ITV

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  • Zee to rejig; mulls Siti Cable hive-off

    Zee to rejig; mulls Siti Cable hive-off

    NEW DELHI: The Subhash Chandra-promoted Zee Telefilms, which is planning a restructuring of its businesses, is toying hiving off its distribution activities as a separate company.

    On being specifically asked whether Siti Cable, the distribution arm of the company and the country biggest MSO, would be hived off as a separate company, a senior executive of Zee Telefilms admitted, “There is a possibility.”

    However, the executive was quick to point out that such an initiaive would not be done overnight. “We’ll have to take the shareholders’ nod for any such restructuring,” he added.
    Yesterday, Zee Telefilms Ltd informed the Bombay Stock Exchange (BSE) that its board of directors would meet on 29 March 2006 to consider restructuring the company’s businesses.

    Few days back, Zee Telefilms finalised a deal for distribution of some family channels in Afghanistan where the flagship is now available on cable networks. Applications for landing rights in China too were made, but the chances are slim as China has stringent laws for non-Chinese broadcasting companies.

    According to information available with Indiantelevision.com, Zee Telefilms — India’s largest vertically integrated media company with its flagship Zee TV now inching back to the No. 2 position ahead of Sony — is toying a de-merger of its businesses.

    At the moment, all aspects of the broadcast business like content generation, marketing, distribution and syndication are carried out under the Zee Telefilms umbrella with different divisions.

    The DTH business of Subhash Chandra is carried out by another concern, ASC Enterprise, which has a content supply agreement with Zee Telefilms for country’s first private sector DTH service Dish TV.

    And, on Thursday Zee Telefilms announced at Ficci-Frames in Mumbai that the group’s digital media initiative will be carried out through a separate company called DMCL (Digital Media Convergence Ltd) that will facilitate the availability of digital content in India in association with Intel.

    In the past, Chandra has gone on record saying that the company would explore opportunities of unlocking shareholders’ value by hiving off Siti Cable as a separate company and possibly listing it also.

    Zee Telefilms subscription revenue (mainly garnered through distribution of TV channels; in India, Siti Cable is the vehicle) has been on the upswing with the company clocking Rs 1,751 million for the third quarter ended 31 Dec, 2005, signifying an increase of 7.8 per cent as compared to the corresponding period last fiscal.

    Out of the total subscription revenue, domestic subscription amounted to Rs 716 million for the Q3 2006.

    Meanwhile, the senior executive of Zee Telefilms talking to Indiantelevision.com said that the company in 2006-07 hoped to do better than the annual average advertising industry growth of 9-11 per cent.

    Buoyed by good ad revenue (Q3 revenue: Rs 1,698 million, an increase of 12.3 per cent YoY), Zee Telefilms is set to increase ad rates across all channels by 30-40 per cent from the next financial year starting 1 April 2006.

    In the last one month, shares of Zee Tele have been heading northward rising to over Rs. 250 during the intra-day trading on 23 March from being quoted at Rs 168.15 on 22 February on the BSE.

    On Thursday, the Zee Tele scrip closed at Rs 242.70 after opening the day at Rs. 238.50.

  • Zee looks for a winner in Rs 110 mn ‘Business Baazigar’

    Zee looks for a winner in Rs 110 mn ‘Business Baazigar’

    NEW DELHI: Now Mumbai denizens need not worry about cleaning their countless shoes at home or go looking for the friendly neighbourhood cobbler. A shoe laundry, like a dry cleaner’s shop for clothes, will take care of all the shoe needs.

    The shoe laundry is a dream come true for a young woman entrepreneur who was in need of funding the idea. Zee Telefilms came to her help with the initial money. Though the girl and her idea failed to make it to the last round of Zee TV’s soon-to-start reality show Business Baazigar, she is busy shaping her business venture.

    “The shoe laundry is already operational for about four months and the young woman will be coming back to us with a progress report,” Zee TV business head Punit Goenka told Indiantelevision.com on the sidelines of a press conference here, to announce the launch of Business Baazigar where the underlying theme is: “idea lao, paise le jao” (bring an idea and get funded).

    And, that’s the magic of the reality show, as Zee funds innovative ideas of people who have been eliminated during the show.

    Business Baazigar is a journey of 250 participants who will eventually be scaled down to 50 finalists. Among them, the final 20 will be put through gruelling tasks that will test their business acumen and team spirit.

    After every task, the jury, comprising Zee Telefilms non-executive chairman Subhash Chandra, himself a rags-to-riches success story, will decide the fate of the contestants. Eventually, one participant will emerge triumphant and will have Zee Telefilms funding his/her business venture.

    An expensive show with high-decibel marketing

    Business Baazigar is also one of Zee TV’s costliest shows to be mounted. At Rs 110 million, this 25 FPS-produced 24-episode programme attempts to what other game shows have failed to do for Zee Telefilms’ flagship channel, Zee TV — deliver ratings and viewer ship.

    “This show promises to entertain the audience with its intense reality drama and unique concept. We have given our best and hope the audience likes it,” said Goenka, the eldest son of Chandra.

    While admitting that an ongoing game show Kam Ya Zyada failed to live up to expectations, Goenka added that it’s Zee TV’s endeavour to give the audience what it likes, but “sometimes ideas click, while at other times they don’t.”

    “So, in deference to viewers’ preferences, we take off programmes that fail to tickle the viewers,” he added, hinting that Kam Ya Zyada will be phased out after its present run.

    However, the network is leaving very few stones unturned in promoting Business Baazigar, which is also hopeful of a second season.

    Apart from the traditional cross channel promotions on various Zee channels, which are likely to attract a diverse profile of audience, the new reality show will be promoted via outdoor, print and some innovative initiatives on the Internet. Cellular phones, too, would be extensively used for promotion.

    “We do have some new marketing initiatives (costing a packet) lined up that’ll unfold from Thursday. The aim is to arouse curiosity amongst viewers of all hues,” Goenka said.

    Concurring with Goenka was 25 FPS managing director Alankar Jain who said that marketing is an important tool to write a successful TV show. Especially one like Business Baazigar as the ramp up time is small.

    “We are hoping that the show connects with the people in its early episodes only as the whole series is time bound, ending with the 24th episode,” Jain added.

    Business Baazigar debuts on 31 March, airing one-hour episodes on Fridays and Saturdays at 8 pm.

    Apart from Chandra, the jury consists of Passionfunds CEO Mahesh Murthy and Prof. Anil Gupta of Indian Institute of Management. Cyrus Sahukar will host the series.