ITV

Tag: Sunil Buch

  • Zeel relaunches Zindagi with new shows; dual audio feed

    Zeel relaunches Zindagi with new shows; dual audio feed

    MUMBAI: Zee Entertainment Enterprises Ltd’s alternative Hindi GEC Zindagi, as announced earlier, is going in for a refresh. And in its new avatar Zindagi is rolling out a programming line up consisting of South Korean, Latin American, Spanish Italian, Turkish and home grown Indian shows from 3 October. For the first time, it will be available with a dual audio feed – in English and Hindi.

    In another innovation, the channel will be streamed live on Periscope, along with the live television feed.

    The channel has garbaged the Pakistani shows for which it has been known. The new programs include a light-hearted Turkish drama, ‘Little Lord’ at 7.30 pm, which is an endearing tale of a parent-child relationship seen through the lens of a six year old, Mehmet. And, the Turkish blockbuster Fatmagul is the story of an innocent girl whose fairytale life is turned into a nightmare when she is raped and is forced to marry the accused will continue to entertain viewers at 9.00 PM.

    Three Indian originals that push societal thinking are being introduced. These include a rip-roaring comedy by Sunjoy Wadhwa’s Sphere Origins’ titled ‘TV Ke Uss Paar’ at 8.30 pm that is a tongue-in-cheek sitcom on the world of daily soaps and a reality check on how today’s society is obsessed with television. The three endearing romances from India includes Anupam Kher’s first fiction production on TV called ‘Khwaabon Ki Zamin Par’ that will air at 10.00 pm and produced by his company, An Actor Prepares.

    It is the story of a 24 year old boy, Arya, who leaves behind his girlfriend, Niyati, and his family to come to Bombay to fulfill his dream of being a star! Gulshan Sachdeva’s Film & Shots has produced the next love story, ‘Agar Tum Saath Ho’ to air at 7.00 pm. It centres around the journey of a rich Delhi girl, Neema, who marries a simple, middle class boy, Ravi, much against her father’s wishes and how they deal with her meddling father.

    After the phenomenal success of Feriha, Zindagi will soon premiere its second season. Coming soon for the movie buffs on Sunday, ‘Zindagi Awesomes’ will feature the most iconic films that have defined Indian cinema.

    Since launch, Zindagi has garnered discerning and premium audiences. A press release states that it has maintained its No 1 premium entertainment channel position over the past 27 weeks with 710 average GTVTs. (Source: BARC Alpha Club ratings; TG: NCCS A1, 6 Metros, Period: WK5’ To WK 32’2016, AV GTVTs).

    It originally began as a channel aimed at building creative ties between India and Pakistan.
    “We at Zee, have tried for the past 24 years to bridge the gap, however, the one-way street is not working. We at Zindagi want to respect the sentiments of our viewers, and of our country. It’s an unfortunate decision we had to take to stop all programming from Pakistan,” said ZEE & Essel Group chairman Subhash Chandra. “Zindagi has been the reason for the rise of a number of stars from Pakistan but when we requested them to at least condemn the attacks without naming their country, none of them came forward.”

    Added ZEEL chief business officer Sunil Buch said: “Zindagi presents finite world stories with bold narratives which unveil universal emotions. What sets the channel apart is its consistent commitment to show finite, real, vibrant, and premium world stories. The channel’s positioning ’Yeh Lamha Hi Hai Zindagi’ does justice to the brilliant brand name, and mirrors the essence of the word Zindagi.”

    A robust marketing campaign is planned around digital and traditional media like print, cinema, DTH, TV, and OOH to push the new promise of Zindagi. It is being initiated with a simple yet thought provoking catchphrase ‘#ZindagiKehtiHai’ that is designed to create conversation around people’s life, or “Zindagi.’ And finally a high impact road block has been planned across the 33 channels of the Zee Network on 30 September

  • Zeel relaunches Zindagi with new shows; dual audio feed

    Zeel relaunches Zindagi with new shows; dual audio feed

    MUMBAI: Zee Entertainment Enterprises Ltd’s alternative Hindi GEC Zindagi, as announced earlier, is going in for a refresh. And in its new avatar Zindagi is rolling out a programming line up consisting of South Korean, Latin American, Spanish Italian, Turkish and home grown Indian shows from 3 October. For the first time, it will be available with a dual audio feed – in English and Hindi.

