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Tag: Zee

  • SAT sets aside SEBI order against ZEE promoters

    SAT sets aside SEBI order against ZEE promoters

    Mumbai: SAT has quashed SEBI’s order of barring Punit Goenka from holding key directorship in listed entities over the alleged fund-diversion case.

    Our view

    Implications of the event

    Scenario 1- This may expedite the Zee/Sony merger process; if SEBI gives a go ahead in favour of Punit Goenka, without going to the Supreme Court, post the detailed order that is to be released tonight. In this case, we expect the record date to be announced around last week of November 23. This in turn means that the listing of the merged co. will happen towards the first week of Jan ’24. Further, with Goenka coming on Board, there will be no need for any changes in the term sheet, or any Board/shareholder approval required for change in CEO; this also means that business will be as usual for ZEE and lesser transition time with little change in senior management.

    Scenario 2- SEBI can also move to the Supreme Court to appeal for a stay against SAT’s order. Further, the SAT order may only mention that Goenka can continue as CEO of Zee or the merged co; however, SEBI’s investigation on grounds of fraud may continue after this relief by SAT. This in turn means that there is still a high likelihood of the merger going through without Goenka. We believe there is a low likelihood of Sony allowing Goenka to continue as CEO of the merged Co, unless the issue with SAT is resolved (in case of SEBI going to Supreme Court). In this case, there may be a delay in the merger too, if Goenka changes his stance  and waits for the outcome of investigation; if Sony does not wait, then merger will go through as usual and the merged co will get listed by Jan’24

    Change in media landscape – a big benefit for Zee/Sony

    With Reliance wanting to acquire Disney, the media landscape on TV/OTT side will see a big consolidation as two large players – 1) TV18/Disney and 2) Zee/Sony could potentially command a market share of 67%/53% (TV18/Disney and Zee/Sony together) on TV/OTT in India; which could shift bargaining power in their favour and help them grow ahead of industry averages, as other players may scale down in the ecosystem

    No overhang of CG issues

    With Sony coming as a parent company, we expect no CG (corporate governance) issues in the future, which in turn will drive re-rating of valuation multiples for Zee.

    The stock has corrected more than 10 per cent from its peak over the last three months post the NCLT approval in Aug’23, citing delay on the merger. We await 1) the detailed order and 2) SEBI’s response on the above judgement order passed by SAT to allow Goenka to be a part of Z to assess the actual impact of the above decision for the merger and Goenka; we have a BUY recommendation on Zee with a Sept 24 TP of Rs 340 – we will await more developments over the near term on above.

    Background of the event

    • On 12 June 2023, SEBI banned ZEE promoters Chandra & Goenka from holding directorial, key managerial roles over allegations of fund siphoning. On 13 June 2023, ZEE promoters approached SAT against the order following which SAT provided SEBI 48 hrs. to file a reply against ZEE’s plea.

    • On 10 July 2023, two weeks of time were provided by SAT to ZEE promoters to file a response against the interim order. Meanwhile ZEE formed an interim committee of senior executives to run operations at the company.

    • On 14 August 2023, SEBI asked for 8 months of time to complete investigation of alleged fund diversion by Zee promoters (due to significant red flags in the transactions between Zee and Essel entities) which was again challenged by ZEE on 26 August 2023.

    • On 27 September 2023, SAT reserved order on the case after hearing from both the parties.

    • On 30 October 2023, SAT quashed SEBI’s order barring Goenka from holding key directorship in listed entities over the alleged fund-diversion case.

    The credit of this article goes to Elara Capital SVP Karan Taurani

  • Eveready & ZEE join hands for a first-of-its-kind brand collaboration

    Eveready & ZEE join hands for a first-of-its-kind brand collaboration

    Mumbai: Eveready, a trusted name in the world of batteries has partnered with ZEE, India’s leading content company to promote its new range of batteries. As part of the brand collaboration, Eveready ULTIMA will feature prominently on ZEE’s popular and homegrown reality shows, including Sa Re Ga Ma Pa, Dance Bangla Dance, Dance Karnataka Dance and Telugu medium I school.. ZEE’s linear channels that are an integral part of the brand association are Zee TV, Zee Sarthak, Zee Tamil, Zee Marathi, Zee Bangla, Zee Kannada and Zee Telugu.

