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  • Joy Chakraborthy: The TV news executive who loves a slugfest

    Joy Chakraborthy: The TV news executive who loves a slugfest

    Mumbai: At first sight, you would probably assume that Zee Media chief business officer Joy Chakraborthy has been a pugilist at some time in his life. With hefty arms, a broad stocky physique, he normally strides across the room like a man with a mission, with a purpose.

    Always ready for a good scrap, he has got into it by jumping back into the highly competitive TV news business at the invitation of media innovator and promoter Subhash Chandra when he joined the Zee news network six weeks ago to get its cash coffers overflowing once again.

    “I’ve spent a large part of my working life being in the news business. I was on the founding team of Star News, I worked in TV Today, Network18,” says the dimpled Chakraborthy with a huge smile. “There is no better place than Zee to work at. To come back to Zee which is like home to me and to work with a boss who gives me so much freedom to work, it’s a delight.”

    With his revenue portfolio covering digital, linear, marketing, and distribution (international & domestic), Chakraborthy has since joining been making whistle stop visits to advertising agencies, marketing clients, digital outfit and distribution partners across India.

    “I like to lead from the front, meet everyone and tell them about what we plan to do on our FPC, programming, advertising packaging, and branded solutions. I have been to Mumbai, Ahmedabad, Kolkata and Delhi,” he says. “My meetings have also led me getting a lot of feedback.”

    Chakraborthy says the agencies and brands are telling him that the TV news industry is in a bit of a mess as far as their perception of it is concerned.

    “The news genre is under stress in terms of evaluation. The marketer is beginning to wonder who is really No 1 as every channel is claiming it is No 1,” reveals Chakraborthy. “Brand custodians don’t slice and dice viewership for news as we are doing. Yes, they put in some numbers like the affinity index but they buy the genre differently as it is bought for frequency/OTS and for a B2B connect.”

    According to him, this No 1 claiming syndrome has led to confusion amongst brands leading to most of the news channels filling up their advertising inventory to the tune of only 65-70 per cent as recently as a few weeks ago. “In all the years I have been in the industry, news channels have been overflowing with inventory, unlike today. We as an industry have to get together to put a halt to this ‘I’m No 1’ claiming itch,” he emphasises.

    He adds that even as certain players are claiming the numero uno status, they are still selling airtime at very low prices compared to the legacy players. “This phenomenon is dragging the news genre down instead of increasing the yield to delivery ratio. I’d like to see their No 1 claims being reflected in their airtime rates and revenues.”

    Additionally, what’s irking him is the rampant misuse of landing pages on cable TV and DTH platforms by TV news broadcasters, and the measurement and reporting of this “rogue” viewership by Broadcast Audience Research Council (Barc).  

    “There’s a lot of load shedding in places in the Hindi speaking heartlands of India. If a viewer is watching say X channel and the power goes off and when it comes back, he or she is forced to watch the landing page channel before switching to his or her favorite news channel. Now if this process takes 10 or 35 seconds, his viewing is measured and reported because of Barc’s basic rules that anyone watching for within a minute is considered a viewer, is what I understand,” explains Chakraborthy. “The agency needs to increase the viewing time to two to three minutes for a person to be considered a viewer. Otherwise all the landing page viewing adds up to significant numbers and skews the ratings.”

    Another disturbing trend that has developed amongst news channels is the fact that some of them are running break-free content and news to gain viewership, he says. “The irony is that the advertiser is buying spots on the channel based on the ratings derived from break-free content,” he elucidates.

    He believes that Zee News has a great portfolio of offerings in terms of languages and regional channels serving as a great outreach platform for brands.

    “Zee is a very strong brand name,” he highlights. “Almost every famous face who is on other news channels has worked for some time at Zee. We lead in certain markets. We have great teams in place. What I have created is the Zee News Plus offering wherein the sales people are selling us as a network. They can package national with other regional channels to present a better solution to agencies and brands. Nobody has a network like we do. For me as a revenue leader, I have always taken the targets. However, success is my team’s and failure is mine.”

