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Tag: Zee Entertainment Enterprises Ltd

  • Reliance had courted Zeel for media business transaction, says Invesco

    Reliance had courted Zeel for media business transaction, says Invesco

    Mumbai: Invesco Developing Markets Fund on Wednesday stated that Reliance Industries had made an offer to Zee Entertainment Enterprises Ltd (Zeel) to merge its media business, a deal which was struck down by Zeel’s managing director and chief executive officer Punit Goenka at the beginning of the year.

    According to a statement by the investor, “the potential transaction proposed by Reliance (the ‘Strategic Group’ referenced but not disclosed in the 12 October communication by Zeel) was negotiated by and between Reliance and Goenka and others associated with Zeel’s promoter family. The role of Invesco, as Zeel’s single largest shareholder, was to help facilitate that potential transaction and nothing more.”

    Invesco rejected Zeel’s assertion in the 12 October release that the former would seek out a transaction for Zeel that is dilutive to the long-term interests of ordinary shareholders, including Invesco itself, saying that it “simply defies logic.”

    A filing with the Bombay Stock Exchange on Tuesday showed that Goenka shared a note with Zeel’s board that detailed a proposed transaction under which the company’s current shareholders would have held 40 per cent while an unnamed (Strategic Group) Indian group, would have controlled 60 per cent after infusing Rs 14,000 crore cash in the merged entity.

    Goenka disclosed that as part of the Reliance deal, he would have continued as the managing director and chief executive officer of the merged entity and the promoter group of Zeel would be given 3.99 per cent shareholding of the merged entity. Goenka was also offered employee stock options (ESOPs) representing up to four per cent of the shareholding of the merged entity meaning that the promoter group would hold up to seven to eight per cent stake in the merged entity. 

  • NCLT gives Zeel time till 22 Oct to file reply to Invesco plea

    NCLT gives Zeel time till 22 Oct to file reply to Invesco plea

    Mumbai: The National Company Law Tribunal (NCLT) on Friday gave Zee Entertainment Enterprises Ltd (Zeel) time till 22 October to file its reply to a plea by its shareholder, according to a report by PTI. The decision was taken after the company approached National Company Law Appellate Tribunal (NCLAT) which declared that ‘reasonable and sufficient opportunity’ should be given to Zeel to respond to the investor’s plea.

    Zeel had approached the appellate body challenging the NCLT order dated 5 October which asked the company to submit its reply to the investor’s demand for calling an extraordinary general meeting (EGM) by Thursday.

    The NCLT hearing had been deferred to Friday after the NCLAT reserved its order on the plea until later in the evening on Thursday.

    Zeel two top investors Invesco Developing Markets Fund and OFI Global China Fund LLC who combined own 18 per cent stake in the company had sent a requisition notice to Zeel on 11 September to call an EGM even after two weeks, the investors moved to NCLT, citing provisions of Company Law, according to which the company is bound to call for an EGM within a specific number of days, if stakeholder demanding it owns more than 10 per cent of the company.

    The investors had also sought the removal of long-standing directors and close associates of the Chandra family from the board. The two independent directors Ashok Kurien and Manish Chokhani have already submitted their resignations.  

    The investors moved to have six nominees appointed to the board of Zeel, which included Surendra Singh Sirohi, Naina Krishna Murthy, Rohan Dhamija, Aruna Sharma, Srnivasa Rao Addepali and Gaurav Mehta as independent directors of the board for a term up to five consecutive years. The notice was received by Zeel on 12 September, and it informed the stock exchanges on 13 September, adding that the appointments are subject to approval by the ministry of information and broadcasting (I&B).

    Last week, Zeel refused to conduct the EGM citing ‘shareholders interest,’ and moved to Bombay high court seeking to declare the requisition notice as ‘illegal and invalid.’