    Eveready ULTIMA will be showcased in the reality shows, and the brand’s logo will be integrated into the shows’ set design, graphics, and on-screen promotions. The battery brand has also worked closely with ZEE to create custom content for the shows, such as sponsored segments and product challenges.

    Commenting on this announcement, Eveready Industries India Ltd Sr VP and SBU head (batteries and flashlights) Anirban Banerjee, “We have recently unveiled our new and improved Ultima range of batteries supported by a 360 campaign ‘Khelenge Toh Sikhenge’. The campaign highlights that children in any family can learn valuable life lessons like caring, sharing, love and equality when playing in daily life with battery operated toys. Thus to keep the child’s play ongoing effortlessly, our new 400% longer lasting Ultima batteries are just perfect. Our collaboration with ZEE seamlessly aligns with the campaign’s objective and values, as majority of ZEE’s shows are packed with energy, fostering a blend of entertainment while actively nurturing the young talents. Eveready is committed towards its mission to empower the youth with the essential support they require for a brighter and more promising future, and our partnership with ZEE amplifies our ability to achieve this noble endeavour.”

    Adding to this, Starcom India COO Niti Kumar said, “At Starcom, we believe that a successful product launch requires a powerful platform that maximises consumer engagement and brand visibility. Such a key communication pillar was vital to drive home Eveready’s new message. ZEE’s reality shows enjoy immense popularity among Indians, which makes it a strong channel for brand collaboration. Accordingly, we forged this first-of-its-kind strategic partnership, which not only introduces Eveready’s robust product offerings but also harnesses ZEE’s expansive reach across diverse regions, languages, and content formats.”

    Eveready ULTIMA recently launched its campaign, ‘Kheloge Toh Bahut Kuch Seekhoge’, which highlights the exceptional longevity of Eveready ULTIMA batteries, perfectly suited to power the modern gadgets and appliances that have become an integral part of daily lives.

  • MNC media juggernaut arrives

    MNC media juggernaut arrives

    Mumbai: The National Company Law Tribunal’s (NCLT) approval for the Zee Entertainment -Sony merger without conditions offers further respite for Z valuation, which has been muted for the past two years (the stock has not given any absolute returns). The company will now move to Registrar of Companies to file for the merged entity once the final NCLT order is released; in the interim, we await the outcome of the SEBI and SAT cases against the Goenka family, the promoter, which may not have any adverse impact on the merger, as Punit Goenka has already stepped down from the Board; in a worst case scenario, the Board and shareholders will appoint a new CEO in case SAT order is against Punit Goenka. Post the regulatory approvals, Z will be delisted, and the merged company will be relisted as Sony-Zee wherein 100 shares of Z will enable shareholders to get 85 shares of the merged entity (~2-3 months process). We do not expect any change in the deal contours despite the long delay, as NCLT has approved the scheme. Further, Sony will get a majority shareholding of 50.8 per cent in the merged entity whereas the Goenka family’s stake will move up to 3.99 per cent, which includes the non-compete fee. We do not expect any impact from creditors filing a case against the NCLAT order.

    Moat remains for the merged company

    Z-Sony commands an ad market share of 24 per cent as on CY22, below the other large peer, Star-Disney, which is at 33 per cent; formation of a large entity on the broadcasting side would lead to cost and revenue synergy, which would offset the negative impact of lower growth rates (India TV ad revenue CAGR has been flat over FY20-23).

    Valuation: reiterate Buy with a higher TP of Rs 340

    We expect better execution in terms of strategic initiatives, due to global expertise and better CG (corporate governance) initiatives , which should propel higher cashflow. We do not expect Z-Sony valuation moving to 32- 33x fwd. P/E (peak valuation multiple in FY18). This is because India’s media landscape has changed with 1) TV broadcasting growth rates converging, and 2) digital business offering limited opportunity for monetization & scale due to disruption; however, we expect the negative impact to be offset by: 1) the merged company, and 2) an MNC-backed firm, which would lead to P/E at a 40 per cent discount vs peak (32x one-year forward). We introduce FY26E for the merged entity and value the core broadcasting business at 20x (from 17x) one-year forward P/E (potential exit of Disney from linear TV may enable Z-Sony to gain market share). We rollover to 24 Sept (since synergies will take some time to kick in) SOTPbased TP of Rs 340 from Rs 300 (after factoring in higher sports losses), with a cash infusion from Sony, synergy and valuing the OTT business 4x one yr. fwd. EV/Sales; our PAT estimate incorporates potential OTT losses.