    With that kind of an attitude, Joy is sure to bring a lot of glee to the Zee News bottom line.

  • &TV brings back family drama with a new show ‘Doosri Maa’

    &TV brings back family drama with a new show ‘Doosri Maa’

    Mumbai: &TV is all set to present its latest family drama Doosri Maa. The show will be produced by Zee Studios and co-produced by Imtiaz Punjabi.  

    The show will reintroduce the famous on-screen mother-son duo, Neha Joshi as Yashoda and Aayudh Bhanushali as Krishna, among other cast members. The show will premiere on 20 September at 8:00 p.m and will air Monday to Friday.

    &TV business head Vishnu Shankar said, “&TV is committed to telling human stories that connect deeply with our viewers, which is why we bring to you Doosri Maa. Mothers are the epitome of unconditional love and sacrifice and the bond between them and their child is unquestionable. But what happens when life throws a curveball? Our show Doosri Maa is a heart-tugging story of Yashoda’s struggle between her self-respect and maternal instincts, as she tries hard to accept her husband’s illegitimate young son. It is an emotional story of family, love, betrayal, and duty. We hope our viewers enjoy this new family drama and the phenomenal chemistry between Neha Joshi and Aayudh Bhanushali.”

    Doosri Maa is the story of a woman who lives in Uttar Pradesh with her husband, two daughters, and in-laws. When she and her husband unknowingly adopt his illegitimate child, their happy, peaceful family life comes to a halt. The show depicts Yashoda’s journey of coming to terms with her husband’s past as well as her conflicted, rocky relationship with her stepson.

    Zee Studios’ chief business officer Anshul Khullar, said “Doosri Maa is our most recent fiction offering produced by Zee Studios and co-produced by Imtiaz Punjabi. It is a family drama centred around our protagonist Yashoda, as she deals with her husband’s past and her conflicted relationship with her stepson, Krishna. The storyline beautifully depicts the dilemma of Yashoda – torn between the anguish of a wronged wife and compassion for the plight of Krishna, her stepson, who has lost his mother and is struggling for acceptance. We hope the audience will relate to this heart-warming story premiering on 20 September at 8:00 p.m on &TV.”

    Co-producer and Director Imtiaz Punjabi added, “Doosri Maa is a fascinating tale of a woman and a mother. The story, set in Uttar Pradesh, brings to life Yashoda and Krishna’s journey and the inherent drama will keep the audience engrossed in every scene. I am happy to be associated once again with &TV which has given viewers some of the most memorable shows. I previously loved working with Neha and Aayudh, and we are optimistic that we will create new magic with Doosri Maa.”

  • 61% consumers watch online video content like YouTube/OTT on their mobile/home TV: Axis My India Sep CSI Survey

    61% consumers watch online video content like YouTube/OTT on their mobile/home TV: Axis My India Sep CSI Survey

    Mumbai: Axis My India, a leading consumer data intelligence company, released its latest findings of the India Consumer Sentiment Index (CSI), a monthly analysis of consumer perception on a wide range of issues.

    According to reports, 20 per cent of consumers are planning to shop more this festive season. On media consumption, 61 per cent mentioned that they watch online video content either on their mobiles or connected TV. 32 per cent mentioned that they notice advertising on TV, followed by digital (26 per cent). An interesting observation was on app usage. On average, nine apps are used by a smartphone user.

    The net CSI score for September, calculated by percentage increase minus percentage decrease in sentiment, is at +10, from +9 last month, reflecting an increase of one point. The sentiment analysis delves into five relevant sub-indices: overall household spending; spending on essential and non-essential items; spending on healthcare; media consumption habits; and mobility trends.

