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Tag: Zeel

  • ZEE5 Originals’ content cost to be 3x more than TV: Punit Goenka

    ZEE5 Originals’ content cost to be 3x more than TV: Punit Goenka

    MUMBAI: Zee Entertainment Enterprises Ltd’s (ZEEL) digital venture ZEE5 has shown impressive growth in a very short span of time. To continue taking rapid strides, the Punit Goenka-led company will beef up its content investment for originals as well as film titles. While ZEE5 is betting big on quality entertainment, the  content cost for digital originals will be around three times more than the television business.

    After Q2 results, ZEEL managing director and CEO Punit Goenka spoke about content cost, strategy, marketing plans for ZEE5 in an earnings call. “The content cost will not be similar to television, they will be higher. If you leave out the things like Karenjit Kaur, etc., I think you can safely assume a 3x kind of a number in your content cost compared to TV,” the media veteran commented.

    As of now, ZEE5 has released 29 originals and the pace of new launches is expected to pick up in the second half of FY19. Initially, the target of 500-600 hours of original content without dubbing was set. According to Goenka, the company is on track to reach that goal.

    The episodic lengths of the properties will also be expanded as the platform has got more traction for 1 hour episodes compared to 0.5 hour episodes. However, there will be short-form series as well as long form, mostly depending on the storylines.

    “Unlike television, where it's a factory and we have to fill 260 episodes a year, here, we do not have any of those benchmarks or yardsticks. Here, an episode can range from 35 minutes to a full-length feature film, which could be also a web series,” he added.

    Notably, since its launch, ZEE5 has emphasised on “content in the language of comfort” which has clearly yielded results. Consumption in regional languages is far more than in Hindi. Both in AVOD and SVOD front, the regional languages are contributing almost 60 per cent of the viewership. Hence, the company will churn out more regional content going forward.

    However, it will also expand the number of movies in the library. Currently standing with exclusive digital rights of 3000 movies, the titles will be brought on gradually on the platform. “So over the next three months, you will start to see all of the 3,000 titles available on ZEE5,” Goenka said.

    While the company is aiming at moving more traffic to the app version over web version, it won’t sideline latter as it is the funnel to attract early users. Before downloading the app, consumers usually go to web version to test the waters.

    Recently, ZEEL buried the hatchet with Reliance Jio and renewed its content deal. According to the deal, ZEEL’s linear channels will be available on JioTV and the rest of the content will be available only on the ZEE5 platform.

     On live content front, the company will get paid for the content it shares with the telecom behemoth. As Goenka said, end consumer usage and data will all come to the company. If a consumer wants to access the content behind a paywall, they can pay for both or even individually.

    Standing with all the plans chalked out, Goenka confidently expects its digital entertainment platform to contribute 30 per cent revenue to its topline in five years.

     “If it is anything less than that then it is quite disappointing. And keep in mind that my overall business also will continue to grow,” the exec said on an optimistic note.

  • Zee Keralam to launch in Q3 FY19

    Zee Keralam to launch in Q3 FY19

    MUMBAI: Though the general notion has been that Hindi GECs are the most watched shows across the nation, the truth is far from that. Over time, broadcasters have realised that if they want to rule India, they must cater to the various languages.

    Some strong regional TV consumers are in the southern part of the country. When it comes to Zee Entertainment Enterprises Ltd (Zeel), it witnessed a 19.1 per cent viewership share (CY 18 YTD), while in South it stands at 31.8 per cent growth share over the last fiscal. The network has achieved dominance in metro markets including Bangalore and Hyderabad. Having four dedicated channels in the South market, the network is now set to expand its footprint by launching its fifth channel, Zee Keralam, in the general entertainment channel (GEC) space. In terms of consumption power, the market stands exceptionally with 81 per cent HH’s in NCCS ABC, which is highest in the country.

    The Kerala market contributes 3.7 per cent of national viewership, where Malayalam GECs bag 57 per cent of total viewership. The sector is jam-packed but Zeel sees scope to grow with 90 per cent TV ownership and people’s willingness to take pay channels.

