commendable job in launching this channel in such a brief time. Zee Hindustan will give you news, without any views.”

    Zee Hindustan is a 24-hour Hindi TV news channel and a part of Zee Media Corporation Ltd. It was launched in May 2017 with the motto 'States Make The Nation'.

    “This was the day 91 years back when my great grandfather founded the firm, which is today's Essel,” Dr Chandra had tweeted on the channel's launch.

  • Essel Group engages Goldman Sachs to sell half its stake in Zee Entertainment

    Essel Group engages Goldman Sachs to sell half its stake in Zee Entertainment

    Mumbai: 13th November 2018, Subhash Chandra and family along with its advisors met in Mumbai over the Diwali weekend to undertake a strategic review of its businesses in view of the changing global media landscape. The strategic review underscored the importance of technological advancements such as AI, IOT, 3D printing AR, VR and many more. There is informed recognition that the world is convergent today and the lines across media, telecom, manufacturing and technology are thinner than ever. The semi-conductor business also appeared to be a promising opportunity, but due to its large capital requirement it was ruled out. It was observed that these developments will impact virtually all businesses across sectors and business practices will be driven by technological innovation. The review showed that the family needs to accelerate efforts to stay ahead of fast changing trends.

    The review noted that with the current 1.3 billion viewers and close to 50 million digital viewers growing at a fast pace, ZEEL is well placed to benefit from current market trends due to its strong brand & bouquet of domestic & international channels. Adding to that strength, ZEE5 will further enable the company to leverage the benefits of changing video consumption trends, contributing significantly over the coming years. The management of ZEEL under Punit Goenka and Amit Goenka has been well appreciated by all stakeholders and reflected in the performance of the company. Speaking on where the business stands today, Jawahar Goel said, "Punit and Amit have made the right sustainable investments for the future and the business is growing ahead on all fronts in a focused and disciplined way".

    On its own, ZEEL would remain a leader in both linear and digital distribution. It has the consumer insights and knows how to produce and deliver content for the South Asian diaspora globally. The management depth the Company has built over last two decades distributing content globally in 12 foreign languages puts the Company in a unique position. It has strong revenue streams including advertising and subscription – domestic and international. However, there is recognition that a right global strategic partner will help in transforming ZEEL further, and maximise long term value. It will transform it into a global media-tech player with a unique offering of content to the main stream audiences in 170 plus countries.

    It has been decided to undertake a strategic review of Essel's shareholding in ZEEL with a view to maximize value for the business. The proposed transaction to divest upto 50% of Essel's
    holding to such a partner, is expected to address the Essel Group's capital allocation priorities and will allow ZEEL shareholders to capture the full value of India's largest entertainment broadcaster with an ever strengthening bouquet Essel has decided to appoint Goldman Sachs Securities (India) Ltd. as their investment banker and US and European based LionTree as an international strategic advisor for this exercise. Essel expects the outcome of the strategic review to be concluded by March/April 2019. This transaction will meet the objectives of the Essel Group as well as the minority shareholders of ZEEL.

    India remains a priority market for Subhash Chandra and the Essel Group and the family believes that India is at the cusp of significant growth. The family will continue to invest in growth opportunities in India. Regardless of the outcome of this exercise, Essel is committed to create significant long term value in ZEEL and shall keep on contributing in every possible way going forward.

  • ZEEL launches media buying & selling online platform for small retail advertisers

    ZEEL launches media buying & selling online platform for small retail advertisers

    MUMBAI: Media & Entertainment powerhouse Zee Entertainment Enterprises Ltd (ZEEL), has launched zeemitra.com, a first of its kind online platform to democratise advertising on television by going direct to small retail advertisers.

    ZEEL’s new initiative will directly connect and enable small retail advertisers to advertise on Zee bouquet of channels through an online platform.

    Zee Entertainment Enterprises chief growth officer of advertising revenue Ashish Sehgal says, “Our first organisational value is ‘Customer First’ which stands for the need to anticipate, understand and meet the needs of our customers, ensuring customer delight. We want to partner our advertisers in growing their business and provide customised solutions to help grow their business.”

    With a focus on small and medium scale enterprises, Zee Mitra website will enable them to advertise their brand on TV in their relevant markets, independently, at an affordable cost. The intent is to empower them to move beyond print and radio which has been the entry medium for MSMEs. TV advertising has been viewed as a costly and complicated medium. We wish to break that barrier with this initiative.