    In another innovation, the channel will be streamed live on Periscope, along with the live television feed.

    The channel has garbaged the Pakistani shows for which it has been known. The new programs include a light-hearted Turkish drama, ‘Little Lord’ at 7.30 pm, which is an endearing tale of a parent-child relationship seen through the lens of a six year old, Mehmet. And, the Turkish blockbuster Fatmagul is the story of an innocent girl whose fairytale life is turned into a nightmare when she is raped and is forced to marry the accused will continue to entertain viewers at 9.00 PM.

    Three Indian originals that push societal thinking are being introduced. These include a rip-roaring comedy by Sunjoy Wadhwa’s Sphere Origins’ titled ‘TV Ke Uss Paar’ at 8.30 pm that is a tongue-in-cheek sitcom on the world of daily soaps and a reality check on how today’s society is obsessed with television. The three endearing romances from India includes Anupam Kher’s first fiction production on TV called ‘Khwaabon Ki Zamin Par’ that will air at 10.00 pm and produced by his company, An Actor Prepares.

    It is the story of a 24 year old boy, Arya, who leaves behind his girlfriend, Niyati, and his family to come to Bombay to fulfill his dream of being a star! Gulshan Sachdeva’s Film & Shots has produced the next love story, ‘Agar Tum Saath Ho’ to air at 7.00 pm. It centres around the journey of a rich Delhi girl, Neema, who marries a simple, middle class boy, Ravi, much against her father’s wishes and how they deal with her meddling father.

    After the phenomenal success of Feriha, Zindagi will soon premiere its second season. Coming soon for the movie buffs on Sunday, ‘Zindagi Awesomes’ will feature the most iconic films that have defined Indian cinema.

    Since launch, Zindagi has garnered discerning and premium audiences. A press release states that it has maintained its No 1 premium entertainment channel position over the past 27 weeks with 710 average GTVTs. (Source: BARC Alpha Club ratings; TG: NCCS A1, 6 Metros, Period: WK5’ To WK 32’2016, AV GTVTs).

    It originally began as a channel aimed at building creative ties between India and Pakistan.
    “We at Zee, have tried for the past 24 years to bridge the gap, however, the one-way street is not working. We at Zindagi want to respect the sentiments of our viewers, and of our country. It’s an unfortunate decision we had to take to stop all programming from Pakistan,” said ZEE & Essel Group chairman Subhash Chandra. “Zindagi has been the reason for the rise of a number of stars from Pakistan but when we requested them to at least condemn the attacks without naming their country, none of them came forward.”

    Added ZEEL chief business officer Sunil Buch said: “Zindagi presents finite world stories with bold narratives which unveil universal emotions. What sets the channel apart is its consistent commitment to show finite, real, vibrant, and premium world stories. The channel’s positioning ’Yeh Lamha Hi Hai Zindagi’ does justice to the brilliant brand name, and mirrors the essence of the word Zindagi.”

    A robust marketing campaign is planned around digital and traditional media like print, cinema, DTH, TV, and OOH to push the new promise of Zindagi. It is being initiated with a simple yet thought provoking catchphrase ‘#ZindagiKehtiHai’ that is designed to create conversation around people’s life, or “Zindagi.’ And finally a high impact road block has been planned across the 33 channels of the Zee Network on 30 September

  • Zindagi expands programming duration; to launch HD, bi-lingual feed

    Zindagi expands programming duration; to launch HD, bi-lingual feed

    MUMBAI: Zee Le Zindagi. Hindi general entertainment channel (GEC) from the Zee Entertainment Enterprises Limited (Zeel), Zindagi, positioned itself as a premium Hindi-Urdu channel.