    Zeel south cluster head and Zee Tamil business head Siju Prabhakaran said, “Any market you enter, there has to be a competition. But we have seen that whenever we have great content and if you give the right kind of content, the POT of those markets has actually grown. The best case was in Tamil where there was Sun TV and Vijay TV, and general assumption was that people were very happy with whatever the content is being served to them but then there comes Zee Tamil at a market share of 20.7 per cent in the year 2018-19. In the case of Zee Keralam, we will offer original content.”

    The channel, launching in Q3 of FY19, has a programming line-up of seven fiction shows, two non-fiction shows, one afternoon game show and one morning show. In addition, the channel has also conceptualised a cinema-based speed news show.

    With south contributing to the 33 per cent of viewership and overall share in the industry, the network claims to have 25 per cent of the viewership raking in from its south channels. Zeel CMO Pratyusha Agarwal said, “South contributes 33 per cent of viewership share and overall also. But on ad revenue, it is still at 23 per cent of the market share and there is a huge scope for the category to grow there. In terms of viewership, south contributes four hours of viewership and national for about two hours of viewership.”

    Prabhakaran added that in the past two years, it has been the largest contribution as a cluster along with the Hindi movie channels. “The growth has been primarily on the basis of growth, where Zee Telugu is a strong number two player with 688 GRPs and 25.7 per cent genre share in the urban GEC segment. Fiction contributes around 56 per cent (382 GRPs) to total Zee Telugu viewership of  688.” Telugu movies have been a great success for the network to break even within a year, he said.

    Some of the tentpole shows in the Telugu umbrella are Mudda Mandaram, Kalyana Vaibhogam, Maate Mantramu and Sa Re Ga Ma Pa. Talking about the upcoming attractions, fiction show – Prema and non-fiction shows like Aata Juniors, Sa Re Ga Ma Pa Li’l Champs are in the pipeline.  

    Also, its Telugu movie channel, Zee Cinemalu commenced with 122 GRPs and 22 per cent genre share in urban areas. It stood at number two in urban with 182 GRPs and 26.5 per cent genre share and number one in Hyderabad with 229 GRPs and 30.3 per cent genre share in FY19.

    When it comes to the Kannada segment, it is on an aggressive growth path since week 20 of 2018 with an increased market share from 24 per cent to 30 per cent gradually. The network claims to have grown from an average of 295 GRPs channel in FY16 to 546 GRPs in FY 19 (Wk 39) U+R which is a growth of 85 per cent, where the other players have witnessed a stagnation or decrease. Its flagship shows includes Naagini, Kamali, Comedy Khiladigalu, Sa Re Ga Ma Pa Li’l Champs (season 14) and its upcoming programs include fiction show launches – Shree Vishnu Dashavatara, Paru, Aatma Bandhana and Sa Re Ga Ma Pa Season 15, Drama Juniors Season 3 as the non-fiction shows.

    Zee Tamil has seen a 92 per cent growth in 18 months with an average of 542 GRPs at a market share of 20.7 per cent in the year 2018-19. The major reason for Zee Tamil’s growth has been its fiction and is at second position with a 26 per cent genre share.

    Agarwal said that in the Tamil market, it rated more than Bigg Boss on its finale. “Bigg Boss was a great success for Vijay TV in season 1 and season 2 was also coming and we were also gearing up and thinking what to do next. So it was obviously no point in bringing big show content at the same time. We had great traction in fiction shows and as a result, planned to extend our 3 fiction shows during the weekend.”

    Shree Vishnu Dashavataram, Sathya, Sembaruthi high-point (live wedding shoot) – fiction shows and ThamizhaThamizha, Super Mom and Dance Jodi Dance Juniors – non-fiction shows are on the cards for the Tamil viewers.

  • Data of 29 mn users hacked says Facebook

    Data of 29 mn users hacked says Facebook

    MUMBAI: Social media company, Facebook, on Friday stated that hackers had accessed 29 million user data in the breach which was disclosed late last month. Facebook previously had said that 50 million users were affected due to the data breach.

    In a recent conference call regarding the investigation, Facebook vice president of product management, Guy Rosen said, “We now know that fewer people were impacted than we originally thought.”

