Tag: Sun Neo

  • Shaurya Sharma tunes Into Zee TV as new marketing head

    Shaurya Sharma tunes Into Zee TV as new marketing head

    MUMBAI: From hyperlocal deliveries to high-decibel dramas, Shaurya Sharma is making a channel change that’s set to shake things up. The marketing maven has officially joined Zee Entertainment Enterprises Ltd as head of marketing for Zee TV (vice president for marketing), bringing with him a powerhouse portfolio that spans Disney-Star, Sun TV Network, Pernod Ricard, and more. With this move, Sharma takes charge of one of India’s most iconic general entertainment channels at a time when content consumption and audience loyalty is shifting faster than TRP charts.

    Armed with more than a decade of cross-category experience from liquor to logistics to linear TV Sharma’s trajectory is defined by versatility and results. Most recently, he served as Cluster marketing head for Sun Neo, Sun Marathi, and Sun Bangla at Sun TV Network, leading communication planning, social media strategy, and content marketing across diverse audience bases.

    Prior to that, he helmed marketing at Shadowfax, where he not only curated the brand’s voice but also launched India’s first ad-film on delivery jobs featuring Aparshakti Khurana and Supriya Shukla, reducing CPO by 15 per cent with his loyalty-building initiatives.

    His Disney-Star stint was equally action-packed, leading digital marketing for brands like Star Bharat and managing subscription strategy for the network’s vast distribution footprint.

    From boosting NPS scores in hyperlocal delivery to driving channel loyalty in competitive regional markets, Sharma’s work reflects a razor-sharp focus on brand resonance and consumer behaviour, both essentials in the ever-evolving GEC space.

    With Zee Tv now under his marketing stewardship, the small screen is likely to see big moves. And if history is any clue, Sharma’s campaigns won’t just sell shows, they’ll start conversations.

  • Sun TV Network appoints Bala Iyengar to head regional channels

    Sun TV Network appoints Bala Iyengar to head regional channels

    MUMBAI: Sun TV Network has appointed Bala Iyengar as revenue head for its regional channel portfolio, including Sun Bangla, Sun Marathi, and Sun Neo.

    Iyengar joins from Helios Media, where he served as business director for over 13 years. His previous roles include chief operating officer at Goldmines Telefilms and general manager at Zoom Entertainment Network.

    The media veteran also held senior positions at MTV India, Star India, and Sony Entertainment Television, specialising in advertising sales and account management.

     

  • Broadcasters pay premium in DD Free Dish auction, total revenue hits Rs 208 crore

    Broadcasters pay premium in DD Free Dish auction, total revenue hits Rs 208 crore

    MUMBAI: Leading broadcasters have secured slots in Prasar Bharati’s 85th e-auction for DD Free Dish, with the public broadcaster earning Rs 208.10 crore from eleven slots in the first two days of bidding.

    In the premium Bucket A+ category for Hindi general entertainment channels, Zee Anmol led the bidding at Rs 18.60 crore, followed by Star Utsav at Rs 18.25 crore and Big Magic at Rs 17.25 crore. Sony PAL, Colors Rishtey, and Sun Neo secured their slots at Rs 18.55 crore, Rs 18.35 crore, and Rs 18.50 crore respectively.

    The movie channel category (Bucket A) saw Star Utsav Movies securing a slot for Rs 16.95 crore, whilst Colors Cineplex Superhits, Sony Wah, and Zee Anmol Cinema followed with bids of Rs 16.50 crore, Rs 16.60 crore, and Rs 16.55 crore respectively.

    In the news category (Bucket C), NDTV India, now owned by the Adani Group, secured the first slot for Rs 14.35 crore, followed by Republic Bharat at Rs 14.20 crore. These rates marked a significant drop from last year when news channels paid between Rs 16.35 crore and Rs 18.95 crore.

    Notably, several channels including Zee Anmol, Star Utsav, Sony PAL, and Colors Rishtey returned to the platform after a three-year hiatus. The secured slots will be valid from 1 April 2025 to 31 March 2026.

    The robust bidding came despite a recent TRAI directive requiring pay-TV channels on DD Free Dish to become free-to-air across all platforms, demonstrating broadcasters’ continued interest in the platform’s extensive rural reach.

    (Some of these numbers have been accessed from The Economic Times)

  • From Zee to the Sun, Pankaj Rathod joins as broadcast operations & eng head

    From Zee to the Sun, Pankaj Rathod joins as broadcast operations & eng head

    MUMBAI: He’s decided to take a trip to the Sun – the Sun TV  Network that is. Pankaj Rathod has hopped on to  Sun TV as the head broadcast operations & engineering (Sun Neo | Sun Marathi | Sun Bangla). He joins Sun after nearly 13 years with Zee Entertainment Enterprises where he ended up as director- content operations, metadata syncing & publishing (Zee5) and music monitoring.

    Prior to Zee, he  was employed in three organisations for a year and some months each. First was with FoodFoodTV where he was head: scheduling/ sales ops/ traffic / presentation. Then he was head: operations & inventory planning at Mediasys Solutions. Third, he was manager sales operations at 9X  and 9XM.

    Before this he ventured into Siemens Information Systems where he offered broadcast TV solutions to television channels for a couple of years. A long five year run at  Sony Entertainment Television  resulted in him being promoted to sales coordinator, group executive – revenue management. He worked there for five years. 

    The BA in Economics’ first job  in media was with Mid-Day Publications where he ended up as senior media executive in the advertising department after four years.

    Expressing his happiness at joining Sun TV Pankaj said: “I have got the opportunity to build my expertise in broadcast operations (presentation, traffic & sales ops), inventory planning & management and evaluating & implementing – broadcast management system (BMS). My exposure in the print, broadcast and digital media has made me appreciate the nuances of the industry as a whole.”