ITV

Tag: Zee Media

  • Zee Media announces pulling out 14 new channels from Barc ratings

    Zee Media announces pulling out 14 new channels from Barc ratings

    Mumbai: On Saturday, the company announced its bold and definite decision to stop participating in the Broadcast Audience Research Council (Barc) ratings.

    In a statement, Zee Media noted, “This decision is a milestone for the whole news media industry. There are more than 5-8 million people associated with the news and broadcasting industry at large who get adversely impacted if incorrect reporting is published by the rating agencies, and it has been observed in the last few months that the news genre is being shown shrunk by the Barc (rating agency) to extend the benefit to GEC and other genres at large.”

    The company had raised its concerns multiple times to Barc and had questioned the whole structure and their operation transparency towards the news industry, which represents the media and is usually termed as the fourth pillar of democracy.

    “It is pertinent to point out that the rating agency has failed to rectify the news industry’s and Zee Media’s concerns. Barc has not given any white paper on the TRP scam until now and it’s a matter of great concern that who all was involved in this malpractice and if they are still part of the system (people/channels), what action has been taken against them?”, the company questioned.

    The statement went on to say that the biggest concern and challenge is that Barc has not provided or accepted any solution because they are still reporting for landing and barker pages, which benefits those who use them at the expense of those who do not subscribe to these unethical practices.

    Zee blamed that the news genre has been continuously shown to be shrinking since Barc data was restarted, while on the contrary, when the data was stopped, the genre was at its peak.

    “In spite of multiple meetings and conversations with Barc, the agency not only failed but has not been able to explain such a steep fall. Drastic change in viewership is hurting the news genre’s revenue/perception in the advertising fraternity,” noted the statement.

    The company also claimed that this was the biggest fall in the last 25–30 years of the industry, which is unprecedented and far from reality. Zee informed that they have repeatedly pointed out that a far larger sample (of metres) is needed if Barc is serious about ensuring a measurement process that cannot be rigged or manipulated, which they also failed to address until now.

    As per the statement, the company claimed that Zee News, digitally, is number 1 in ComScore as well as on YouTube, which is real data and cannot be manipulated. However, Barc ratings show the completely opposite and different picture. While the same content is placed on both platforms, it again points out the inconsistencies of reporting methodology.

    Barc’s new process of data reporting (four-week rolling average vis.a.vis earlier daily/weekly) is also a big concern for Zee Media. Due to this, the company believes the research has no meaning or outcome for the content producers and they cannot plan or validate content performance.

    “Barc is unable to answer or address any of our queries/questions/suggestions. As an industry body, we believe that due to the monopoly of rating agencies, the industry is suffering at large. Hence, Zee Media decided to move from the rating agency and we have asked them to stop reporting Zee Media’s all 14 channels with immediate effect,” concluded the statement.

  • Zee Media’s permission to transmit channels in Ku Band, revoked

    Zee Media’s permission to transmit channels in Ku Band, revoked

    Mumbai: The disgruntled TV networks couldn’t be any happier. In what seems to be a relief for most TV networks, an order passed by the Ministry of Information & Broadcasting (MIB) on 23 September, Zee Media’s authorisation to transmit 10 television channels available in Ku band on GSAT -15 satellite has been revoked. As noticed by MIB, the media conglomerate was gaining an unfair advantage over its competitors, as these channels were also accessible on DD Free Dish, the DTH platform of Doordarshan.

    Since quite some time, a lot of the TV networks had been vocal about the fact that Zee Media was reaping in undue advantage of having its channels being accessed on DD Free Dish. Infact, Prasar Bharati (PB) had also asked Indian TV viewership measurement body Barc to take necessary action against Zee Media regarding the same. But it was all in vain.

    Ten regional news channels of Zee Media namely Zee Hindustan, Zee Rajasthan, Zee Punjab Haryana Himachal, Zee Bihar Jharkhand, Zee Madhya Pradesh Chhattisgarh, Zee Uttar Pradesh Uttarakhand, Zee Salam, Zee 24 Kalak, Zee 24 Taas, and Zee Odisha (now Zee Delhi NCR Haryana) were permitted to operate on C-Band as per MIB’s permission, stated the recent order.

    The statement further mentioned, “Zee Media applied (in 2019) for permission to uplink the 10 channels simultaneously in Ku Band on GSAT -15 satellite from the teleport of Dish TV. The justification given by the applicant seeking uplinking on Ku-band was that many operators have desired to receive channels in the Ku-Band. These operators desire to receive only one of two channels of the Zee Media in many cases, and do not own or operate a C-Band receiving dish of 4 Meters (16 feet) due to their location in crowded locales where such installations are not possible. The applicant further mentioned that Ku-band allows smaller dish antennas for its application, hence installation is cheaper and easier and it incurs lesser terrestrial interference.”