    The credit of this article goes to Elara Capital SVP Karan Taurani.

  • Disney India to scale down it’s linear TV business

    Disney India to scale down it’s linear TV business

    Mumbai: Reportedly, Disney India may scale down its linear TV business or seek strategic options. It reported an EBITDA margin (with OTT losses) of four per cent (average of FY19-22), due to hefty investments/losses in high-cost cricket content. Zee’s (Z IN) average EBITDA margin (with OTT) was 24 per cent in FY19-22. As per our assessment, unit economics of the TV business is strong, led by healthy profitability margin (~30-32 per cent EBITDA for larger broadcasters core Tv business, ex OTT losses).

    Digital has gained sharp traction since the launch of affordable 4G data, as the India OTT market has posted a CAGR of 19 per cent in FY19-23 to USD 2.1bn. Also, TV industry CAGR declined one per cent in FY19-23, on: 1) regulatory concerns on ARPU, 2) tepid ad environment in linear TV and 3) consistent drop in viewership and consumption patterns. Despite this, TV is still the largest medium after digital, with an ad market share of 34 per cent in FY23 (dip of 330bp from FY20).

    We continue to believe that despite converging growth rate, linear TV medium is a key mode of mass campaigning for larger advertisers (FMCG contributes 45 per cent to TV ad revenue), given the reach/scale it has. Digital has the potential to grow, but unit economics are not yet proven. No larger OTT platforms in India have turned profitable despite: 1) launch

    since 2017 (post 4G data becoming cheaper), and 2) strong adoption/during Covid, which increased time spent/consumption. Also, India OTT has many concerns such as: 1) price sensitive market (lower APRUs), 2) higher distribution costs (heavy dependence on telcos/OEM, 3) higher content costs, 4) lower wired broadband penetration and 5) fragmented nature of the OTT market (multiple languages). This further makes break-even or profitability is difficult for any OTT platform, in the near- or medium-term. We, thus, prefer the linear TV business from a profitability standpoint and believe it will be a win-win for India despite tepid growth rates, as digital is an expensive medium. This may be a challenge to scale at mass – Digital ARPU for a consumer with major OTT platforms subscriptions and data costs is Rs 1,500, 4x higher than that of TV ARPU (Rs 350).

    We believe an exit or a strategic change by Disney in India may augur well for peers such as Zee, Sony, Viacom18, SUNTV, enabling a strategic shift in the ‘go to market’ strategy, in turn benefitting other players to gain market share. Subject to regulatory approvals (NCLT), Zee-Sony merger may be the biggest beneficiary of any changes in Disney management or market strategy, as Zee-Sony commanded an ad market share of 25 per centin FY22, slightly below Disney’s 32 per cent. The merged entity (subject to approval) may thus see a big valuation re-rating , on likelihood of market share loss by market leader, Disney India. Disney India enjoys strong recall across genres such as urban GEC, Tamil, Telugu, Marathi, and sports, which together contribute 65 per cent to India’s TV revenues. TV may become further consolidated post Z-Sony merger with top two players (Z-Sony and Disney India) commanding ~60 per cent ad market share, leaving little or no potential for peers to gain (or spike) market share. We believe there is also a likelihood of Viacom 18 (73 per cent owned by RIL/TV18, 11 per cent TV ad market share)- the third largest broadcaster after Zee/Sony and Disney, becoming a strategic partner with Disney India as the former is aggressively seeking to make inroads in the media segment (TV via TV18/NW18; digital via Jio Cinema).