    Launched in 2014 as the channel for broadcasting short-run programming, it is now expanding the duration of programmes from 26 episodes to 96 episodes. “One of the learnings we had is that people need time to connect with the characters and storyline. Earlier, we tried to the cater audience with less number of episodes but it didn’t work out well, but it will never be three or four years long shows,” says ZEEL chief business officer Sunil Buch.

    The channel has also changed its slogan from ‘Jode Dilo ko’ to ‘Yeh Lamha Hi Hai Zindagi.’

    Starting on 3 October, the channel is introducing a new line-up. The new shows include a light-hearted Turkish drama, Little Lord, three Indian originals that push societal thinking including Sunjoy Wadhwa’s Sphere Origins’ ‘TV Ke Uss Par’, ‘Khwaabon Ki Zamin Par’ by Anupam Kher’s Actor Prepares and ‘Agar Tum Saath Ho’ by Gulshan Sachdeva’s Film & Shots. Bringing different cultures together is a co-production with Geo TV titled, ‘Teri Meri Jodi.’ Also, Zindagi’s blockbuster Turkish drama Fatmagul will continue to entertain viewers.

    Buch adds, “Zindagi was launched with the promise of bringing the best shows from across the world to the Indian television screens. Our compelling content has always been our calling card. A thought-leader in premium entertainment with a distinct character, Zindagi presents finite world stories with bold narratives which unveil universal emotions. The Alpha Club numbers give us resounding encouragement that we are on the right path of providing premium entertainment. What sets the channel apart is its consistent commitment to show real, vibrant, and premium world stories.”

    Hand-picked stories from India, Turkey, Spain, Italy, Pakistan, Latin America and Korea will now be available on Zindagi.

    The channel is also planning to launch the HD feed. “We are waiting for the licensing process to be completed. For our bi-lingual premium audiences, Zindagi will soon be available on a dual feed of Hindi and English,” he informs.

    The channel’s positioning ’Yeh Lamha Hi Hai Zindagi’ mirrors the essence of the word ‘Zindagi.’ Anywhere in the world, life is a finite progression of moments and it’s important that we live each and every one of them. There is no sense in doing rewind – play and lose our today, our moment, in the quest of analyzing / living in the past. That’s the top line of the channel, literally. Again a departure from traditional base lines associated with most brands/channels and true to the thought leader grain of Zindagi,” adds Buch.

    Unparalleled creativity and innovation will be a part of the robust marketing campaign designed to deliver across all traditional and digital mediums about Zindagi. The channel’s campaign will be initiated with a simple yet thought-provoking catchphrase ‘#ZindagiKehtiHai’ that is designed to create conversation around our life, our Zindagi.

    #ZindagiKehtiHai will dip in the currency of the world happenings and reflect the sentiments of people as they voice their views on everything that affects their lives. There will be a high impact roadblock across Zee network of 33 channels on 30 September. Engaging campaigns that will empower audiences will be visible across print, TV, DTH, digital, cinema, mobile and OOH. The publicity campaign will build advocacy through unique experiences that evoke the brand proposition and mirror the viewer’ premium lifestyles.

  • Zindagi expands programming duration; to launch HD, bi-lingual feed

    Zindagi expands programming duration; to launch HD, bi-lingual feed

    MUMBAI: Zee Le Zindagi. Hindi general entertainment channel (GEC) from the Zee Entertainment Enterprises Limited (Zeel), Zindagi, positioned itself as a premium Hindi-Urdu channel.

    Launched in 2014 as the channel for broadcasting short-run programming, it is now expanding the duration of programmes from 26 episodes to 96 episodes. “One of the learnings we had is that people need time to connect with the characters and storyline. Earlier, we tried to the cater audience with less number of episodes but it didn’t work out well, but it will never be three or four years long shows,” says ZEEL chief business officer Sunil Buch.

    The channel has also changed its slogan from ‘Jode Dilo ko’ to ‘Yeh Lamha Hi Hai Zindagi.’