    On the request of Zee Media, MIB had granted permission to the media giant in 2019 for uplinking of the channels simultaneously in Ku Band on GSAT 15 Satellite through the teleport of Dish TV. However, subsequently, it came to the notice of the Ministry that these 10 channels of Zee Media are getting available on DD Free Dish.

    On analysis of the dispute, it was noticed that the channels were getting available on DD Free Dish because of proximity and co-location of transponders of both DD Free Dish and Dish TV on the same satellite, that is GSAT 15 Satellite and non-encryption of the signals by both of them.

    “Due to availability of the channels of Zee Media on DD Free Dish, Zee Media was having a competitive advantage vis-a-vis other private broadcasters (who are not on Ku Band) and having a leverage of the large subscriber base of DD. The Ministry also received references from Prasar Bharati and many private broadcasters regarding this unfair advantage to Zee Media due to permission of simultaneous uplinking of 10 TV Channels on Ku-Band in addition to uplinking in C-Band,” the statement pointed out.

    Understanding that uplinking simultaneously to the two bands is prohibited, Zee Media stated that the situation had arisen due to colocation of DD Free Dish and Dish TV on the same satellite i.e. GSAT 15 Satellite and non-encryption of the signals by Prasar Bharti which is a violation of the DTH guidelines.

    “As per the Policy Guidelines for downlinking, the broadcasters should provide signals to Distribution Platform Operators (that is MSO/DTH/HITS/IPTV) only and are not supposed to reach consumers directly. Due to the permission granted by MIB (in 2019), channels of Zee Media are directly available to the consumers due to co-location. In this regard, Telecom Regulatory Authority of India (TRAI) has observed that a registered channel shall give its signals only to an authorized Distribution Platform Operator (DPO) (registered cable operator or DTH operator or Internet Protocol Television (IPTV) Service Provider or a HITS operator). However, because of the fact that the channels of Zee Media are unencrypted and are on Ku Band, they are being received by the subscribers of DD Free Dish directly and not through any DPO. Hence, this arrangement is in violation of the policy guidelines for downlinking of a TV channel.  In order to provide a level playing field to all the stakeholders in the TV channel industry, the decision for grant of permission to Zee Media for simultaneous uplinking of its 10 TV channels in Ku Band on GSAT- 15 Satellite through the teleport of Dish TV has been reviewed and withdrawn with immediate effect,” the statement said.

    For the record, the statement also made clear that Prasar Bharati is an autonomous body setup under the Prasar Bharati Act. Further, DD Free Dish has been set-up by Prasar Bharati with the approval of the Union Cabinet. The DTH Guidelines and the policy guidelines for uplinking and downlinking are applicable to only those TV Channels/distribution platforms for which any permission or license is granted by the Ministry of Information and Broadcasting. Since DD Free Dish is a special dispensation, approved by the Union Cabinet, these guidelines of MIB are not applicable to it.

  • 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.

  • Zee Digital to host its second edition of MSME National Summit & Awards 2022

    Zee Digital to host its second edition of MSME National Summit & Awards 2022

    Mumbai: Zee Group’s digital media publishing arm, Zee Media Digital, announced the second edition of the MSME National Summit & Awards 2022. The event is scheduled for 27 August 2022, from 11:00 a.m. to 4:00 p.m.

    After witnessing the enormous success of the first edition of the MSME National Summit and Awards, the second edition aims to be bigger and better. The second edition aims to reinstate the importance of MSMEs for our economy and their role in defining the trajectory of the nation’s development, especially post Covid-19.

    The event will be inaugurated by the minister of state for commerce & industry, government of India, Anupriya Patel, followed by panel discussions on “Smart Manufacturing and Working Capital Issues & Funding for SMEs” by various MSME industry leaders.

    The event will also host leadership talks by IIM Lucknow Incubator director and professor of strategic management Dr. Anadi Saran Pande; and UNCTAD, Empretec India Foundation national director Arnab Chakrabortty.

    Some of the dignitaries who will be gracing the event are IamSMEofIndia chairman Rajive Chawla; MCCIA director general Prashant Girbane; Paragon Apparels MD & Alcis Sports founder Roshan Baid; Dawar Group chairman Puran Dawar; M1Xchange CEO Sundeep Mohindru, among others.

    Speaking of the event, CRO-digital Shridhar Mishra said, “The MSME sector was hard hit during the pandemic, yet the initiatives undertaken by the government gave them the much-needed thrust for revival. Today, the MSME sector has an instrumental contribution to the economy, and it is important to recognize the same. This summit is an attempt to recognize the same.”