    This scenario too may not be very disruptive for the Z-Sony merged entity as it leaves with two players having an even larger share in the TV ad market. India OTT market is a long haul – Expect early signs of consolidation in the medium term, but broadcaster-based OTTs (Zee, Sony, Disney), Jio Cinema (largest telecom player) and global giants such as

    Amazon and Netflix may eventually command a lion’s share in this market. We expect smaller OTT platforms to tie up with these larger platforms for distribution/scale. Consolidation is the only way OTT platforms in India may move closer to break-even or profitability helped by 1) lower content cost 2) tech cost efficiency and 3) bargaining power with distributors. OTT is a business of scale/depth as platforms with a large customer base and strong content library may be the first ones to attain profitability due to efficiency on technology and distribution costs.

    The credit of this article goes to Elara Capital SVP Karan Taurani. 

  • Axis Finance moves to NCLAT – more noise, no impact

    Axis Finance moves to NCLAT – more noise, no impact

    Mumbai: Axis Finance has approached the National Company Law Appellate Tribunal (NCLAT), Delhi against the National Company Law Tribunal (NCLT) order approving the merger of Zee and Sony. The NCLAT has served notice to Zee in response to Axis Finance’s plea.

    We believe the above issue of Axis Finance approaching the National Company Law Appellate Tribunal (NCLAT) will not have any impact on the merger between Zee and Sony because the claims being pursued by Axis Finance, which amount to Rs 1,000 mn, are not directed at Zee but rather at its parent company, Essel Group. As mentioned in the NCLT merger order (Zee/Sony), Axis Finance has previously approached various legal bodies, including the Debt Recovery Tribunal (DRT) and high courts, for above claims; however, judgements on the same have not been in their favour (Axis Finance). Therefore, we believe these claims lack merit and will not impact the merger. Also, appeals with NCLAT may continue for months even after the merged company is formed, just like in the case of PVR-Inox merger (Consumer Unity & Trust Society appealed in NCLAT against the merger and the case got dismissed in August 2023 – six months after the merged company of PVRINOX was formed).

    As for the current status of the merger, the merged company is progressing with the Registrar of Companies (ROC) filing process, post receipt of the NCLT merger order. They are also engaged in discussions regarding Closing Precedents (CP) (the merged company may want to include July/August financials as well), which may result in a delay of two to three weeks in the merger timeline. We believe the record date is usually given one week prior to delisting. Considering the marginal delay in CP, the record date for the merger could be towards the last week of October 2023. Subsequently, relisting is expected to take place in the first or second week of December 2023 vs our earlier expectation of the second week of November 2023. Additionally, the company will need to submit details of the merged co. Board of Directors to the Ministry of Information & Broadcasting (MIB), before the record date is finalised.

    Further, the SEBI/SAT issue (with promoters) too may not impact the merger timelines as the NCLT merger approval is without any condition.

    We have a BUY recommendation on Zee with a 24 Sept TP of Rs 340 – we maintain our positive stance on the company; PFA our latest company update post the NCLT merger approval.

    The credit of this article goes to Elara Capital SVP Karan Taurani.

     

  • Zee Bihar Jharkhand launches new show ‘System ka Reality Check’

    Zee Bihar Jharkhand launches new show ‘System ka Reality Check’

    Mumbai: Zee Bihar Jharkhand has launched a new news show ‘System ka Reality Check’.

    Backed by the expertise of Zee Media’s news representatives across the state, the new series is an attempt to keep a close eye on the overall operations – health system, governance, ensure factual information reaches the audience and eliminate the social evils from the society. 

    This show is being aired at 2 pm every day and has grabbed the attention of the viewers and the concerned authorities, who were compelled to take corrective measures post the channels’ coverage. 

    With an aim to address social concerns, Zee Bihar Jharkhand has conducted the first series of reality check of the health systems by investigating the overall robust operations of the systems, which also includes exposing the reality of individual government hospitals across the Bihar- Jharkhand State. Cleanliness issues, lack of medical facilities, scarcity and timely availability of free medicines, resource crunch of doctors and nurses, disrespectful behaviour of the hospital staff, shortage or no rooms available in respective wards, patients put being put on stretchers in the corridors etc are some of the biggest challenges faced by the health infrastructure across different districts of the Bihar-Jharkhand state.