    The hackers had accessed the names, phone numbers and email addresses of 15 million users and for the other remaining 14 million users, the attack came to be more damaging as along with that data the hackers accessed additional information including gender, religion, hometown, birth date and places they had recently “checked in” to as visiting.

    Also one million people remain unaffected as no data was accessed, although their ‘access tokens’ were stolen, said Rosen.

    Facebook reassured that the attack did not affect Facebook-owned Messenger, Messenger Kids, Instagram, WhatsApp, Oculus, Workplace, Pages, payments, third-party apps or advertising or developer account.

    On the account of recent happenings, Zee Entertainment Enterprises chief executive officer Punit Goenka appeared cautious on Twitter.

  • Star India vs TRAI: Arguments conclude, SC likely to deliver verdict after Dussehra

    Star India vs TRAI: Arguments conclude, SC likely to deliver verdict after Dussehra

    MUMBAI: Arguments in the case relating to TRAI and Star India ended today in the Supreme Court. According to a source close to the development, the top court is likely to pronounce the verdict in the matter after the Dussehra holidays.

    Despite the impending ruling, most broadcasters have already published their RIOs.

    Zee Entertainment Enterprises Ltd (ZEEL) was first out of the blocks in publishing the RIO, declaring the MRP and nature of channels in connection with its tariff order , which had a 31 August deadline. The Punit Goenka-led company was followed by TV18 Broadcast Limited ( TV18), Sony Pictures Networks India Private Limited (SPNI), who adhered to the regulator’s directive on September 4. Later, Disney India, Turner India International, Sun TV Networks have also published their RIOs in compliance with the order.

    All the broadcaster have stuck to a maximum 15 per cent MRP discount to distributors. Earlier, Madras High Court chief justice did not uphold TRAI’s proposal of allowing highest 15 per cent cap on discounts despite giving the go-ahead to all other proposals. As any clarification did not come from TRAI, all the broadcasters are adhering to the order to avoid any further confusion.

    The TRAI tariff orders, first contested in Madras High Court by the petitioners, were cleared by the Chennai court with certain riders after hearings that continued almost over 16 months in front of two benches of the court.

    Though the petitioners were unable for comments, a legal eagle explained that the very fact the Supreme Court has allotted a day for hearing the petition of Star India and VijayTV, which basically revolves around copyright and why the regulator doesn’t have jurisdiction over such issues, highlights the fact that the judge doesn’t want to take a decision in a hurry.

    After the Madras HC had given a thumb up to TRAI tariff order, and both the petitioners and the defendant (TRAI) had filed caveats in the Supreme Court, the regulator had bowled a googly saying that its tariff order would come into effect from 3 July 2018 () as all judicial compliances had been completed.

    “Having complied with  the  judicial  mandates  in  the  matter,  the Telecommunication (Broadcasting and Cable) Services (Eighth) (Addressable Systems)  Tariff   Order, 2017 and  the Telecommunication (Broadcasting and Cable) Interconnection (Addressable Systems) Regulations, 2017 as upheld by the Hon'ble Madras High  Court and the Telecommunication (Broadcasting and Cable) Services Standards  of   Quality  of  Service and  Consumer  Protection (Addressable Systems) Regulations, 2017 come into effect from 3rd July 2018,” the regulator had said in a statement pointing out that all timelines mentioned in the original order should be adhered to immediately.

    According to TRAI, implementation of the new regulatory framework will “bring in transparency”, enable provisioning of affordable broadcasting and cable TV services for the consumer and, at the same time, “would lead to an orderly growth of the sector”.

  • Zeel numbers up in Q2 2019 on improved ad and subscription revenues

    Zeel numbers up in Q2 2019 on improved ad and subscription revenues

    BENGALURU: The Subhash Chandra led Zee Entertainment Enterprises Limited reported 24.7 per cent year-on year (y-o-y) growth in operating revenue at Rs 1,975.86 crore for the quarter ended 30 September 2018 (Q2 2019, quarter under review) as compared to the Rs 1,582.75 crore for the corresponding year ago quarter Q2 2018. EBITDA for the quarter under review increased 37.6 per cent y-o-y to Rs 675.72 crore from Rs 491.16 crore. Growth in numbers was driven by 22.7 per cent and 21.3 per cent y-o-y in advertisement and subscription revenues respectively. The company reported ad revenue for Q1 2019 at Rs 1,210.60 crore as compared to Rs 986.74 crore in Q2 2018. Subscription revenue in the quarter under review was Rs 608.16 crore as compared to Rs 501.41 crore in the corresponding year ago quarter.