    The event will be promoted across all social media, microsites, and content hubs. Special workshops will also be conducted as a part of the promotional event. The entire event is to be hosted on the Zee Business Facebook page.

  • 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.

     

  • Zee Media appoints Joy Chakraborthy as new chief business officer

    Zee Media appoints Joy Chakraborthy as new chief business officer

    Mumbai: He’s hoping to bring some joy to Zee News. Veteran broadcast executive Joy Chakraborthy has hopped on board Zee Media as its chief business officer. His task: oversee advertising, distribution, sales and marketing at the news network. Chakraborthy has over 27 years of experience in the media industry with a core competence of ad sales and revenue generation.

    His last employment was with the Manish Shah promoted Goldmines Telefilms as its CEO, a post he held for eight months.

    Prior to that  he was the CEO of Enterr10 Media and even before that with TV Today.

    It is a homecoming of sorts for Joy as in the past he held the position of executive director at Zee Group.  He has had experience with the print medium too as director of the Times of India group. He served as president-TV18 and executive vice president-Star TV in the early 2000s.

    He is an alumnus of the Harvard Business School and a graduate from National Defence Academy.

  • Zee Media’s Q1 FY23 revenues up by 21.6 per cent and ad revenues soars 23.7 per cent YoY

    Zee Media’s Q1 FY23 revenues up by 21.6 per cent and ad revenues soars 23.7 per cent YoY

    Mumbai: Zee Media Corp Ltd (ZMCL) announced its first quarter financial results for the financial year 2023 on 29 July. The company reported total revenues of Rs 206.96 crore compared to Rs 170.18 crore during the corresponding quarter last year up by 21.6 per cent.

    ZMCL’s advertising revenues for the quarter stood at Rs 196.53 crore, up by 23.7 per cent YoY. Subscription revenue declined by 10.2 per cent to Rs 8.93 crore.

    ZMCL’s earnings before interest tax depreciation and amortization (EBIDTA) dipped marginally to Rs 39.84 crore from Rs 45.32 crore year-on-year (YoY).

    The company reported profit after tax of Rs 8.19 crore compared to a loss of Rs 9.04 crore YoY.

    The news broadcasting company’s operating expenditure increased by 33.8 per cent to Rs 167.12 crore versus Rs 124.86 crore in the corresponding quarter last year. The company’s operating costs went up by 58.2 per cent to reach Rs 36.02 crore and employee benefit expenses went up by 35.6 per cent to reach Rs 66.92 crore. Its other expenses increased by 29.8 per cent to reach Rs 44.84 crore.

    ZMCL operates 14 TV news channels comprising one global, four national and nine regional language channels, together with five digital channels, 17 digital brands and is one of the largest news networks in the country.

    Its flagship Hindi news channel Zee News had 9.2 per cent market share as per Broadcast Audience Research Council (Barc) data for Week 26 2022 (four week rolling average), Hindi-speaking market (HSM) 15+ audience, 0600-2400 hours. It recorded 15 minutes ATSV (average time spent per viewer).

    Zee News YouTube channel garnered 660 million video views during the April-May-June quarter and reached over 60.1 million viewers through continued focus on innovative programming.

    Its global channel Wion was awarded 13 prestigious News Television (NT) awards recognising the channel’s unbiased and non-cluttered approach towards news. The channel enjoyed 7.9 minutes ATSV and is the No. 1 English news channel on YouTube based on video views.

    Source: BARC, All 22+ Male AB, India Urban, 0600-2400 hrs, WK 26’22 (4 weeks rolling average)

    The network’s Hindi business channel Zee Business has 58.6 per cent market share, an average weekly reach of 1.32 million and 25.6 minutes ATSV as per Barc data, All 22+, Male ABC, HSM, 0600-2400 hrs WK 26’22 (4 weeks rolling average).

  • Bharat 24 announces senior-level appointments in key function of the sales & marketing team

    Bharat 24 announces senior-level appointments in key function of the sales & marketing team

    Mumbai: Soon-to-be launched national hindi news channel, Bharat 24, has kept the industry buzzing with a slew of new appointments. Recently, the channel has announced senior-level appointments in key functions of sales and marketing ahead of its launch.

    Bhim Shankar Negi has joined Bharat 24 as vice president (North and East). With over 16 years of media sales experience, Negi is known for increasing revenue with his solution-based approach, especially with selling events, IP’s and customized brand solutions for his clients. In his previous role, he has worked with leading media networks like Zee Media, Network18, NDTV and The Times of India.