  • NCLAT reserves orders on Zeel’s appeal

    NCLAT reserves orders on Zeel’s appeal

    Mumbai: The National Company Law Appellate Tribunal (NCLAT) on Thursday reserved orders on an appeal moved by Zee Entertainment Enterprises Ltd (Zeel). The company had challenged the 5 October order by the National Company Law Tribunal (NCLT) on the matter of requisition for an Extraordinary General Meeting (EGM). The requisition notice was moved by top investors at Zeel including Invesco Developing Markets Fund and OFI Global China Fund IIC. 

    Meanwhile, the NCLT which was slated to take up the application for an EGM on Thursday at 2:30 p.m, has decided to adjourn the hearing until 2:30 p.m on Friday after hearing that NCLAT had reserved its order.

    On 5 October, the NCLT had given Zeel two days to file its counter-affidavit to the applications before it. The bench had declined to give more time to file this response opining that it was a simple matter that did not need weeks for a reply to be filed. This order was challenged by Zeel before the NCLAT.

    The NCLAT bench has informed that the order on Zeel’s appeal would be pronounced and issued later on Thursday. The bench said that they would not be deciding the case on merits, but would peruse all NCLT orders passed in the matter to take a call on Zeel’s appeal, according to a report by Bar and Bench.

    Counsel for Zeel argued that the case before NCLT was only at an interim stage and was converted into a final hearing without giving the company suitable time to respond. Counsel for Invesco argued that there was no distinction between interim relief and final relief in the present case and that “the appeal should be rejected at all costs as it is an abuse of process of court,” according to Bar and Bench.

    Zeel’s boardroom tussle began on 11 September, when the company’s top two investors – Invesco and OFI China Fund IIC which together hold an 18 per cent stake in the media company, sent it a requisition notice calling for an EGM of shareholders. The investors sought the removal of Zee’s sitting managing director Punit Goenka and two independent directors Ashok Kurien and Manish Chokhani. The two independent directors had submitted their resignations a day prior. The investors had also sought the appointment of their own six nominees on the board of Zeel.

    Zeel had challenged the requisition notice stating that it is “invalid and illegal” and had moved to the NCLAT for a hearing.

  • ZEEL’s South GECs acquire rights to ‘KGF Chapter 2’

    ZEEL’s South GECs acquire rights to ‘KGF Chapter 2’

    Mumbai: Zee Entertainment Enterprises Ltd (ZEEL), south cluster channels including ZEE Kannada, ZEE Tamil, ZEE Telugu and ZEE Keralam have secured the rights for “KGF Chapter 2“. The film will premiere on TV after its theatrical release in the respective regional languages.

    Directed by Prashanth Neel, produced by Hombale Films and starring Yash, the first part of the film surpassed the Rs 100 crore mark in terms of worldwide box office collections within a week of its release. The film has become the highest-grossing Kannada language entertainer to ever hit the screens.

    “We are thrilled to bring the most anticipated movie in the country to every screen in the South through the TV acquisition rights of KGF Chapter 2 in all four southern languages. This is yet another firm step we have taken as a brand to keep our promise to the audience and provide the best of entertainment in the comfort and safety of their homes. With this association, we are glad to present our viewers with quality content that is larger-than-life and appeals to diverse audiences across the world and enhances our connection with them,” said ZEEL, cluster head – South, Siju Prabhakaran.

    “ZEE Keralam proudly acquires the satellite rights of KGF 2. KGF Chapter 1 has a cult following in Kerala and we are excited to bring to our loyal viewers this mega entertainer,” said ZEE Keralam, business head, Santosh J Nair.

    “We are pleased to announce that we have associated with ZEE’s South Cluster for the satellite rights of our magnum opus KGF Chapter2, for the southern languages. With our partnership with ZEE’s South cluster of channels, we are confident to expand our reach to a wider audience,” said Hombale Films producer, Vijay Kirangandur.

    “With KGF Chapter 2, we have tried to enhance the spirit and scale of KGF legacy to provide the best cinematic experience for our fans. We hope to create and witness a greater euphoria with our grand release. And we are confident that KGF Chapter 2 will be showered with the same love and affection and will script a new benchmark in the film industry,” Kirangandur added.