    Till date, the Zee Bihar Jharkhand team has conducted a surprise check across hospitals, which also include Patna Medical College and Hospital (PMCH), Nalanda Medical College and Hospital (NMCH), Sardar Hospital etc. 

    Zee Bihar Jharkhand’s health system reality check campaign has begun to yield transforming results, bringing to light the sluggishness prevailing in the government system of Bihar.  Strict actions and quick decisions are being taken to improve the system by the concerned officials. 

    Bihar health minister Tejashwi Yadav lauded the campaign of Zee Bihar-Jharkhand and said, “I appreciate the efforts being taken by the Zee Bihar-Jharkhand team, as it has helped to get an in-depth understanding of ground reality and shortcomings and challenges faced by the population in Bihar-Jharkhand. We look forward to strengthening the health infrastructure across different districts. Discussions on beneficial health policies and facilities will also be taken care of.”

    Additionally, IMA president Sahajanand praised the initiative and assured to address the problems of the state.

    Commenting on the continuous success of the campaign, Zee Bihar Jharkhand CEO Purushottam Vaishnav said, “Zee Bihar Jharkhand feels socially responsible to expose the facts and challenges faced by different sections of the economy, thus impacting the well-being of the common man. Besides the health system, we also look to simultaneously discuss and expose the reality of about every section in the upcoming months.”  

    “Zee Bihar Jharkhand channel is not only hopeful, but firmly believes in ensuring the right information is exposed to the vast population of Bihar-Jharkhand state. We will continue exposing those showing indifference towards their duties and not performing it sincerely,” highlighted Zee Bihar Jharkhand editor Rajkamal Choudhary.

  • Zee introduces its leadership and development academy ‘Lead Your Ship’

    Zee introduces its leadership and development academy ‘Lead Your Ship’

    Mumbai: Zee Entertainment Enterprises (ZEEL) has launched its new academy of leadership and management development – ‘Lead Your Ship.’ The academy is an industry-first initiative that aims to develop new-age leadership and managerial capabilities at all levels. Its vision is to build a resilient and agile organisation where leaders’ skills and capabilities are a true cornerstone.

    Zee has made significant strides toward workforce capability development by establishing a 4×4 academy framework that allows for the development of compliance, techno-functional, behavioural, and leadership skills across the organisational pyramid.

    These academic pillars are built on four beams: integrated academy journeys; learner-centric technology; assessments & certifications; and career progression; providing the company’s workforce with long-term development and growth plans.

    The academy provides career-related development interventions at all levels of the organisational pyramid.

    The five interventions—arise, aspire, advance, ascend, and accelerate—are specifically designed to develop foundational proficiency at the bottom of the pyramid into critical leadership, managerial, and transformational competencies, ultimately enabling them to transition to higher roles within the organisation.

    Commenting on the launch, ZEEL head of HR, content SBU & head of enterprise culture and capability development Dheeraj Jaggi said, “Being the first media and entertainment powerhouse in India, ZEE has always been an Academy of Talent. Over the years, we’ve nurtured great talent who have shaped the future of the industry. Once again, we are delighted to launch the Lead Your Ship Academy, another pioneering and first-of-its-kind initiative, that will play a critical role in upskilling the workforce to keep up with the fast-changing industry environment.”

    “Given the shift in workforce development needs post-covid,” he continues, “the curriculum of all 5 career-linked development interventions is designed to meet the new capability requirements for managers and leaders, ultimately promoting science-based self-development for inclusive and global leadership and supporting their career progression.”

    Lead Your Ship Academy will provide holistic development to Zee’s workforce through a blended delivery model based on extensive research-led insights. The curriculum has been developed in collaboration with renowned industry partners and academic institutions, and it will include modern pedagogy to assess, develop, engage, and reinforce new-age skills. The Lead Your Ship Academy will develop the skills of over 3,400 employees across the organisation and will provide over 6,000 hours of training. It is one of Zee’s most ambitious capability-building initiatives.

    Following the success of initiatives such as the Compliance Academy and Digicademy, the company is taking workforce capability development a step further by establishing Lead Your Ship as an academy of excellence. Last year, Zee launched the first digital academy of its kind, which received an overwhelming response from both internal and external stakeholders, successfully onboarding 97 per cent of employees.