    The company, however, reported lower profit after tax (PAT) and lower total comprehensive income (TCI) for Q2 2019 as compared to Q2 2018 on account of higher taxes in Q2 2019 and income from exceptional items in Q2 2018. PAT in Q2 019 was 38.2 per cent lower at Rs 386.10 crore as compared to Rs 625.09 crore in Q2 2018. TCI for Q2 2019 was 19.8 per cent lower at Rs 521.43 crore as compared to Rs 649.83 crore. For Q2 2019, Zeel has reported total tax expenses of Rs 262.42 crore as compared to Rs 148.87 crore in Q2 2018. Zeel had reported income from exceptional items – these were the proceeds of the sale of its sports broadcasting business to the extent of Rs 134.61 crore for Q2 2018.

    Zeel chairman Chandra said, “Media and entertainment industry around the world is going through some seminal changes and India is no different. Digital has opened new possibilities for content creators and multiplied the entertainment choices consumers have at their disposal. As India’s leading entertainment content company, ZEEL is strongly positioned to capitalise on this new growth opportunity. Our deep understanding of the Indian consumers will be as instrumental in helping us become the leader in the digital space as it was in helping us achieve the leadership in television. In a short time, ZEE5 has received an overwhelming response and I am confident that the platform will continue to scale-up going forward.”

    Zeel MD and CEO Punit Goenka said, “ZEE5 is the fastest growing entertainment platform in the country. In a little over six months, it has become the second most popular OTT platform. With a monthly active user base of 41 million and an average daily time spend of 31 minutes, it is growing faster than our expectations. Despite the strong initial performance, I believe it is just the beginning of a long digital journey for us. With a strong pipeline of original content and partnerships with key players in the digital ecosystem, we are confident that ZEE5 will become the default entertainment platform for digital audience.”

    “Our broadcast business continues to grow at an impressive pace as evident from the domestic advertising and subscription revenue growth numbers. We continue to consolidate our viewership share which is driving our market leading growth. We believe that our broadcast portfolio has the potential to further increase its market share and the launch of new channel in Kerala will surely help it. The advertising and subscription revenue growth will be aided by the scaling-up of digital business and the growth outlook for both remains strong. This robust performance also gives us room to increase our investments in digital, if required,” added Goenka.

    Let us look at the other numbers reported by Zeel

    Total expenses in Q2 2019 increased 20.9 per cent y-o-y to Rs 1,290.60 crore from Rs 1,147.05 crore. Employee benefit expense reduced 7 per cent y-o-y in Q2 2019 to Rs 168.72 crore from Rs 181.40 crore in Q2 2018. Operational cost in the quarter under review increased 25.5 per cent y-o-y to Rs 725.34 crore from Rs 578.89 crore in Q2 2018.

    Finance costs increased y-o-y in Q2 2019 to Rs 5.45 crore from Rs 0.28 crore during the corresponding period of the previous year. Other expenses increased 26.6 per cent y-o-y in quarter under review to Rs 240.03 crore from Rs 189.57 crore in Q2 2018.

    The company incurred 49 per cent higher fair value loss on financial instruments at fair value through profit and loss for Q2 2019 at Rs 22.02 crore as compared to Rs 14.78 crore in Q2 2018.

  • Q2 results: ZEE5 demonstrates exponential growth with 41.3 mn MAU

    Q2 results: ZEE5 demonstrates exponential growth with 41.3 mn MAU

    MUMBAI: Media conglomerate Zee Entertainment Enterprises Limited (ZEEL) on Wednesday published its second quarter financial result. ZEE5, the digital venture of ZEEL has shown impressive growth within one year of its launch. According to the filing, the OTT platform has been able to gain 41.3 million Monthly Active Users as of September, with a 190 per cent increase since April 2018.