    With its presence across multiple states, this platform will offer the entire bouquet of 52 channels under the Zee umbrella, genres ranging from national and regional GECs, movies, local regional news, lifestyle, English entertainment, English movies, etc. (count of 52 is without Zee Bollywood which will be added post Nov).

    It will additionally offer the split beam of it marquee national channels — Zee TV, Zee Cinema & Zee News, for advertising across 15 key markets of India, viz., Mumbai, Rest of Maharashtra, Maharashtra, Delhi NCR, UP, Punjab, Gujarat, Madhya Pradesh, Bihar, Hyderabad, Bangalore, Odisha, West Bengal, North-East, Rajasthan. This will not only create an opportunity for hyper-local advertising at a cost which is much lower than national ad spot but also help expand reach by opening-up the possibility to test market product in newer territories.

    The platform has an intelligent algorithm which is based on advertiser’s business objective will suggest the ideal channel mix to reach out to the relevant target audience through an easy to use interface, which not only creates a media plan but also allows to edit and customise their plans as per their needs.

    The Zee Mitra platform will also allow advertisers to avail the services of an in-house creative team to devise a television creative in motion graphics at a nominal cost.

    In addition to the online platform, this initiative will also be supported by the Zee Mitra feet-on-street sales team, who will approach potential advertisers spread in the relatively smaller corners of India and explain the benefits of advertising on TV. These advertisers will be guided and closely assisted by the Zee Mitra sales team through the entire buying process.

    The platform intends to change the landscape of TV media buying in India, bringing more advertisers within its fold, by making it accessible and affordable to all.

  • ZEE takes one more giant pioneering step – builds a technology platform to satisfy 5 senses of the viewers to offer immersive customer experience!

    ZEE takes one more giant pioneering step – builds a technology platform to satisfy 5 senses of the viewers to offer immersive customer experience!

    Mumbai: ZEE Entertainment Enterprises Ltd. (“ZEE”), a global media and entertainment powerhouse, has taken a yet another pioneering giant leap by securing a United States (US) Patent on a technology platform developed in the Silicon Valley at its very own – ZEE Media Lab. This unique platform stems from the Vedic culture of offering an immersive experience to the viewers, satisfying all the 5 senses.

    Built on robust and state of the art technologies like 3D Audio, Augmented Reality (AR), Virtual Reality (VR), Digital Scent, Holograms and touch, this platform aims to transform the viewers’ home environment by providing exceptional immersive experience. Apart from offering a unique viewing experience in delivering extraordinary entertainment and information-based content, the platform will also enable the viewers to touch, feel, smell and experience products, with a seamless transaction (e-commerce) ecosystem.

    Be it immersive entertainment content, or informative education-based solutions, or gaming, or e-commerce; this comprehensive technology platform is built to cater to every single need of the viewer.

    • Immersive Entertainment – The platform is empowered with 3D Audio, AR, VR, Digital scent, holograms and touch, to transform the viewers’ living rooms into an immersive mode, be it a serene beach or an action-packed fight scene.
    • Immersive Education – The platform is capable to not just educate the viewers about a given topic, say an internal combustion engine, but is also equipped to offer an immersive journey for the viewer right into the cylinders of the combustion engine, taking the learning experience to an altogether different level.
    • Gaming – The platform will not just offer a 3D gaming experience but will also give the players a unique experience to feel the heat of an ongoing combat with the opponent, and even experience the smell of the battle field.
    • Entertainment Commerce – The platform will enable the viewers to order any product which they witness being consumed or used by the lead protagonist on the screen, at the touch of a button. Viewers will be able to smell the perfume worn by their favorite actor / actress on screen and purchase the same within seconds. If the viewer owns a 3D printer, the platform is also capable of even printing the food which one watches on the screen!
    • Home Environment Control – The platform will also be equipped to control the viewers’ home environment, right from the lights, security solutions, to heating, ventilation & air conditioning equipment, ensuring that the viewers’ immersive experience while consuming content is not interrupted at any stage. 