    Starting on 3 October, the channel is introducing a new line-up. The new shows include a light-hearted Turkish drama, Little Lord, three Indian originals that push societal thinking including Sunjoy Wadhwa’s Sphere Origins’ ‘TV Ke Uss Par’, ‘Khwaabon Ki Zamin Par’ by Anupam Kher’s Actor Prepares and ‘Agar Tum Saath Ho’ by Gulshan Sachdeva’s Film & Shots. Bringing different cultures together is a co-production with Geo TV titled, ‘Teri Meri Jodi.’ Also, Zindagi’s blockbuster Turkish drama Fatmagul will continue to entertain viewers.

    Buch adds, “Zindagi was launched with the promise of bringing the best shows from across the world to the Indian television screens. Our compelling content has always been our calling card. A thought-leader in premium entertainment with a distinct character, Zindagi presents finite world stories with bold narratives which unveil universal emotions. The Alpha Club numbers give us resounding encouragement that we are on the right path of providing premium entertainment. What sets the channel apart is its consistent commitment to show real, vibrant, and premium world stories.”

    Hand-picked stories from India, Turkey, Spain, Italy, Pakistan, Latin America and Korea will now be available on Zindagi.

    The channel is also planning to launch the HD feed. “We are waiting for the licensing process to be completed. For our bi-lingual premium audiences, Zindagi will soon be available on a dual feed of Hindi and English,” he informs.

    The channel’s positioning ’Yeh Lamha Hi Hai Zindagi’ mirrors the essence of the word ‘Zindagi.’ Anywhere in the world, life is a finite progression of moments and it’s important that we live each and every one of them. There is no sense in doing rewind – play and lose our today, our moment, in the quest of analyzing / living in the past. That’s the top line of the channel, literally. Again a departure from traditional base lines associated with most brands/channels and true to the thought leader grain of Zindagi,” adds Buch.

    Unparalleled creativity and innovation will be a part of the robust marketing campaign designed to deliver across all traditional and digital mediums about Zindagi. The channel’s campaign will be initiated with a simple yet thought-provoking catchphrase ‘#ZindagiKehtiHai’ that is designed to create conversation around our life, our Zindagi.

    #ZindagiKehtiHai will dip in the currency of the world happenings and reflect the sentiments of people as they voice their views on everything that affects their lives. There will be a high impact roadblock across Zee network of 33 channels on 30 September. Engaging campaigns that will empower audiences will be visible across print, TV, DTH, digital, cinema, mobile and OOH. The publicity campaign will build advocacy through unique experiences that evoke the brand proposition and mirror the viewer’ premium lifestyles.

  • Zee Anmol Cinema to launch on DD Freedish

    Zee Anmol Cinema to launch on DD Freedish

    MUMBAI: Free to air (FTA) is the new buzzword in television, especially considering how well the non-pay TV channels are doing. Adding another one to its channel cluster is Zee Entertainment Enterprises Ltd (ZEEL). It is to soon launch its new FTA Hindi movie channel, Zee Anmol Cinema on Doordarshan’s free direct-to-home (DTH) platform DD Direct service Free Dish. It is set to replace Zee Premiere which is currently beaming on Channel No. 70 from 1 Septmeber.

    Confirming its launch, ZEEL chief business officer Sunil Buch said, “The current increasing share of viewership in rural India gives us the scope of further expanding Zee’s presence in HSM markets. Launching Zee Anmol Cinema also makes for an interesting challenge as the FTA Hindi movie genre already has several strong players in a dynamic and ever-changing environment. We will share more details soon.”

    Watch this space…

  • Zee Anmol Cinema to launch on DD Freedish

    Zee Anmol Cinema to launch on DD Freedish

    MUMBAI: Free to air (FTA) is the new buzzword in television, especially considering how well the non-pay TV channels are doing. Adding another one to its channel cluster is Zee Entertainment Enterprises Ltd (ZEEL). It is to soon launch its new FTA Hindi movie channel, Zee Anmol Cinema on Doordarshan’s free direct-to-home (DTH) platform DD Direct service Free Dish. It is set to replace Zee Premiere which is currently beaming on Channel No. 70 from 1 Septmeber.