    Since the launch, the platform has released 29 originals in several genres including comedy, drama, reality, thriller and docu-drama. During the quarter, two seasons of their flagship show Karenjit Kaur – An Untold Story, were also launched.

    According to the Q2 result, users currently spend an average of 31 minutes per day on ZEE5. User engagement has also witnessed a considerable increase as video views grew 340 per cent since April. While ZEE5 has already entered into a partnership with two of the leading telecom operators, the company is discussing similar partnerships with other telecom operators, broadband service providers, device manufacturers and e-commerce companies.

    “ZEE5 is the fastest growing entertainment platform in the country. In a little over six months, it has become the 2nd most popular OTT platform. With a monthly active user base of 41 million and an average daily time spend of 31 minutes,it is growing faster than our expectations,” ZEEL managing director and CEO Punit Goenka said.

    “Our deep understanding of the Indian consumers will be as instrumental in helping us become the leader in the digital space as it was in helping us achieve the leadership in television. In a short time, ZEE5 has received an overwhelming response and I am confident that the platform will continue to scale-up going forward,” ZEEL chairman Subhash Chandra commented on an optimistic note.

    In last quarter earnings call, Goenka said he expected ZEE5 to break even in the next five years. He highlighted that not just ZEE5 but entire the industry was in investment mode and there was no way any OTT player was in a position to break even in the first three years.

    Total revenue of ZEEL for the quarter stood at Rs. 19,759 million with 24.9 per cent year on year growth. Advertising revenue for the quarter was Rs. 12,106 million, growth of 22.7% YoY. Domestic advertising revenue grew by 23.3% YoY to 11,526 million and international advertising revenue for the quarter was Rs. 580 million. Subscription revenue for the quarter was Rs. 6,082 million, a growth of 21.3% YoY. Domestic subscription revenue grew by 26.0% YoY to Rs. 5,093 million, while international subscription revenue was Rs. 989 million.

    Although ZEEL’s net profit fell 38 percent year-on-year to Rs 3860 million in the quarter, its operational performance has surpassed analysts’ estimates. In the same period last year, the company had reported an exceptional gain of Rs 1346 million hanks to its sports broadcasting business. 

  • Zee Bangla to refresh channel campaign to dominate Bengali space

    Zee Bangla to refresh channel campaign to dominate Bengali space

    MUMBAI: The regional space in India’s broadcasting industry is blooming. One of the most widely spoken languages in the country, Bengali has seen a surge in viewership off late. The Bangla channel from the Zee slate is all set to change the game.  

    Zee Bangla, that holds 44 per cent market share (WB U+R universe) and more than 50 per cent in the urban space, is all set to launch a refreshed channel campaign. Last year, the channel had 39 per cent market share and now it touches almost 50 per cent. Its latest brand philosophy “Notun Chhondey Likhbo Jibon” (Orchestrating life in a new rhythm) ignites a spark amongst the middle-class Bengali women to draw from their inner strength, tide over internal and external battles and take charge of their future to achieve the extraordinary. The brand promise will inspire the middle-class Bengali women to break the shackles of prejudice and preconceived notions, overcoming their apprehensions and taking their families ahead. 

    The channel soundscape has been expressed through a brand anthem orchestrated by Shantanu Moitra and sung by Shreya Ghoshal. Capturing the current day aspirations and changes in the middle-class Bengali households are two brand films, directed by Dibyendu Bose from Opus Communication and music by Shantanu Moitra. The brand strategy has been co-developed by Publicis with its Kolkata Counterpart – LKSS.

    This new brand identity will be revealed during the telecast of musical reality show Sa Re Ga Ma Pa which starts from 7 October 2018 at 9.30 pm.

    ZEEL business head for Zee Bangla and Zee Bangla Cinema Samrat Ghosh said that over the last 19 years, Zee Bangla has been successful on the back of good offering and among the 14 prime time slots in the GEC space Zee Bangla holds 11. He said, “We lead the time band from 4.30 to 10 pm with all our fiction and non-fiction shows.”