    Speaking on this revolutionary step, ZEE’s Chairman, Subhash Chandra said, “At ZEE, we envisioned 4-5 years back, that the overall media landscape is poised to evolve at an extremely rapid pace, with content companies blending into technology companies. Hence, we started investing our time and energy in building a technology for the future, which enhances the content viewing experience by many folds. ZEE’s lab in the Silicon Valley was set up in 2016 to create this robust platform, and I’m very glad that the US Patent is secured. It is a concrete step in realizing our vision of transforming ourselves from a media & entertainment powerhouse to a technology Company, offering immersive experiences”.

    Adding to this statement, Amit Goenka, CEO, Z5 Global said, “We are extremely excited to offer this unique immersive experience to our viewers. Under the guidance of our visionary Chairman, we are building this unique platform which is futuristic in nature. The US Patent is a major milestone achieved in this process giving us the required level of confidence and reassurance. This is just the beginning of an extraordinary journey of transforming the viewers content viewing experience”.

    While the five senses have not yet been deployed on a commercial scale, with the grant of the US Patent, ZEE can now make the platform available to millions of users across the world. The commercially viable prototype will be ready in the next 12 months. This emboldens ZEE’s plan to target mainstream global viewers across US, Europe, Asia, China and Latin America.

    ZEE Media Lab will continue to innovate in the Silicon Valley to work towards integrating technologies with a sheer focus on enhancing the overall viewer experience.

  • Zeel numbers up in Q2 2019 on improved ad and subscription revenues

    Zeel numbers up in Q2 2019 on improved ad and subscription revenues

    BENGALURU: The Subhash Chandra led Zee Entertainment Enterprises Limited reported 24.7 per cent year-on year (y-o-y) growth in operating revenue at Rs 1,975.86 crore for the quarter ended 30 September 2018 (Q2 2019, quarter under review) as compared to the Rs 1,582.75 crore for the corresponding year ago quarter Q2 2018. EBITDA for the quarter under review increased 37.6 per cent y-o-y to Rs 675.72 crore from Rs 491.16 crore. Growth in numbers was driven by 22.7 per cent and 21.3 per cent y-o-y in advertisement and subscription revenues respectively. The company reported ad revenue for Q1 2019 at Rs 1,210.60 crore as compared to Rs 986.74 crore in Q2 2018. Subscription revenue in the quarter under review was Rs 608.16 crore as compared to Rs 501.41 crore in the corresponding year ago quarter.

    The company, however, reported lower profit after tax (PAT) and lower total comprehensive income (TCI) for Q2 2019 as compared to Q2 2018 on account of higher taxes in Q2 2019 and income from exceptional items in Q2 2018. PAT in Q2 019 was 38.2 per cent lower at Rs 386.10 crore as compared to Rs 625.09 crore in Q2 2018. TCI for Q2 2019 was 19.8 per cent lower at Rs 521.43 crore as compared to Rs 649.83 crore. For Q2 2019, Zeel has reported total tax expenses of Rs 262.42 crore as compared to Rs 148.87 crore in Q2 2018. Zeel had reported income from exceptional items – these were the proceeds of the sale of its sports broadcasting business to the extent of Rs 134.61 crore for Q2 2018.

    Zeel chairman Chandra said, “Media and entertainment industry around the world is going through some seminal changes and India is no different. Digital has opened new possibilities for content creators and multiplied the entertainment choices consumers have at their disposal. As India’s leading entertainment content company, ZEEL is strongly positioned to capitalise on this new growth opportunity. Our deep understanding of the Indian consumers will be as instrumental in helping us become the leader in the digital space as it was in helping us achieve the leadership in television. In a short time, ZEE5 has received an overwhelming response and I am confident that the platform will continue to scale-up going forward.”

    Zeel MD and CEO Punit Goenka said, “ZEE5 is the fastest growing entertainment platform in the country. In a little over six months, it has become the second most popular OTT platform. With a monthly active user base of 41 million and an average daily time spend of 31 minutes, it is growing faster than our expectations. Despite the strong initial performance, I believe it is just the beginning of a long digital journey for us. With a strong pipeline of original content and partnerships with key players in the digital ecosystem, we are confident that ZEE5 will become the default entertainment platform for digital audience.”

    “Our broadcast business continues to grow at an impressive pace as evident from the domestic advertising and subscription revenue growth numbers. We continue to consolidate our viewership share which is driving our market leading growth. We believe that our broadcast portfolio has the potential to further increase its market share and the launch of new channel in Kerala will surely help it. The advertising and subscription revenue growth will be aided by the scaling-up of digital business and the growth outlook for both remains strong. This robust performance also gives us room to increase our investments in digital, if required,” added Goenka.