    Key Findings:

    •     Overall, household spending has increased for 61 per cent of families, which is the same as in August. The net score, which was +52 last month, has increased by +1 to +53 in September.
    •     Consumption of media remains the same as the previous month, i.e., 19 per cent. The overall net score, which is -1 in September, also remains the same.
    •     Mobility has increased for seven per cent of families, representing a one per cent increase over the previous month.
    •     Spending on essentials like personal care and household items has increased for 46 per cent of the families, which is an increase of one per cent from last month. The net score, which was at +26 this month, has increased by +3 to +29.
    •     Spending on non-essential and discretionary products like air conditioners, cars, and refrigerators has increased for seven per cent of families, which reflects an increase of one per cent from last month. The net score, which was at nil last month, has improved to +2 this month. This could reflect the spirit of the festive season approaching.
    •      Consumption of health-related items has increased for 37 per cent of the families, which reflects a decrease of one per cent from last month. The health score, which has a negative connotation i.e., the less spent on health items, the better the sentiments, has a net score value of -23 for September, as compared to -24 last month.

    On topics of current national interest:

    •      In an attempt to understand consumers’ engagement with mobile apps, the survey discovered that, on average, consumers have nine apps on their smartphones. 16 per cent use a minimum of 4–8 apps on their smartphone, and 22 per cent have more than eight apps. A significant 24 per cent mentioned that they use a feature phone.
    •     In order to determine which medium advertisements are more likely to be noticed, the survey discovered that a majority of 32 per cent notice ads on TV, while 26 per cent notice them on online media. It was also discovered that only 17 per cent notice ads on social media platforms, 15 per cent in print, six per cent in outdoor and two per cent on radio.
    •      The survey further revealed that a majority of 61 per cent watch online video content like YouTube or OTT on their mobile/home TV.
    •     Digging deeper into the festive spirit, the survey shows that 20 per cent plan to shop more this festive season compared to last year. However, 32 per cent plan to shop the same as last year.
    •     According to the Axis My India Consumer Sentiment Index Survey, 48 per cent of consumers shop/purchase more products during the festive season as compared to the rest of the year.
    •      Exploring farmers’ sentiments towards new tractors, the survey found out that 10 per cent are planning to purchase new tractors in the coming year, while three per cent and two per cent plan to do so within six months and three months, respectively. For reasons like smaller land size, renting, or affordability, a significant 86 per cent of farmers don’t own a tractor.

    The survey was carried out via computer-aided telephonic interviews with a sample size of 10014 people across 32 states and UTs. 68 per cent belonged to rural India, while 32 per cent belonged to urban India. In terms of regional spread, 23 per cent belong to the northern parts while 24 per cent belong to the eastern parts of India. Moreover, 29 per cent and 23 per cent belonged to the western and southern parts of India, respectively. 59 per cent of the respondents were male, while 41 per cent were female. In terms of the two majority sample groups, 32 per cent reflect the age group of 36-year olds to 50-year olds, while 31 per cent reflect the age group of 26-year olds to 35-year olds.

    Axis My India chairman and MD Pradeep Gupta said, “After compromising the past two festive seasons because of the pandemic and its related constraints, this year consumers are expected to shop more during festivities. One can already witness a slight increase in expenses across essential and discretionary products. Further improvement in mobility sentiments highlights the fact that more and more people are enjoying the stores’ and malls’ experiences of discovering, shopping, and gifting.”

    He further added, “This sentiment is also extended among the Indian farmers, wherein a significant percentage of 15 per cent intend to buy a brand new tractor in the next one year. This is thus a crucial time for the Indian advertising business as spending is expected to bring a lot more returns than usual. As more and more people (61 per cent) are watching online video content (YouTube/OTT) on their mobile/home TV and thereby noticing ads across TV, online and social media platforms, it is of utmost importance for the media industry to tap the right medium for addressing differentiated consumer needs.”

  • News Nation Network strengthens its sales team

    News Nation Network strengthens its sales team

    Mumbai: News Nation Network ropes in Vivek Makker as executive vice president & national head of sales for the network. Harsha Vardhan Dwivedi as vice president of sales to take care of its regional business.