    Confirming its launch, ZEEL chief business officer Sunil Buch said, “The current increasing share of viewership in rural India gives us the scope of further expanding Zee’s presence in HSM markets. Launching Zee Anmol Cinema also makes for an interesting challenge as the FTA Hindi movie genre already has several strong players in a dynamic and ever-changing environment. We will share more details soon.”

    Watch this space…

  • Zee Mindspace Awards 2016 to acknowledge marketing fraternity

    Zee Mindspace Awards 2016 to acknowledge marketing fraternity

    MUMBAI: Zee Entertainment Enterprises Limited (ZEEL) has instituted the Zee Mindspace Awards to give recognition to brands.

    The awards ceremony will be held on 27 August at #ZEEMelt 2016 in the capital.

    ZEE Mindspace Awards aim to serve as an additional independent barometer for marketers. It will recognize the overall marketing mix implemented by the brand owners to carve a mindspace within the consumers.

    ZEEL chief business officer Sunil Buch said, “Achieving ‘consumer mindspace’ is every marketer’s ultimate goal. The thought of extending our three-year old brand intellectual property ‘ZEE Mindspace’ also as an awards property was based on this very essence. The marketing fraternity is an integral part of our overall business value chain, and in today’s digital era it is indeed a challenge for the marketers to arrive at the right marketing mix. The proof of the pudding is being present in the ‘Mindspace’, which is the foundation of ZEE Mindspace Awards.”

    The network has partnered with market research company Nielsen to execute a nationwide research to identify brands which have created maximum impact on the minds of the consumers. The primary criteria to arrive at the winning brands are popularity, advocacy, desire and buzz. Brands which have a top of mind recall are also a part of the structured research methodology.

    Nielsen has targeted a sample size of 12000+ audiences, covering key zones across the country.

    The winning brands will be awarded at the ZEE Mindspace Awards 2016 in the presence of over 500 CMOs and stalwarts from the marketing and advertising industry.

    Nielsen South Asia MD Prashant Singh said, “Nielsen’s research methodology is a brand assessment among consumers who have adopted new age media in addition to traditional media and provides brand owners’ insights into how brands are adapting to this fast-evolving space. More than 12000 online surveys were conducted to evaluate 288 brands across 36 categories. The research was broken into multiple phases – from initial screening of brands to final rounds focusing on understanding what makes a brand resonate in the consumer’s mind. The winners were identified after undertaking a rigorous process, based on top-of-mind recall, popularity, the kind of advocacy the brand commands, the desire to own the brand and finally the buzz it generates. Above all, it’s the brand’s ability to pop-up in mind at the first instance that holds maximum weightage.”

    #ZEEMelt 2016 will also witness the 4th edition of Zee Mindspace Conference which aims at bringing the marketing fraternity together to connect, discuss and explore new possibilities. The sessions under conference comprise of two main themes: Previewing tomorrow – where one gets insights into the future of several areas in the industry, and Open possibilities which introduces the many advantages that data, content, consumer analysis and branding offer in transforming businesses.

    The speakers at the conference are Constellation Research founder and chairman and principal analyst R Ray Wang, News Works deputy chief executive Vanessa Clifford, Havas Media SVP of strategy and innovation Tom Goodwin, strategist and speaker Jeff Bullas, Financial Times chief data officer Tom Betts, Semcon corporate communication and marketing director Per Nilsson, XAxis global CEO Brian Gleason, technology and media author, strategy consultant Tomi Ahonen.

    ZEEL has embarked on an extensive promotion campaign in key markets targeting print, outdoor, digital, social media platforms and PR. Further, as a part of integration with Twitter, the awards ceremony will be live-streamed on Periscope and extensively promoted on the social media platform. Actor and Television presenter, Gaurav Kapur who would be the event anchor, will also interact with the users through Twitter’s #BlueRoom today at 6.30 pm.