    “KGF 2 holds a very special place in my heart. My director Prashant Neel, producer Vijay Kirgandur and I have a vision that has been very different and approachable and we are grateful that the audiences believe in the work we believe in. The love and support from the audiences have been immense and I am glad that the film from the region I hail from has managed to bring oneness amongst our audiences pan India. I am elated to associate with ZEE’s South cluster of channels that have been entertaining Indian audiences since its inception. I would like to extend my gratitude to ZEE and wish them the best. I hope we continue to have successful associations for our future projects,” said actor Yash.

    “KGF Chapter 2” teaser garnered 208 million views digitally, including trending at the top spot on Twitter and YouTube. The film also features Sanjay Dutt, Srinidhi Shetty, and Raveena Tandon as lead characters.

  • Larger networks takeover free Across Genres list as Star Utsav tops All Platforms

    Larger networks takeover free Across Genres list as Star Utsav tops All Platforms

    BENGALURU: Among the bigger networks that have channels feature in Broadcast Audience Research Council of India (BARC) weekly lists of Top 10 Channels on All Platforms, on the Pay and Free Platforms are DD, Network18/TV18/Viacom18 (or simply Viacom18) Star India, Sony Pictures Networks India (SPN), The Sun TV Network (Sun Network), and Zee Entertainment Enterprises Ltd (Zeel).  Many of the channels from these networks, as well as other networks were now available on Pay and Free Platforms, on the latter mainly because of their presence on Prasar Bharati’s free DTH service DD Free Dish.

    Until recently, channels from these bigger networks found places mostly in BARC’s weekly lists of Top 10 Channels on All Platforms and on the Pay Platform. And until the advent of the Covid2019 Lockdown, there were generally one to four channels from two major networks/groups that were present in BARC’s weekly lists of Top 10 Free Channels Across Genres. These two are pubcaster Doordarshan and channels from or associated with the Essel group’s Zeel. Initially, DD was represented by only one of its channels, DD Sports, and that too for only the first three weeks of 2020. Zeel was represented by four of its channels in BARC’s weekly lists of Top 10 Free Channels Across Genres lists– Big Magic (Hindi GEC), Big Ganga (Bhojpuri GEC), Zee Biskope (Bhojpuri Cinema) and Zing (Youth). Only Big Magic was present during all the first 12 weeks of BARC’s Free Across Genres weekly lists. As a matter of fact, Big Magic was present during all the first 26 weeks of these BARC weekly lists of the Top Free Channels Across. Besides Big Magic, normally there were at least two other Zeel channels and sometimes even three that were present in the weekly Free Channels Across Genres lists during the first 12 weeks of 2020. But, at the same time, least six of the channels were from the smaller networks such as Enterr 10 Television and B4U Network. Enterr 10 had three to four of its channels in each of the first 12 weekly Free Platform lists, while B4U had two or three of its channels in the lists during the same period. Enterr 10’s channels included Bhojpuri Cinema, Dangal, Fakt Marathi and Enterr 10, while B4U’s channels were B4U Bhojpuri, B4U Kadak and B4U Movies.

    Week 13 of 2020, the first week of the Covid2019 Lockdown had four channels– one channel from DD and three channels from Zeel, with five channels from Enterr 10 (three channels) and B4U (two channels). The India Today group’s flagship Hindi News channel Aaj Tak entered BARC’s Across Genres weekly lists for the first time, in two Across Genres lists – Across Genres on All Platforms and Across Genres Free Platform.  In the absence of fresh programming, DD National started airing some of its library shows that had been very popular in the previous century, in Week 12 of 2020. These included Ramanad Sagar’s Ramayan and B R Chopra’s Mahabharat along with a number of other classics from its library. In Week 13, DD National became the most watched channel across genres on All Platforms and the Pay Platform and was also present in the Free Platform Across Genres list. DD National continued in the top 10 Across Genres lists until Week 18 2020. Week 14 saw DD Bharti enter BARC’s weekly list of Top Free Channels Across genres. The split was now five channels each between the bigger and other networks. And this split continued on till Week 22 of 2020. Weeks’ 23, 24, 25 and 26 of 2020 saw ratio of Bigger Networks: Other Networks at 7:3, 7:3, 8:2 and 7:3 respectively. Data for Week 26 of 2020 (Saturday, 27 June 2020 to Friday, 3 July 2020) is available at the time of writing of this paper. In Week 14 of 2020, the bigger networks were the same as in previous weeks – DD with two channels and Zeel with three channels. Similarly, the other networks mix was the same – Enterr 10 Television had three channels in the list while B4U Network had two channels. DD Bharti exited the Top 10 Free Across Genres list in Week 20, and DD National exited it in Week 24. For Weeks 20 and 21, there were 4 Zeel channels in the list, three channels from Enterr 10, 2 from B4U and one from DD. 