    Let us look at the other numbers reported by Zeel

    Total expenses in Q2 2019 increased 20.9 per cent y-o-y to Rs 1,290.60 crore from Rs 1,147.05 crore. Employee benefit expense reduced 7 per cent y-o-y in Q2 2019 to Rs 168.72 crore from Rs 181.40 crore in Q2 2018. Operational cost in the quarter under review increased 25.5 per cent y-o-y to Rs 725.34 crore from Rs 578.89 crore in Q2 2018.

    Finance costs increased y-o-y in Q2 2019 to Rs 5.45 crore from Rs 0.28 crore during the corresponding period of the previous year. Other expenses increased 26.6 per cent y-o-y in quarter under review to Rs 240.03 crore from Rs 189.57 crore in Q2 2018.

    The company incurred 49 per cent higher fair value loss on financial instruments at fair value through profit and loss for Q2 2019 at Rs 22.02 crore as compared to Rs 14.78 crore in Q2 2018.

  • Q2 results: ZEE5 demonstrates exponential growth with 41.3 mn MAU

    Q2 results: ZEE5 demonstrates exponential growth with 41.3 mn MAU

    MUMBAI: Media conglomerate Zee Entertainment Enterprises Limited (ZEEL) on Wednesday published its second quarter financial result. ZEE5, the digital venture of ZEEL has shown impressive growth within one year of its launch. According to the filing, the OTT platform has been able to gain 41.3 million Monthly Active Users as of September, with a 190 per cent increase since April 2018.

    Since the launch, the platform has released 29 originals in several genres including comedy, drama, reality, thriller and docu-drama. During the quarter, two seasons of their flagship show Karenjit Kaur – An Untold Story, were also launched.

    According to the Q2 result, users currently spend an average of 31 minutes per day on ZEE5. User engagement has also witnessed a considerable increase as video views grew 340 per cent since April. While ZEE5 has already entered into a partnership with two of the leading telecom operators, the company is discussing similar partnerships with other telecom operators, broadband service providers, device manufacturers and e-commerce companies.

    “ZEE5 is the fastest growing entertainment platform in the country. In a little over six months, it has become the 2nd most popular OTT platform. With a monthly active user base of 41 million and an average daily time spend of 31 minutes,it is growing faster than our expectations,” ZEEL managing director and CEO Punit Goenka said.

    “Our deep understanding of the Indian consumers will be as instrumental in helping us become the leader in the digital space as it was in helping us achieve the leadership in television. In a short time, ZEE5 has received an overwhelming response and I am confident that the platform will continue to scale-up going forward,” ZEEL chairman Subhash Chandra commented on an optimistic note.

    In last quarter earnings call, Goenka said he expected ZEE5 to break even in the next five years. He highlighted that not just ZEE5 but entire the industry was in investment mode and there was no way any OTT player was in a position to break even in the first three years.

    Total revenue of ZEEL for the quarter stood at Rs. 19,759 million with 24.9 per cent year on year growth. Advertising revenue for the quarter was Rs. 12,106 million, growth of 22.7% YoY. Domestic advertising revenue grew by 23.3% YoY to 11,526 million and international advertising revenue for the quarter was Rs. 580 million. Subscription revenue for the quarter was Rs. 6,082 million, a growth of 21.3% YoY. Domestic subscription revenue grew by 26.0% YoY to Rs. 5,093 million, while international subscription revenue was Rs. 989 million.

    Although ZEEL’s net profit fell 38 percent year-on-year to Rs 3860 million in the quarter, its operational performance has surpassed analysts’ estimates. In the same period last year, the company had reported an exceptional gain of Rs 1346 million hanks to its sports broadcasting business. 

  • Essel’s Subhash Chandra on Zee, OTT giants & the Jio juggernaut

    Essel’s Subhash Chandra on Zee, OTT giants & the Jio juggernaut

    MUMBAI: Zee Entertainment Enterprises (Zee) has withheld challenges from international broadcasters to acquire a place as one of the top media companies in India. While several players with deep pockets are investing a high amount in content, Essel Group chairman Subhash Chandra, with 26 years of experience, says only money cannot buy the best content.