  • Zee Mindspace Awards 2016 to acknowledge marketing fraternity

    Zee Mindspace Awards 2016 to acknowledge marketing fraternity

    MUMBAI: Zee Entertainment Enterprises Limited (ZEEL) has instituted the Zee Mindspace Awards to give recognition to brands.

    The awards ceremony will be held on 27 August at #ZEEMelt 2016 in the capital.

    ZEE Mindspace Awards aim to serve as an additional independent barometer for marketers. It will recognize the overall marketing mix implemented by the brand owners to carve a mindspace within the consumers.

    ZEEL chief business officer Sunil Buch said, “Achieving ‘consumer mindspace’ is every marketer’s ultimate goal. The thought of extending our three-year old brand intellectual property ‘ZEE Mindspace’ also as an awards property was based on this very essence. The marketing fraternity is an integral part of our overall business value chain, and in today’s digital era it is indeed a challenge for the marketers to arrive at the right marketing mix. The proof of the pudding is being present in the ‘Mindspace’, which is the foundation of ZEE Mindspace Awards.”

    The network has partnered with market research company Nielsen to execute a nationwide research to identify brands which have created maximum impact on the minds of the consumers. The primary criteria to arrive at the winning brands are popularity, advocacy, desire and buzz. Brands which have a top of mind recall are also a part of the structured research methodology.

    Nielsen has targeted a sample size of 12000+ audiences, covering key zones across the country.

    The winning brands will be awarded at the ZEE Mindspace Awards 2016 in the presence of over 500 CMOs and stalwarts from the marketing and advertising industry.

    Nielsen South Asia MD Prashant Singh said, “Nielsen’s research methodology is a brand assessment among consumers who have adopted new age media in addition to traditional media and provides brand owners’ insights into how brands are adapting to this fast-evolving space. More than 12000 online surveys were conducted to evaluate 288 brands across 36 categories. The research was broken into multiple phases – from initial screening of brands to final rounds focusing on understanding what makes a brand resonate in the consumer’s mind. The winners were identified after undertaking a rigorous process, based on top-of-mind recall, popularity, the kind of advocacy the brand commands, the desire to own the brand and finally the buzz it generates. Above all, it’s the brand’s ability to pop-up in mind at the first instance that holds maximum weightage.”

    #ZEEMelt 2016 will also witness the 4th edition of Zee Mindspace Conference which aims at bringing the marketing fraternity together to connect, discuss and explore new possibilities. The sessions under conference comprise of two main themes: Previewing tomorrow – where one gets insights into the future of several areas in the industry, and Open possibilities which introduces the many advantages that data, content, consumer analysis and branding offer in transforming businesses.

    The speakers at the conference are Constellation Research founder and chairman and principal analyst R Ray Wang, News Works deputy chief executive Vanessa Clifford, Havas Media SVP of strategy and innovation Tom Goodwin, strategist and speaker Jeff Bullas, Financial Times chief data officer Tom Betts, Semcon corporate communication and marketing director Per Nilsson, XAxis global CEO Brian Gleason, technology and media author, strategy consultant Tomi Ahonen.

    ZEEL has embarked on an extensive promotion campaign in key markets targeting print, outdoor, digital, social media platforms and PR. Further, as a part of integration with Twitter, the awards ceremony will be live-streamed on Periscope and extensively promoted on the social media platform. Actor and Television presenter, Gaurav Kapur who would be the event anchor, will also interact with the users through Twitter’s #BlueRoom today at 6.30 pm.

  • ZEEL deploys NexGuard forensic watermarking system in Mumbai

    ZEEL deploys NexGuard forensic watermarking system in Mumbai

    MUMBAI: In an effort to deter piracy, Zee Entertainment Enterprises Ltd. (ZEEL) has announced that it will deploy NexGuard forensic watermarking system at its Mumbai facilities. The technology will enable the forensic watermarking of its valuable video content with a unique identifier in post-production, making its worldwide distribution traceable and secure.