    Ghosh added that Bengal has home-grown animated content on Sunday from 10-10.30 am Baatul the Great and Nonte Fonte which are known characters from Bengali comic books. “One of our previous offerings was Bhootu, which became extremely popular as fiction series on Zee Bangla. So we have also developed half an hour of cartoon animation around the characters.”

    ZEEL cluster head regional markets Amit Shah said, “Over the last two decades, Zee Bangla has endeavoured to be a catalyst for change for the quintessential Bengali. As we look forward to the next leg of our journey, it is important for us to continuously reflect the aspirations of the evolving viewer and inspire them to be their extraordinary self. With the new campaign, we are aiming to reach out to a wider audience base and the middle-class Bengali woman, who is an epitome of resilience, courage and social change.”

    ZEEL CMO Prathyusha Agarwal said, “Our new brand campaign for Zee Bangla is targeted to resonate with the middle-class Bengali household that revers a woman as the Lakshmi of the family. With our unique brand POV-led content and communication approach, this idea will reflect across all our shows and campaigns celebrating the Lokkhis who take charge of their lives and move their families ahead.”

  • ZEEL takes ZEE5 Global; goes LIVE in 190+ countries around the World

    ZEEL takes ZEE5 Global; goes LIVE in 190+ countries around the World

    Mumbai, 3rd October 2018: Bringing the largest library of multilingual content to the South Asian diaspora and beyond across the world, Amit Goenka, CEO – ZEE International and Z5 Global, today announced that ZEEL’s digital entertainment platform ZEE5 has gone LIVE in 190+ countries globally. ZEE5 has been launched across platforms and will offer viewers around the globe a completely integrated entertainment offering, with both On-Demand and Live TV across devices.

    ZEE5 offers the largest width and depth of multi-genre content including news and entertainment across English, Tamil, Hindi, Malayalam, Telugu, Kannada, Marathi, Bengali, Oriya, Bhojpuri, Gujarati and Punjabi. ZEE5 comes packed with 1,00,000 hours of On Demand content, including Movies and TV Shows, Music, and Health and Lifestyle videos along with a slew of originals, across 12 languages. It also has an extensive Live TV offering with 60+ popular Live TV channels.

    ZEE5 offers various unique features like content and display language personalization across 12 and 11 languages respectively, voice search, download to watch offline option, HD Quality video, adaptive bit rate streaming etc.
    Outlining the global strategy, Amit Goenka, CEO – ZEE International and Z5 Global said, “As a global content company ZEE has always been at the forefront of bringing the best of Indian entertainment content to audiences around the world. With the launch of ZEE5 across 190+ markets, we have moved into the next phase of our growth story. Launching ZEE5 globally rather than in a staggered manner has been a conscious move in order to capitalise on the tremendous love and following the brand has amassed over the years overseas. This new chapter further strengthens us as a Media & Entertainment behemoth and reiterates our claim to the India story, bringing to our audiences around the globe an unrivalled content offering, using robust technology.”

    Speaking on the soft launch, Archana Anand, Chief Business Officer- ZEE5 Global said, “With over 1,00,000 hours of content across genres and languages, ZEE5 is the singular platform that Indians and South Asians have been waiting for. With the launch of ZEE5 globally, we intend to own the India peg completely and be the unequivocal go to destination for Indian content for South Asians and beyond, wherever they may be.”

    Availability: The ZEE5 App can be downloaded from Google Play Store and very shortly from the iOS App Store. Also available at www.ZEE5.com. Other platform in the pipeline includes Amazon fire tv stick, Apple TV, connected TV apps etc.
    Pricing: Freemium pricing model with both free and paid premium content to cater to a mix of audiences across markets. Viewers who subscribe to the ZEE5 subscription pack will get access to the entire library of content at a special introductory offer price ranging from USD 2.00 per month to USD 10.00 per month, depending on the region.

  • Dish TV ropes in Mukund Cairae as biz head sports and exclusive content

    Dish TV ropes in Mukund Cairae as biz head sports and exclusive content

    MUMBAI: Dish TV, the largest DTH operator in India, has appointed Mukund Cairae as business head sports and exclusive content. The business leader with almost two decades of experience was associated with Zee Entertainment Enterprises Ltd (ZEEL) in various roles for over 14 years.