    In Week 23, two channels, one each from SPN and Star India and two Vaicom18 channels replaced two Zeel channels and one channel each from B4U Network and Enterr 10 Television in the list. Post Week 22 of 2020, channels from these major networks have continued their presence in BARC’s Weekly list of Top Free Channels Across Genres lists at the cost of B4U Networks and Enterr 10 Television. The bigger networks have taken over BARC’s weekly lists of Top 10 Free Channels Across Genres. 

    Television consumption in terms of minutes, average time spent and reach has been declining from the highs of the lockdown weeks. Getting their second rung Hindi GEC and Movies channels on DD’s free DTH platform Free Dish is probably the best thing that the four major networks SPN, Star India, Viacom18 and Zeel could have done from viewership growth point of view is concerned. Analysis of BARC data in the public domain shows that 51.6 percent of Star Utsav’s viewership was on the Free Platform. In The case of Zee Anmol, Rishtey Cineplex and Sony Pay, viewership on the Free Platform was even higher. Channels such as Dangal which has seen viewership decline with the advent of Hindi GECs’ from the major networks in recent weeks had almost 70 percent of its viewership on the free platform in Week 26 of 2020.

    Besides, as stated above, GEC share of viewership has increased from the lows of the Covid2019 lockdown period. Please refer to the chart below:

    Hindi GECs have seen viewership growth on the Free Platform and in Rural Markets

    As mentioned above, these channels have re-joined Broadcast Audience Research Council of India (BARC) Top 10 channels weekly lists on All Platforms and on the Pay and Free Platforms or have jumped up ranks in in general in their respective genres in the Hindi Speaking Market (HSM), be it the combined urban and rural – HSM (U+R) or HSM (U) or HSM (R) over the past few weeks. After a slow and steady decline that started in Week 15 and continued in Weeks 17 to 22 of 2020 as compared to the immediate trailing week. Combined weekly impressions of the Top 10 Hindi GEC’s on All Platforms in HSM (U+R) have now grown week on week. Weeks 23, 24, 25 and 26 of 2020 saw viewership of the Top 10 Hindi GECs’ in HSM (U+R) grow by 4.9, 6.9, 4.4 and 2.5 percent respectively. 

    The BARC-Nielsen yardstick is the average data between Weeks 2 to 4 of 2020. Using this reference point, the combined weekly impressions of Top 10 Hindi GECs’ in HSM (U+R) have been consistently increasing starting Week 13 of 2020, except for a small fall of 0.3 percent in Week 22. Until Week 26 of 2020, consumption of the Top 10 Hindi GECs in HSM (U+R) in terms of weekly impressions has increased by 18.7 percent as compared to the Weeks two to four average and by 14 percent as compared to Week 1 of 2020. This growth has been led by the Free Hindi GECs and by the rural market or HSM (R) according to BARC data for the Top 10 Hindi GECs on the Free and Pay Platforms and in HSM (U+R), HSM (U) and HSM (R). 
    Exact comparison has not been done based BARC data because until Week 15 of 2020, BARC only listed the Top 9 Channels in HSM (R) and for the Free Platform in the public domain. But, considering the viewership growth of the Top 10 Hindi GECs in HSM (U+R) of 18.7 percent in Week 26 of 2020, viewership of Top 10 Hindi GECs in HSM (U) has increased by just 1.8 percent with respect to the average of Weeks 2- 4 of 2020. In the same period viewership of Top 10 Hindi GECs on the Pay Platform has declined by 2.1 percent, as compared to the average of the Top 10 channels in Weeks 2 to 4 of 2020.