    This level of protection is particularly important for content owners looking at preserving the value of their content before it is aired.

    “Online piracy in India and worldwide is indeed a major threat for the overall media and entertainment industry. With Peer-2-Peer platforms and illegal re-streaming services flourishing in the subcontinent, we sensed a strong need to deploy solutions to protect our most important asset our content,” said ZEEL chief business officer Sunil Buch. “Using NexGuard forensic watermarking, we can now trace the source of illegal copies of each video asset at any point of the content lifecycle. This enhances our content security by many folds, and above all, it acts as a powerful deterrent against piracy.”

    ZEEL has chosen to deploy the NexGuard system in the form of software plug-ins for their transcoder farms, thereby ensuring a seamless fit in its existing content post-production and distribution workflow.

    “ZEEL’s content and channels are among the most popular in India and worldwide,” said NexGuard managing director Harrie Tholen. “With a global audience and very valuable assets at play, it was crucial for ZEEL to deter piracy and act quickly if it does take place. We are proud to be involved in helping ZEEL safeguard revenues through deterring piracy.”

    According to the Motion Picture Distributors Associations (India), India with over 1,000 original productions every year is the world’s most prolific movie producer. However, the South Asian power also ranks fourth among English-speaking countries for piracy, leading to significant potential revenue loss for content producers and distributors.

    NexGuard provides watermarking plug-ins for most commercially available transcoders as well as solutions for other file, tape and disc workflows. It has solutions for 4K/UHD and HDR support is under testing by the Hollywood studios.

    ZEEL is a global content company with a presence across 171 countries. With a rich bouquet of 33 domestic and 38 international channels, ZEEL reaches over 1 bn viewers across the world.

  • ZEEL deploys NexGuard forensic watermarking system in Mumbai

    ZEEL deploys NexGuard forensic watermarking system in Mumbai

    MUMBAI: In an effort to deter piracy, Zee Entertainment Enterprises Ltd. (ZEEL) has announced that it will deploy NexGuard forensic watermarking system at its Mumbai facilities. The technology will enable the forensic watermarking of its valuable video content with a unique identifier in post-production, making its worldwide distribution traceable and secure.

    This level of protection is particularly important for content owners looking at preserving the value of their content before it is aired.

    “Online piracy in India and worldwide is indeed a major threat for the overall media and entertainment industry. With Peer-2-Peer platforms and illegal re-streaming services flourishing in the subcontinent, we sensed a strong need to deploy solutions to protect our most important asset our content,” said ZEEL chief business officer Sunil Buch. “Using NexGuard forensic watermarking, we can now trace the source of illegal copies of each video asset at any point of the content lifecycle. This enhances our content security by many folds, and above all, it acts as a powerful deterrent against piracy.”

    ZEEL has chosen to deploy the NexGuard system in the form of software plug-ins for their transcoder farms, thereby ensuring a seamless fit in its existing content post-production and distribution workflow.

    “ZEEL’s content and channels are among the most popular in India and worldwide,” said NexGuard managing director Harrie Tholen. “With a global audience and very valuable assets at play, it was crucial for ZEEL to deter piracy and act quickly if it does take place. We are proud to be involved in helping ZEEL safeguard revenues through deterring piracy.”

    According to the Motion Picture Distributors Associations (India), India with over 1,000 original productions every year is the world’s most prolific movie producer. However, the South Asian power also ranks fourth among English-speaking countries for piracy, leading to significant potential revenue loss for content producers and distributors.

    NexGuard provides watermarking plug-ins for most commercially available transcoders as well as solutions for other file, tape and disc workflows. It has solutions for 4K/UHD and HDR support is under testing by the Hollywood studios.

    ZEEL is a global content company with a presence across 171 countries. With a rich bouquet of 33 domestic and 38 international channels, ZEEL reaches over 1 bn viewers across the world.