    In their capacity, they will be responsible for the performance of all revenue-generating avenues, drive growth through strategic decisions, partner with key stakeholders and steer revenue acceleration through their leadership.

    Prior to this, Vivek Makker was the National head for NDTV India. Vivek is a well-known media professional with over two decades of experience and a unique relationship-driven personal approach with Clients, Advertising agencies and his Teams. He has also worked with HT media, Star TV, and Times OOH.

    In his role, Vivek added “Feeling excited and happy to be part of News Nation, one of the fastest expanding Media groups that have futuristic approach and deep-rooted traditional values”

    Speaking of joining the team, Harsha said, “It gives me great pleasure to join the enthusiastic and aggressive team of News Nation Network. The brand is already well established, and I look forward to collaborating with all stakeholders to achieve long-term goals”.

    With over 20 years of work experience, Harsha in his previous roles has worked for various organisations like Sahara TV Network, Zee Entertainment Enterprises Ltd., Zee Media Corp Ltd., Mahuaa Media Network, ETV News Network & Network 18 before joining News Nation Network. He has been a part of launches like Zee Bihar Jharkhand and relaunches like Zee Sangam, India 24*7, etc.

    News Nation Network chief business officer Bhuwan Bhatt said “Inclusion of Vivek and Harsha, will further strengthen the team. We are immensely hopeful that Vivek & Harsha would bring huge value to the organization with their leadership and interpersonal skills. We look forward to driving growth of all the brands with each passing day in their respective roles.”

  • Balaji Telefilms reports revenue of Rs 118.8 crore for Q1 FY23

    Balaji Telefilms reports revenue of Rs 118.8 crore for Q1 FY23

    Mumbai: Balaji Telefilms earned a revenue of Rs 118.8 crore for Q1 FY23 of which ALTBalaji contributed Rs 36.8 crore through its direct subscription, which stood at Rs 6 crore in Q1 FY23, the company said in a statement.

    The group’s EBITDA loss is Rs 20.4 crore and the loss after tax is Rs 24.5 crore. 

    Balaji Telefilms Ltd managing director Shobha Kapoor said, “Our content has always resonated with audiences at large as it is deeply ingrained in India’s socio-cultural fabric and this quarter has been no different given that we have continued to provide content-driven and quality entertainment while simultaneously focusing on sustainable growth for our investors.”

    “We continue to have strong controls on the cash spend while driving overall profitability including some strong strategic content sharing deals which allows us to further our growth,” she added. 

    OTT-business

    ALTBalaji has 93+ shows live on its platform. ‘Lock Upp’ which was live streamed, gained enormous popularity and went on to become the most watched reality show in the OTT space, with 500+ million views. As a result, the company generated significant long-term IP because this format had never been seen in the Indian entertainment domain before. This quarter they released Apharan- Season two which garnered more than a million views within a short time.
    For the three months ending 30 June, the company sold 3.1 lakh subscriptions (including 1.62 renewals). This excludes subscribers on partner apps where the content continues to do well. 

    The company, in its release, said, “ALTBalaji continues to produce content-driven shows and we are confident that it will be regarded as one of the leading Indian OTT players shortly as we have a strong content library catering to classes and masses alike with consistent hit shows across genres.”

    The company continues its strategy to drive deeper audience engagement by creating quality and content-driven shows that are targeted at a mass audience seeking differentiated stories. Currently, the engagement time stands at 62+ mins, with watch time at 16.19 billion minutes. Video views stand at 1.37 billion cumulative to date.

    Some of our shows continue to be highly rated and popular amongst our audiences, especially the youth, and also include our immensely popular niche reality competition show (that was released last quarter). 

    TV Business

    In Q1 FY23, Balaji’s TV business continued at normal for three months with 246.5+ hours of production across 8 shows compared to 174.5 hours in Q1 FY22. Two more TV shows are lined up across genres for the next quarter. ‘Apnapan’ was launched in Q1 FY23 which generated a good audience response.