    The increase in viewership of GECs is also evident from the figure below based on BARC-Nielsen data for the top four most watched genres below. As is obvious the share of GEC viewership has started increasing and has come up to 48 percent in Week 26 of 2020 from the lows (40 percent) of the Covid2019 weeks, but has still to touch or exceed the pre-Covid2019 period’s 52 percent.

    Some other trends in Top 10 Channels Across Genres lists in Week 26 of 2020

    26 channels have appeared in BARC’s weekly lists of Top 10 Channels on All Platforms Across Genres lists during the first 26 weeks of 2020. Of these 26, only three channels – Dangal, Sony Sab and Sun TV have appeared consistently in the lists during all the 26 weeks. Among the frontline channels – Star Plus was present in the list for 21 weeks, followed by its Telugu Sibling Star Maa, which was present for 20 of 26 weeks in the lists. Weeks 25 and 26 of BARC’s weekly lists of Top 10 Channels Across Genres saw Star India’s Hindi GEC Star Utsav at rank no 1.

    20 channels appeared in BARC’s weekly lists of Top 10 Pay Channels Across Genres lists during the first 26 weeks of 2020. Here also only three channels appeared in the lists for all the 26 weeks – they were Sony SAB, Star Maa and Sun TV. Sun TV has been consistently ranked 1 during all the 26 weeks to date in this list.

    22 channels appeared in BARC’s weekly lists of Top 10 Free Channels Across Genres lists during the first 26 weeks of 2020. Here also only three channels appeared in the lists for all the 26 weeks – they were Dangal, Big Magic and B4U Kadak. Dangal has been consistently ranked 1 during all the 26 weeks to date in this list. Please refer to the figure below:


     

  • ZEEL partners with leading CPG brands for campaign #BanegiBaatSaathSaath

    ZEEL partners with leading CPG brands for campaign #BanegiBaatSaathSaath

    MUMBAI: Celebrating the spirit of solidarity and the joy of being back, Zee Entertainment Enterprises Ltd (ZEEL) has announced its content comeback via an innovative partnership with leading CPG brands. ZEEL collaborated with leading brands – Nestle Maggi, Amul Lassi, PepsiCo, Red Label, Cadbury Dairy Milk, ITC Dark Fantasy to gear up the nation for the 13 July, the date of its daily content comeback on Zee TV. Four other HSM channels, & TV (HGEC), Zee Marathi, Zee Yuva (MGEC) and Zee Punjabi (PGEC) are also making their daily content comeback on the same day.

    With a massive outdoor teaser campaign, people took to social media channels wondering what the #13thkitTaiyyari was about. The banter between the brands on Twitter left people even more curious on why they should be stocking up for 13 July with many more brands and companies jumping into the fray building up the excitement for the D-Day. ZEEL has again brought together some of India’s most-loved brands in an extraordinary partnership celebrating the coming together of viewers, partners and fresh episodes with the promise, #BanegiBaatSaathSaath.

    The #BanegiBaatSaathSaath promise has been rolled out across media and to all of ZEEL’s partners along with a film, which is an ode to the entire TV industry coming together to entertain its viewers. ZEEL strongly believes that the challenges we all faced in the first half of 2020 are just like a twist in the tale before the interval and when we all rally together we can achieve the impossible and create an extraordinary second half. 