    Speaking on his appointment, Negi said, “It is a privilege to have been entrusted with this new responsibility. While Bharat 24 is the first-to-introduce augmented reality in its studios, we are confident of offering a wide range of customized media solutions to fraternity”.

    Partha Sarthi Kuila is appointed as vice president for the west and south region. He will be based out of the Mumbai Office. In his illustrious career spanning over two decades, Partha has been responsible for driving ad sales revenue from the west & south markets where he has worked with Zee Media, Sab TV, Network18, 9X Media, Star India and Red FM.

    Speaking about his new role, Sarthi Kuila said, “I am extremely delighted to join the team at Bharat 24. My experience and learnings will help me charter into newer arenas to tap into the full potential of the channel.”

    The channel also announced the appointment of Nishant Mishra as vice president of marketing. He will be responsible for the brand’s launch and other marketing activities in his national role.

    Nishant has been instrumental in creating successful brand strategy, curating IP’s and customized brand solutions for the leading media brands he has worked with in his career spreading over 15 years like TV Today, TV 18, Zee and iTV Network. Before joining Bharat 24, he was associated with India Ahead News as DGM, Marketing & Branded Content.

    On these new appointments, Bharat 24 chief business officer and strategic advisor to the board Manoj Jagyasi commented, “Bhim, Partha and Nishant bring a wealth of experience & strategic thinking which should bolster our growth plans for Bharat 24. Cashing in on all the excitement for Bharat 24 in the market, I am pleased to inform you that we are already in advanced stages towards signing a few large advertisers”.

  • Grapes wins integrated creative mandate for Zee Media

    Grapes wins integrated creative mandate for Zee Media

    Mumbai: News network Zee Media has chosen Grapes as its integrated creative partner. The Delhi office will handle account servicing after a multi-agency pitch resulted in the win.

    The agency will focus on developing integrated communication strategies and creatives for offline and online media, in accordance with the mandate. 

    One of the top Hindi news stations in India, Zee News, as well as other Zee Network realms including ZEE Business, ZEE 24 Ghanta, ZEE 24 Taas, and Zee Digital, which owns websites like Bgr.in, bollywoodlife.com, and India.com, are all included in the mandate.

    Speaking on the development, ZEE Media marketing head Anindya Khare said, “It is our pleasure to associate with Grapes. The agency has a strong foothold in the market. We look forward to reaching our consumers effectively. The decision to choose Grapes to handle our Integrated Creative Duties was decided based on the intensive pitch where the agency outshined given to their compelling, creative, and engaging plan of action. It was completely in sync and united with our strategically devised creative approach.”

    Commenting on the mandate win, Grapes CEO and co-founder Shradha Agarwal said, “It is a proud moment to have a brand like Zee Media as our client. We are quite pleased to have them on onboard. We look forward to building a strong communication base for the network across platforms. We are quite enthralled with the association and will relentlessly help them in building a strong bond with their audience. Considering that Zee Media is one of the largest news networks in India, we strive to amplify its presence and reach amongst the audience with our holistic communication approach that relates to the ethos of the company.”

  • Zee Telugu to premiere ‘Mukkupudaka’ on 11 July

    Zee Telugu to premiere ‘Mukkupudaka’ on 11 July

    Mumbai: Adding new content to its cutting-edge lineup of shows, Zee Telugu is all set to launch its new serial Mukkupudaka. Zee Telugu has always aimed at entertaining its audience with an array of unique fiction shows ranging from romantic tales to mythological and supernatural narratives as well as family dramas. Joining the trend, Mukkupudaka will be a traditional and deep-rooted family drama.  

    The show will hit screens on 11 July and air every Monday to Saturday at 8 p.m, only on Zee Telugu. 

    Steering clear from the usual mother-in-law and daughter-in-law tussle, Mukkupudaka revolves around Vedavati’s desperate search for a daughter-in-law who could be her successor in fulfilling a religious obligation to save their village from the wrath of Goddess Annapurna Devi. The catch here is that the daughter-in-law’s horoscope must completely match Vedavati’s horoscope. What’s more is that her younger son, Srikar (Raki Gowda), is Vedavati’s only hope as her money-minded elder son goes against her wishes. While Vedavati’s search continues, Srikar falls in love with Avani (Aishwarya Pisse), a tourist guide in their city.

    But will Avani’s horoscope match Vedavati’s horoscope? If not, will Vedavati accept Avani as her daughter-in-law? And why did Goddess Annapurna get angry in the first place? And what obligation did she put on the village? With plenty of questions in everyone’s mind and with several twists and turns in the tale, we are sure the audience will enjoy this thrilling yet emotional rollercoaster ride.