    Kapoor said, “As always, we are confident that our content will strike a chord with audiences as our storytelling is backed by strong creative capabilities which drive our business growth.”

    Movie business 

    In terms of movies, “Ek Villain Returns” starring John Abraham and Arjun Kapoor, was released on 29 July to positive reviews, earning 51 crore plus at the box office. 

    Kapoor said, “Considering that theatres are now operating at 100 percent capacity, we are confident that our movie business will be back on track given that we have six more movies up for release in FY23, out of which two films are ready to release stage, three films in post-production stage and one film under production. We have pre-locked exciting revenue deals on our movies slate, thereby de-risking our movie business segment.”

  • NDTV group Q1 FY23 revenue at Rs 113.70 crore; PAT at Rs 23.2 crore

    NDTV group Q1 FY23 revenue at Rs 113.70 crore; PAT at Rs 23.2 crore

    Mumbai: The NDTV group reported its first quarter results for financial year 2023. The company’s revenue stood at Rs 113.70 crore up by Rs 18 crore versus the corresponding quarter last year. The company’s profit after tax (PAT) stood at Rs 23.2 crore up by Rs 9.25 crore.  

    The group’s TV arm recorded a profit of Rs 12.5 crore. Its digital arm NDTV Convergence has recorded a PAT of Rs 13.7 crore.

    According to the company’s statement, it should be noted that Q1 last year included an exceptional item (sale of an investment). If that were to be excluded, the revenue has improved by Rs 24.5 crore over last year and profit has improved by Rs 13.7 crore over last year.

    The group’s external liabilities are down by Rs 6 crore including bank borrowings in the quarter and by Rs 206 crore including bank borrowings from three years ago (as of March 2019).

  • Content investment in India, Korea, and Southeast Asia to rise in 2022: MPA Report

    Content investment in India, Korea, and Southeast Asia to rise in 2022: MPA Report

    Mumbai: The video content budget in India, Korea, and Southeast Asia will grow by 15 per cent and reach $12 billion in 2022, according to the latest edition of Asia Video Content Dynamics, published by Media Partners Asia (MPA).

    In 2022, India and Korea will drive the bulk of the increase, but all markets and all verticals are expected to grow. The film industry will be the fastest, growing by nearly 140 per cent as theatres screen fresh movies. Online video will grow the most, by nearly $700 million.

    It increased by 21 per cent last year to $10.4 billion. Except for theatrical, all content verticals saw significant growth. OTT content was the fastest growing vertical, increasing 83 per cent year on year to become the second largest vertical, accounting for 26 per cent of industry investment. Korea & India saw particularly strong OTT investment growth, while Thailand and Indonesia made significant contributions.

    This report examined video content consumption, investment in video content, and production costs in seven key Asian markets: India, Indonesia, South Korea, Malaysia, Philippines, Thailand, and Vietnam. Free-to-air (FTA), pay-TV, online video, and film are among the verticals examined, along with key players and the production value chain.

    Also read: India’s OTT video market to reach $3 bn in 2022; estimated to double by 2027: Report

    Commenting on the findings of the report, MPA vice president Stephen Laslocky said, “Inflation, particularly with online originals, is a factor driving up content costs.”

    He went on to say that online video operators, broadcasters, and producers must see that higher budgets translate into more premium viewing experiences, or the cost increases will be unsustainable.

    According to this report, Pay-TV was the largest vertical, accounting for 46 per cent of total industry content investment, reflecting well-developed pay-TV markets in India and Korea. FTA ranked third with 25 per cent of the total.

    “Internationally successful programmes remain the content licensing holy grail, which thus far, only Korean dramas and some anime, as well as US and UK content, have sustainably achieved. Some Thai content has succeeded outside of Thailand. Quality production values and strong storylines with a focus on younger online demographics will be the building blocks of future investment strategies,” Laslocky added.