    Speaking to The Hindu, the media veteran said telecom, voice, data, and video all are merging into one single pipe. Moreover, Reliance Jio’s low pricing has made the delivery pipe cheap and affordable forcing other telecom players to do the same. This change will help content companies.

    “Even the Amazons, Googles and YouTubes of the world now call themselves media companies instead of tech companies. So, thanks to Jio, this process, which could have taken 5-10 years, has accelerated in India,” he added.

    However, he also pointed out Jio’s different nature of the business. The company tends more towards monopoly rather than being a part of the industry. This trend could catalyse the merger of content players with pipe and data, as it happened in America and Europe.

    Hailing content as the prime factor, he also said creativity comes above money. A big budget show cannot assure good ratings always. Despite expensive deals, he is sceptical of Jio’s ability to scale.

    “We have competed with all media companies. Today, NewsCorp is in India through Star. Time Warner was here, Viacom came, Sony is here, Discovery is here. So, of the top eight global media firms, five are here and we have competed with all. In 2007, a management consulting firm said India would be left with just three players and Zee is the weakest link that will either close or get sold. That didn’t happen,” he said.

    Amazon Prime and Netflix are also trying to acquire a stronger foothold in the Indian market given the high potential of the digital content business. Chandra said that Amazon being largely an e-commerce player tries to lure customers for shopping through content. Zee also shares content with the company. But as Netflix is a pure content play, it won’t share content with the streaming giant. The OTT platform’s situation is also different in the country due to its high pricing.

  • Zeel channels rule Hindi channels across genres

    Zeel channels rule Hindi channels across genres

    BENGALURU: Subshash Chandra’s Zee Entertainment Enterprises Ltd (Zeel) Hindi GECs Zee Anmol and Zee TV were ranked second and third in Broadcast Audience Research Council of India weekly list of top 10 Hindi channels across genres: All India (U+R) : 2+ Individuals in week 36 of 2018 (Saturday, 1 September 2018 to Friday, 7 September 2018). At its normal first rank was the Sun TV Network’s flagship Tamil GEC Sun TV. 

    In terms of ranks and networks, channels from four networks followed a simple arithmetic progression in consecutive order. One rank, rank one was held by a Sun TV Network channel; two ranks, ranks two and three, were held by Zeel Networks channels. Three ranks, ranks four, five and six, were held by Star India channels and; four ranks, ranks seven to ten, were held by Sony Pictures Network India (SPN) channels in week 36 of 2018. From the languages perspective, there was one Tamil GEC, two Hindi movies and seven Hindi GEC channels present in BARC’s across genres list in week 36 of 2018. Consequently, two Zeel Hindi GEC channels – free to air (FTA) Zee Anmol and flagship Zee TV ruled Hindi channels in week 36 of 2018 in BARC’s across genres list.

    One Sun TV Network channel

    As mentioned above, at its normal first rank in week 36 was the Tamil GEC Sun TV with 1063.806 million weekly impressions as compared to 999.006 million weekly impressions in week 35 of 2018. Sun TV also led BARC’s weekly list of top 5 Tamil channels in the Tamil Nadu and Puducherry market and all of the 5 programmes in BARC’s list of top 5 Tamil programmes during primetime in these markets based on average rating across all airings (original and repeat) in the week under review were aired on Sun TV.

    Two Zeel channels

    Reclaiming its second rank in week 36 of 2018 was Zee Anmol with 840.010 million weekly impressions as compared to 701.762 million weekly impressions in week 35. Zee Anmol was also ranked first in BARC’s weekly list of top 10 Hindi GECs in HSM (U+R) and HSM (R). The Balaji Telefilms produced soap Kumkum Bhagya aired on Zee Anmol was ranked second in BARC’s list of top 5 Hindi GEC programmes during primetime based on average rating across all airings (original and repeat) in the week in HSM (U+R) and was ranked first in HSM (R). Another soap from the channel, Mahek, was ranked third in HSM (R).

    Bounding up six ranks to third place was Zee TV with 721.364 million weekly impressions as compared to 620.187 million weekly impressions in week 35. Zee TV was ranked second in BARC’s weekly list of top 10 Hindi GECs in HSM (U+R), third in HSM (U) and seventh in HSM (R) during the week. Two programmes that were aired on Zee TV- Kumkum Bhagya, and its spinoff Kundali Bhagya were at third and fourth ranks in BARC’s list of top 5 Hindi GEC programmes during primetime based on average rating across all airings (original and repeat) in the week in HSM (U+R) and HSM (U).