    ZEEL chief consumer officer Prathyusha Agarwal said, “With the resumption of production, we are excited to bring fresh content for our consumers. The last three months have caused a significant stir amongst the mood of the nation. People are increasingly investing time in entertainment to cope with the uncertainty prevailing around. TV has been the greatest common unifier and respite in this lockdown and as content creators, we acknowledge that it is a huge responsibility we carry. For us, understanding the pulse of our consumers and customers and delivering delight is an obsession, which is what we are attempting to do both with this campaign and in crafting all our stories for the second half 2020. The stories we bring will aim to uplift the mood of the nation and provide our viewers respite through all that they are going through. Zee has and will always stand by its viewers and all its partners and is looking forward to holding hands and turning on the light at the end of this tunnel and are confident that we will once again provide valuable experiences to our partners and viewers.”

    ZEEL chief growth officer advertisement revenue Ashish Sehgal said, “With the resurgence of fresh dose of content, we would like to celebrate the spirit of camaraderie with all our stakeholders – cherished viewers and advertisers – to brighten and cheer up with engaging content. Brands will once again have the opportunity to resonate and pave their way into the minds of their consumers in this new environment. At ZEEL, we have not only seamlessly weaved stories for brands with relevant influencers and have been at the forefront in creating an integrated platform-agnostic solution for our advertisers/brands but ensured that they are part of our communication as well. This has led us to partner with our brands in unique ways and create value for them and #13kitaiyyari is another testimony to the power of partnerships, more importantly, brand partners are an integral part of the communication when we are reconnecting with our consumer.” 

    The philosophy of Banegi Baat Saath Saath brought together viewers and partners in a one-of-a-kind initiative where we partnered with six leading brands and asked consumers to stock up and do #13thkiTaiyyari. In partnership with Publicis Worldwide India, the #13thkitaiyyari campaign panned out in two phases. The first phase created intrigue when six leading CPG brands asked people to stock up via billboards in Mumbai and Delhi that led to a high buzz on-ground as well as piqued curiosity on digital as everyone took to social media to figure what 13 July was about. It was later revealed that the brands had partnered with ZEEL asking consumers to stock up as they would serve as a perfect accompaniment to families watching all their favourite shows resuming on ZEEL channels.

    Lowe Lintas CCO Sagar Kapoor said, “We want to reinforce the power of unity and remind everyone that if we come together we can conquer any barrier. The film made for Banegi Baat Saath Saath is a tribute to the industry’s resilience and its commitment to entertain the vast audience it caters to. The message we want to reverberate is that of hope in sight and encourages everyone to rally together to craft a better second half as we come back from the very short interval!”

    Publicis Worldwide India managing director Srija Chatterjee added, “While we were preparing for the big come back Zee TV campaign, we had this germ of an idea, it was all about bringing multiple brands together to co-create cheer and tremendous excitement, as we know that our dear Zee TV viewers are indeed eagerly waiting for their favourite shows to come back with fresh episodes. We developed #13thKiTayyari and this was a testament of true collaboration between the ZEEL team who got in touch with the brands and the Publicis team who delivered this campaign from start to finish in a matter of just three days. This is probably the first time that so many brands were coming together in one campaign.”

    Laqshya Media CEO Atul Shrivastava said, “We are thrilled to partner with ZEEL for their comeback announcement. The power of the outdoor medium with the might of the partner brands and the ZEEL network created a tremendous buzz on-ground around the campaign. The message of solidarity from ZEEL resonates with the partners and viewers alike and we look forward to more fruitful associations through the coming half of the year.”

    A lot of the storylines will come back to induce a sense of positivity and bring back strong heroes that people turn to for companionship. A collective force of 5000+ people have come together to bring 100+ fresh stories, every day in 11 languages, which take inspiration from the consumer sentiment and echo their anticipations.

    While channels like Zee Bangla, Zee Kannada, Zee Sarthak, Zee Keralam, Zee Telugu have already started and are entertaining viewers in regional markets delivering around 100+ hours of content per week, the four HSM channels – Zee TV, &TV, Zee Marathi and Zee Punjabi go live on 13 July. With a strong understanding of the entertainment preferences of the consumer and keeping their evolving needs at the fore, the channels are returning with a diverse mix of content which caters to the entire family.