    While talking about the expanding online video sector, he expressed that it has been a boon to independent producers. He said, “Profit margins have stabilised at 10 per cent or more across much of the region. More can be done to bolster independent producers, including additional compensation for original concepts, commensurate rewards for breakout successes, and expanded use of pipeline deals (which allows producers to more reliably recoup overheads).”

    “In exchange, producers need to be transparent with production costs. Commissioners need to be willing and able to audit costs,” he added.

    Declining TV ratings 

    TV ratings continue to decline in measured markets. User-generated content (UGC) platforms continue to dominate video consumption, with their share of total video consumption ranging from 82 per cent in Korea to 95 per cent in Vietnam. While YouTube remains the leader, TikTok is driving growth in Southeast Asia. Premium video, both AVOD and SVOD, captures the majority of the balance.

    The consumption of television and online video is diverging. On TV, drama is generally the most watched genre, while variety, including reality, often ranks #2. Movies, kids, and news can be significant drivers of viewership, and sports can over-index with top-rating TV programs. Viewership of some key TV genres is transitioning to YouTube, where they generate significant classified consumption.

    Meanwhile, with premium online video, series account for approximately 90 per cent of consumption, with dramas accounting for the majority of viewership, while movies account for approximately 10 per cent. Dramas account for nearly all of the top titles. Except for India, variety consumption is largely driven by acquired Korean programming.

    Box office revenues 

    In 2021, box office revenues, admissions, and releases all performed poorly. Film costs fell by two per cent as pandemic restrictions delayed release dates in many markets, but delayed tentpoles performed well in 2022.

    Some markets, including India and Indonesia, are expected to recover completely. In other markets, a return to pre-covid may take until 2023. Returning to pre-covid levels in other markets may take until 2023. Elsewhere, prospects may be marginally better but permanently harmed.

  • Zee Media names Madhu Soman as chief business officer of Wion

    Zee Media names Madhu Soman as chief business officer of Wion

    Mumbai: With extensive experience in media, Madhu Soman is ready for his new stint at Zee Media as the new Chief Business Officer of its Wion TV channel. Having over 25 years of experience, he will drive the growth of Wion, mushroom it and provide selling solutions to the broadcaster.

    Wion is happy to welcome Soman on its board for his knowledge and leadership skills, further supporting the channel to achieve greater heights. He worked with Bloomberg in Hong Kong as head of broadcast sales and as managing editor of Thomson Reuters where he was spearheading the video services. Soman was associated with Reuters as a journalist for 14 years. In the past, he has also worked with companies such as Spectranet, ANI and BiTV. With his high proficiency in journalism, Soman will aggressively support the editorial and business segment of the venture.

    Zee Media president – group strategy and innovation Bibek Agarwala said, “WION has always focused on imparting unbiased news to the audience. I am pleased to welcome a leader like Madhu Soman, who brings years of experience in journalism, diverse expertise in managing business. Under his guidance, we are ready to scale new heights. Zee Media has grown from strength to strength and is set to deliver the best content to the audience.”

    Madhu Soman said, “It’s an exciting opportunity to join a young and daring team of seasoned professionals. I eagerly look forward to leading the business team and extending my expertise to the editorial team to connect the dots, contextualize and bring out in-depth analysis of national and global issues.”

    Madhu Soman is an Alumnus of Indian Institute of Mass Communication, Symbiosis International University and Kerala University.

     

  • The Asian Academy Creative Awards to be held in December

    The Asian Academy Creative Awards to be held in December

    Mumbai: The Asian Academy Creative Awards have announced details of their highly anticipated awards ceremonies and conference events, revealing a return to physical events.

    The awards and gala final will be staged over two evenings at Singapore’s Chijmes Hall. This is a historic 19th Century Gothic styled chapel that was the location for the extravagant wedding scene in the movie “Crazy Rich Asians.”

    The Awards will be staged on 7 December, and the Gala and AAAtv Red Carpet are set for 8 December.

    The old chapel precinct has become a major tourist attraction but, on this occasion, it aims to be a match made in heaven for the film and TV industries as they vie for the elusive golden ‘Goddess of Creativity’ statuette.