    Three Star India channels

    Climbing up four ranks to fourth place was Star India’s FTA Hindi GEC Star Utsav in week 36 of 2018 with 669.262 million weekly impressions as compared to 629.138 million weekly impressions in week 35. Star Utsav was ranked third in BARC’s list of top 10 Hindi GECs’ in HSM (U+R), second in HSM (R) and was ranked seventh in HSM (U). The soap Rabba Ve aired on Star Utsav was ranked fourth in BARC’s weekly in BARC’s list of top 5 Hindi GEC programmes during primetime  based on average rating across all airings (original and repeat) in the week in HSM (R).

    Another Star India FTA Hindi GEC, Star Bharat, also jumped up two ranks to fifth place in week 36 of 2018 with 652.973 million weekly impressions as compared to seventh rank and 632.025 million weekly impressions in week 35. Star Bharat was ranked fourth in BARC’s list of top 10 Hindi channels in HSM (U+R), sixth in HSM (R) and HSM (U) in BARC’s weekly list of top 10 Hindi GEC channels during the week under review.

    Star India’s flagship Hindi GEC, Star Plus dropped down two ranks in week 36 of 2018 to sixth place with 650.318 million impressions as compared to 687.926 million weekly impressions in the previous week. Star Plus was ranked fifth in BARC’s weekly lists of top 10 Hindi GECs in HSM (U+R) and was ranked second in HSM (U) and tenth in HSM (R). Director’s Kut Productions produced Hindi soap Yeh Rishta Kya Kehlata Hai aired on Star Plus was ranked fifth in BARC’s list of top 5 Hindi GEC programmes during primetime  based on average rating across all airings (original and repeat) in the week in HSM (U+R) and was ranked second in HSM (U).

    Four SPN channels

    SPN’s Hindi movies channel, Sony Max, dropped down five ranks to seventh place in week 36 of 2018 with 630.227 million weekly impressions as compared to 721.447 million weekly impressions in week 35. Sony Max was also ranked second in HSM (U+R), first in HSM (U) and was ranked fifth in HSM (R). The Hindi version of SS Rajamouli’s film Bahubali the Beginning was ranked first among BARC’s list of the top 5 Hindi movies programmes during primetime based on average rating across all airings (original and repeat) in the week in HSM (U+R). Further, three Hindi feature films HFF – Bahubali the Beginning, 3 Idiots and Bhairava, on Sony Max were also among BARC’s list of top 5 Hindi movies programmes during primetime list in HSM (U).

    SPN’s women focused Hindi GEC Sony Pal re-entered BARC’s across genres weekly list in week 36 of 2017 with 626.815 million weekly impressions. The channel was ranked fifth in BARC’s list of top 10 Hindi GEC channels in HSM (U+R), third in HSM (R) and eighth in HSM (U). The long running sitcom Tarak Mehta ka Ooltah Chashmah on Sony Pal was ranked second among BARC’s list of the top 5 Hindi movies programmes during primetime based on average rating across all airings (original and repeat) in the week in HSM R).

    Big Synergy Productions’ Amitabh Bahchan anchored Indian version of Who Will become A Millonaire – Kaun Banega Crorepati or KBC is on air on SPN’s flagship Hindi GEC pay channel Sony Entertainment Television (SET). SET entered BARC’s weekly across genres list for the first time in 2018 in week 36 with 625.080 million weekly impressions. SET was ranked seventh in BARC’s weekly list of top 10 Hindi GEC channels in HSM (U+R), and first in HSM (U).

    At tenth rank was another SPN Hindi movies channel, Sony Wah with 623.522 million weekly impressions as compared to 669.499 million weekly impressions in week 35. Sony Wah was ranked first in BARC’s list of top 5 Hindi movies channels in HSM (U+R) and HSM (R). HFFs’ The Return of Rebel and Yevadu that featured on Sony Wah were among the top 5 most watched Hindi movies programmes during primetime based on average rating across all airings (original and repeat) for the week in BARC’s list in HSM (U+R) One more HFF- Dangerous Khiladi 4 on Sony Wah was also on BARC’s list of top 5 Hindi movies programmes during primetime in HSM (R).