  • Zee Entertainment undertakes national-level CSR drive for Covid2019 cause

    Zee Entertainment undertakes national-level CSR drive for Covid2019 cause

    MUMBAI:  Zee Entertainment Enterprises Ltd (ZEEL)  announced a national-level CSR drive towards enhancing the country’s healthcare infrastructure, further strengthening its fight against Covid2019.

    In line with its CSR Policy, approved by the board, the company will support state governments and local governing bodies with critical interventions across 10 cities viz Mumbai, Noida, Chandigarh, Jaipur, Kolkata, Bhubaneswar, Bengaluru, Hyderabad, Kochi and Chennai. 

    The company will be utilising the sanctioned CSR budget (for the fight against Covid2019) to provide the following:

    ·    Ambulances – 200+ ambulances to be donated to the municipal corporations (46 ambulances have already been donated to BMC).

    ·    Humidifiers – 50 high flow heated respiratory humidifiers to be donated to the Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation (BMC).

    ·    PPE (personal protective equipment) Kits – 40,000+ kits to be donated to municipal corporations across the Nation.

    ·    Portable ICUs – 100+ ICU units to be built with state-of-the-art tech support across the Nation.

    ·    Daily meals – 600,000 meals to be provided to 10,000 migrants.

    With the support of Maharashtra state government, the company has flagged off the national level CSR drive against Covid2019 with Mumbai, in the presence of chief minister of Maharashtra Uddhav Balasaheb Thackeray, minister for tourism, environment and protocol Aaditya Uddhav Thackeray and ZEEL managing director and chief executive officer Punit Goenka, by donating 46 ambulances and 50 high flow heated respiratory humidifiers to BMC. This support will help build capacity and enhance the existing healthcare infrastructure in Mumbai.

    The company will approach and work with all state governments and local governing bodies across the nation, to formulate an action plan that is structured on fulfilling the immediate requirements to fight the pandemic.

    Over and above the support towards healthcare relief, ZEEL has also partnered with Akshaya Patra Foundation to provide 600,000 daily meals which will support 10,000 migrants across the Nation for a month.

    Goenka said, “The effects of the Covid2019 pandemic in India has been far-reaching and calamitous for vulnerable communities. It is important that we stand up during such times and step up our efforts as responsible members of society. ZEEL is committed to continuing its strong support towards the government, with a key focus on strengthening the overall healthcare infrastructure, to save our nation from this pandemic. We are also significantly increasing our efforts on-ground to provide relief to migrants across the country. We will continue to do our best to serve the nation in these challenging times.”

    Aaditya Thackeray said, “The scale of this pandemic is enormous, and the government of Maharashtra is working round the clock to enhance the modular medical facilities and support our frontline workers. Every step ahead is a successful step towards beating the current humanitarian crisis. We would like to thank Punit Goenka and ZEEL for their support in this time of need towards Covid2019 response and relief.”

    BMC commissioner Iqbal Singh Chahal added, “We are dealing with challenging times where being ahead of the virus is key to fighting the war against Covid2019. We have implemented several path-breaking innovative measures across the city to curb the increase in the number of cases and are ramping up our medical facilities. We are glad to receive this support from ZEEL that will further strengthen our efforts while also ensuring the well-being of the citizens. It is humbling to see organisations such as ZEEL coming forward and fighting this crisis together with us.”

    Earlier, ZEEL had announced financial support to over 5000 daily wage earners working directly or indirectly with the company. The company had also encouraged all its 3400+ employees to contribute towards PM CARES Fund. The amount generated was matched by ZEE, and the collective proceeds were routed to PM CARES Fund.

  • ZEEL’s Prathyusha Agarwal applauds the champions

    ZEEL’s Prathyusha Agarwal applauds the champions

    MUMBAI: Zee Entertainment Enterprises Ltd (ZEEL) chief consumer officer Prathyusha Agarwal thanks the real heroes – health workers, doctors, policemen, etc. – who are at the forefront of fighting the COVID-19 pandemic. Adjusting to the new normal is not easy, but desperate situations call for extraordinary measures, she says. She applauds and salutes all those champions who are stepping out of their comfort zones every single day to ensure that we all stay healthy and safe and our essential services and goods are delivered.  