    The National Winners Conference will be staged across the morning of the same two days. The conference, the organisers said, has become something of a hot ticket due to its heavy focus on the best creatives from each nation or territory, creating an ideal platform for those on the lookout for international co-production partners.

    “We hope the historic chapel grounds will inspire quite a few ‘production marriages’ during the conference,” said the Asian Academy’s CEO Fiona McKay.

    She added, “Certainly, within our region, the pandemic is still uppermost in mind, so we’ll be staging the awards across four unique sessions, and turning around the audience each time, to ensure a more controlled environment. That said, we want to be able to maximise the networking and B2B opportunities that drive global sales and production alliances.”

    The AAAtv Red Carpet will welcome the public and be seen live around the world, but the awards ceremonies will be attended exclusively by invitation and broadcast in various countries in the APAC region, reaching millions of viewers.

    The Convent of the Holy Infant Jesus Chapel (now called Chijmes Hall) was completed in 1903, and its stained-glass windows were imported from Bruges, Belgium.

    Award entrants will discover if they’re in the running for the golden statuette when the national winners are announced as part of a global livestream on 30 September on the Asian Academy Creative Awards official Facebook Page and YouTube Channel.

    The Asian Academy Creative Awards are supported by several companies, including Warner Bros. Discovery, The Walt Disney Company, Viu, Elevate Broadcast, Motion Picture Association, and social networking company Meta, as well as global insurance giant Gallagher and international law firm Baker McKenzie.

  • Zeel to create cross-platform content solutions for brands with Zee Brand Works

    Zeel to create cross-platform content solutions for brands with Zee Brand Works

    Mumbai: Zee Entertainment Enterprises Limited (Zeel) on Thursday announced the launch of  its brand solutions vertical Zee Brand Works.

    Zee Brand Works team will work with brands for their branding, sales augmentation, customer acquisition, new launches, content creation, influencer and integration solutions. It will provide brands and marketers with offers to enhance their reach, connect and engage with the right audience through Zee’s portfolio of TV channels, OTT platform Zee5 and social media platforms.

    Zee Entertainment Enterprises Limited chief growth officer Ashish Sehgal said “As a pioneer in the Indian Media landscape, we have always had a finger on the pulse of the Indian viewer. This has helped us to develop a deep understanding of the myriad mini-Bharat’s which exist within this great nation, each with its own set of norms, sensibilities and traditions. Blending this understanding of the Indian consumer with the marketing requirements of our clientele to develop bespoke brand solutions has always been a hallmark of ZEE.”

    Zee Brand Works chief operations officer – revenue Rajiv Bakshi expressed, “Consumers are also increasingly rewarding authenticity and personalization along with purpose-driven brand alignment.”  

    He further said, “Forging a deep emotional connect and occupying a greater share of the mind is a primary challenge for both existing and emerging brands. Zee Brand Works will further boost our endeavor to build brands’ resonance and sales in Hindi-speaking markets (HSM) and regional market clusters by employing the team’s ingenious creativity and inherent consumer understanding. With the onset of this journey, we are excited to partner with like-minded marketers and augment their growth strategies.”

    Zee Brand Works has also introduced new programs keeping audience reach across brands. It will focus on designing product launches that offer brands visibility, importance, and traction leveraging Zee’s network robustness across linear TV, OTT, on-ground and social.  

    It will also focus on offering creative solutions to young entrepreneurs to give exposure to their key successes, and contribution to companies’ success and growth.

    Zee Brand Works’ work for clients such as Pedigree, Dabur Honey Fitness, Ultra Tech Baat Ghar Ki, etc. has won accolades and it is working with advertisers such as GSK India, Pedigree, P&G, UltraTech Cement, Perfetti Van Melle, Philips India, Maruti Suzuki India Limited, Mankind Pharma, MTR Foods, Asian Paints, Swiggy and Amazon amongst others.