    The Digicademy has consistently outperformed the majority of the key platform KPIs at the AMEA and global levels. The academy received accolades and awards at prestigious industry forums such as ET HR World, People First, Transformance HR Forum, and BusinessWorld People HR, to name a few. In the future, the company intends to launch a techno-functional academy, which will primarily focus on improving technical and digital skills, making employees more adept in this fast-paced industry.

    For more than three decades, Zee has had a strong legacy of home-grown leaders who have been at the forefront of innovation and pioneering initiatives around the world. Zee is committed to strengthening the leadership pipeline and building a future-ready workforce in order to lead the next disruption in the M&E industry and drive hypergrowth in the new normal.

  • Charter communications signs deal with Zee for distribution in the US

    Charter communications signs deal with Zee for distribution in the US

    Mumbai: Charter Communications announced the launch of new South Asian-focused video packages with up to 24 new channels as part of a programming expansion made possible in part by a distribution agreement for all of India’s Zee channels.

    The new India View packages, which feature significantly more content than Charter’s previous South Asian video offerings, are available to spectrum TV subscribers as well as customers who prefer to receive a streaming video package over the Internet+.

    The most popular Indian networks and Zee channels have been added to the India View tiers as part of Charter’s new distribution agreement with Asia TV USA, a Mumbai-based affiliate of Zee Entertainment Enterprises.

    The agreement includes the addition of 22 ZEE channels in multiple languages for spectrum video customers, including &TV, Zee Bangla, Zee Kannada, Zee Keralam, Zee Marathi, Zee Punjabi, Zee Tamil, Zee Telugu, Zee News, Zee World, and WION, in addition to the renewal of the agreement for the flagship Hindi general entertainment channel Zee TV, which is already offered by Charter.

    Charter’s executive vice president of programming acquisition, Tom Montemagno, said,”Our agreement with ZEE gives Spectrum customers access to some of the most popular news, sports, and entertainment programming from India in multiple languages.”

    He further said, “The addition of ZEE’s channels to our lineup enables us to offer our customers South Asian-focused video packages that are meaningfully more robust, with enhanced flexibility and value, and directly aligns with our commitment to provide programming that reflects our customers’ diverse interests and perspectives.”

    To promote the new programming and India View tiers, Charter and Zee have launched a co-branded marketing campaign in Spectrum markets with large South Asian populations, such as Los Angeles, New York, and Dallas, focusing on the streaming packages India View Stream ($19.99/month) and India View Stream Plus ($29.99/month).

    Zee’s agreement with the companies is the latest step in the company’s efforts to serve the growing South Asian communities in the United States. Since 1998, Zee has been present in the United States, promoting culturally rich stories while connecting South Asian audiences to their heartland.

    Zee Entertainment Enterprises content and international markets president Punit Misra said,”The U.S. market is an important part of Zee Entertainment’s international strategy, and the increase in the South Asian population in the U.S. gives us an opportunity to serve the content needs of the growing population segment,”

    He added, “The vast majority of our audiences who live in the U.S. are foreign-born and have immigrated to the U.S. There is a very strong brand affinity in this group towards ZEE. We are delighted to expand our partnership with Charter to make this premium suite of channels available to Spectrum customers.”

    Zee Entertainment Enterprises chief business officer for international business Ashok Namboodiri said, “Our partnership with Charter is extremely vital to our growth objectives in the U.S., and the agreement facilitates the availability of a large variety of entertainment options targeted towards the South Asian audiences for Spectrum customers.”

    He added, “In addition to the Hindi content, we firmly believe that our next set of growth is expected from the vernacular languages like Telugu, Tamil, Kannada, Marathi, Bengali, Malayalam, and Punjabi, and ZEE is evaluating various production opportunities which will bring immense value to this growing population segment in the United States.”

  • Zee Cinemalu announces world television premiere of ‘Kurup’

    Zee Cinemalu announces world television premiere of ‘Kurup’

    Mumbai: The Dulquer Salman-starrer “Kurup” is all set to present its viewers with the world television premiere of “Kurup” in Telugu. A compelling tale of an unending hunt is making its way to television screens on 30 September at 6 p.m.