    Watch the video:

  • Piyush Pandey joins the Board of ZEEL

    Piyush Pandey joins the Board of ZEEL

    MUMBAI: Veteran advertising professional Piyush Pandey has joined the Board of ZEE Entertainment Enterprises Ltd (ZEEL) as an Independent Director. He has been appointed from 24 March based on the recommendation of Nomination & Remuneration Committee.

    ZEE Entertainment Enterprises Ltd MD and CEO Punit Goenka tweeted: “I am elated to welcome Mr Piyush Pandey on the Company’s Board. We all have experienced his creative work, which has directly touched our hearts. His sharp acumen and creative approach will help us immensely in driving the Company to its desired goals.”

    Piyush Pandey, a veteran with close to four decades of experience in the advertising industry, is a Padma Shri awardee.

    The company hopes to leverage his rich experience in content creation and creativity.

    The decision to appoint Pandey was taken at a board meeting held on 20 March. The resignations of Surender Singh and Aparajita Jain were also accepted by the board.

    Piyush Pandey has an MA degree from St. Stephens College, Delhi and a PG in History from the University of Delhi.

  • ZEE appoints Prathyusha Agarwal as Chief Consumer Officer

    ZEE appoints Prathyusha Agarwal as Chief Consumer Officer

    Mumbai: In order to accelerate its ‘Customer-First’ approach, Zee Entertainment Enterprises Ltd. (ZEEL) has announced that Prathyusha Agarwal will take on the mantle of the Chief Consumer Officer for the domestic broadcast business. In this new role, Prathyusha will continue to report into Punit Misra, CEO, Domestic Broadcast Business, ZEEL.

    Having successfully handled important consumer-led initiatives that brought business transformation and resulted in brand and viewership growth, in this new role Prathyusha will be responsible for embedding a ‘customer first’ culture and thinking in all aspects of the broadcast business. This role stems from the company’s strategy of winning in many Bharats and Prathyusha will lead this effort, working closely with business leaders in conceptualising and driving the new workflows, processes and systems to ensure a strong consumer focus across all aspects of the business.

    Punit Misra, CEO, Domestic Broadcast Business, Zee Entertainment Enterprises Ltd., said: “The needs of our consumers are dynamic and ever-evolving. Over the last few years, across all functions and teams in the domestic broadcast business, we have embarked on a journey towards making consumer/customer centricity a key strategic priority for us. While this structural change may be seen as a simple merging of the marketing and the strategy and insights functions, our vision is much larger than that. We endeavour to create this new function as an epicentre for driving consumer/customer centricity across the organisation.”

    This epicentre will serve the following two purposes:

    (1) Reshape the conventional thinking of the marketing and strategy & insights functions to create a more holistic approach to listening and communicating with consumers and help content teams with insights that fuels great content.

    (2) Embed the concept of consumer centricity across the organisation and work in close coordination with all functions to help them develop their own consumer-driven agenda.”

    “Prathyusha has been instrumental in leading and successfully implementing several customer-centric initiatives and under her dynamic leadership, we believe the new function will meet the dynamic needs of the consumer in a fast-paced world,” he further added.

    Prathyusha Agarwal said: “Our viewers are evolving at a pace never seen before, and the only way to win their hearts is to be fully tuned in and translate this understanding into compelling offerings. We need to break the wall and all the layers between viewers and creators to build a seamless soul to screen storytelling and connecting conversations with our consumers and customers. I am honoured and thrilled to take on this new role and build our customer centric ZNA that is factful in decision making and mindful of the viewer’s perspective in everything we do.”

    Under her leadership, the team will strengthen the television business’ capability to anticipate, understand and meet the needs of its consumers. Prathyusha will be instrumental in driving consumer centricity as the core philosophy of the business capturing the mind and choices of the consumers to fuel the business through data and insights, translating into tangible propositions across all the complex delivery touchpoints.