    “Kurup” will surely take movie buffs on a rip-roaring journey based on the life of the popular Indian fugitive and most-wanted criminal, Sukumara Kurup. The story revolves around Kurup and the greed that drives him to the world of lies, crime, and theft. Other than Dulquer, the movie features Sobhitha, Shine Tom, Indrajith, and Anupama Parameswaran in important roles.

    There are also a handful of cameos by well-known actors such as Manoj Bajpayee and Tovino Thomas, among others, to make the movie a must-watch, while the background score, songs, and gripping screenplay take the experience to the next level.

  • Zee Bangla Cinema unveils new brand identity

    Zee Bangla Cinema unveils new brand identity

    Mumbai: Zee Bangla Cinema, India’s leading Bengali-movie channel, will commemorate its decade-long journey with a new brand identity. Unveiled in time for the upcoming festive season, the evocative all-new brand identity highlights how movies have the power to make everything magical.

    The channel is about serving a daily dose of magic potion that takes viewers to a world where possibility takes the front seat and reality takes a backseat. Zee Bangla Cinema’s new tagline, “Hok Na Ektu Magic,” echoes this brand purpose.  

    Zee Bangla Cinema’s new identity was revealed during the world television premiere of the blockbuster of the year, “Aparajito – The Undefeated,” starring Jeetu Kamal and Saayoni Ghosh, directed by Anik Datta.

    For today’s evolved audiences who consume a range of genres, Zee Bangla Cinema has also revealed a powerful line-up of star-studded blockbuster Bengali movies that will premiere on the channel through the festive season. Starting 24September, “Notun Cinema Proti Robibaar” will bring world television premieres every Sunday. This first-of-its-kind programming will see the channel achieve a milestone of telecasting world television premieres on every week, rather than only once in a month.

    Commenting on the announcement, Zee Entertainment chief cluster officer – East Samrat Ghosh said, “Bengali cinema has always held a special place in the history of Indian films. From its beginnings in the 1920s, Bengali cinema has achieved global acclaim and popularity. From Satyajit Ray and Mrinal Sen to our contemporary filmmakers today, Bengali cinema has always been a creative powerhouse. It is an honour for us to celebrate this love for cinema and magic on the occasion of Zee Bangla Cinema completing 10 successful years of entertaining viewers. As one of the leading and most-loved channels in the Bangla movie-entertainment category, we cater to the audience’s varied preferences with a special content curation. “Notun Cinema Proti Robibaar” will strengthen our market share as we aggressively widen our movie library and bring the best of movie content for our viewers.”

    Talking about the channel’s revamped brand identity, Zee Bangla Cinema chief channel officer & head of marketing – East, Jalaluddin Mondal said, “As Zee Bangla Cinema completes a decade of passion for Bengali cinema, we decided to celebrate and build on our love for cinema by giving our viewers a brand-new experience. The new brand identity is accompanied by a slew of new initiatives to delight our viewers. A new slot strategy with each slot featuring films curated on the basis of audience demand and the genres they love is just the beginning. The icing on the cake is the most talked about and latest weekend television premieres for the ultimate weekend experience. As we enter a new decade, we will create a Movie++ experience with special music and movie events to cater to the Bengali lover of literature, music, and culture.”

    Talking about the new brand identity, Zee Entertainment chief marketing officer, content SBU Kartik Mahadev said, “Zee Bangla Cinema has always championed the power of cinema as an inspiring and binding medium that creates unforgettable moments of magic around television. Our new brand identity is our way of celebrating this intrinsic bond with every Bengali movie lover. As we complete a decade, we promise to keep bringing the magic of Bengali cinema alive for our viewers in every moment of their lives, as expressed in our new brand thought “Hok Na Ektu Magic!” The design of the new brand identity expresses the ‘Golden Circle of Special’ that curates’ moments of magic every day, brought alive through a vibrant colour play that is nuanced for the category and region. The refreshed design aesthetics will not only enhance the visual appeal but will facilitate intuitive content discovery creating an immersive experience.”

    Zee Bangla Cinema is promoting the new brand identity with a high-octane campaign, which will be promoted through a 360-degree approach across mediums – OOH, print as well as its social media channels including YouTube, Instagram and Facebook.