    Prior to his new position at Dish TV(http://www.indiantelevision.com/dth/dth-operator/dish-tv-partners-with-shemaroo-to-bring-bhojpuri-regional-active-service-on-its-two-platforms-180726), he was ZEEL(http://www.indiantelevision.com/television/tv-channels/gecs/zee-launches-zee-world-in-south-africa-150128) CEO Middle East North Africa and Asia Pacific. During this tenure, he led 45 per cent revenue growth across ad sales, program sales and affiliate revenue. He also took an active part in launching ZEEL’s digital venture ZEE5 in Asia Pacific.

    He was also associated with Videocon and Kotak Life, Lara Agro, Amadeus India. He helped to build strong retail and distribution network from inception for Videocon Group.

    The media veteran has been consistently recognised by Forbes Middle East as one of the top fifty Indian leaders in the region from 2013 to 2018.

  • Punit Goenka elected​ President of IAA India Chapter

    Punit Goenka elected​ President of IAA India Chapter

     MUMBAI, September 24, 2018: Punit Goenka, Managing Director & CEO, Zee Entertainment Enterprises Ltd (ZEEL) was unanimously elected President of the India Chapter of the International Advertising Association (IAA) at its AGM held on 24th September 2018 in Mumbai.

    Shashi Sinha, CEO, IPG Media Brands India was elected Vice President. The office bearers ​would be Pradeep Dwivedi, CEO, Sakal Media Group, Hon. Secretary, Jaideep Gandhi, Founder, Another Idea, Hon. Treasurer, and Ramesh Narayan Immediate Past President. ​

    The Members of the Managing Committee elected include Megha Tata COO BTVI, Janak Sarda Director Deshdhoot Group, M.V.Shreyams Kumar JMD Mathrubhumi Group, I.Venkat Director Eenadu, Abhishek Karnani Director Free Press Journal. The list of members co-opted and invited to the Managing Committee will be shortly announced.

    Punit Goenka has just relinquished office after a much-acclaimed term as President of the IBF.

    During his tenure as MD & CEO, ZEE has won several awards including the Dun & Bradstreet Corporate Award 2015, IMC Fusion Award 2013 for Excellence in Media, Businessworld Infocom ICT Award 2012 and many more.

    Punit Goenka was conferred the ‘Outstanding Contribution to Media’ award at the Managing India Awards hosted by AIMA in 2018. He has also received Business Today ‘Best CEO Award’ in the Media and Entertainment category for 2016, MIPTV’s Médaille d'Honneur Award 2016, Economic Times ‘40 Under Forty’ India’s Hottest Business Leaders Award 2014, the ‘Young CEO Award’ by CEO India magazine in 2015 and the IAA Leadership Award 2014 under the category of ‘Media Person of the Year Award’. Goenka has also been recognized as the ‘Entrepreneur of the Year’ during the Asia Pacific Entrepreneurship Awards 2014. Punit was felicitated as the ‘IMPACT Person of the Year’ in 2014.

    Speaking on his new role as the President of IAA, Mr. Goenka said, “It is an honour for me to take over the mantle of leading the India Chapter of IAA. I am humbled by the faith and trust that my friends and colleagues from the Industry have bestowed on me. It will be my sincere endeavour to work towards strengthening the India Chapter of this prestigious association, taking up initiatives that address key industry concerns and are aimed at enhancing the ecosystem.”

    Outgoing President Ramesh Narayan said "I am delighted that Punit Goenka is taking over as President IAA. His well-known leadership skills and the respect he commands in our industry will undoubtedly take the IAA India Chapter to greater heights. Shashi Sinha is a doyen of the advertising industry and a known performer in industry Associations. The combination is unbeatable.”

    Srinivasan Swamy, President Elect IAA Global and Chairman, RK Swamy BBDO said "Punit Goenka is wonderful leader to have in the year when India will host the 44th. IAA World Congress in Kochi in February 2019. I am very happy that such a distinguished person has taken over the responsibility of leading IAA. It augurs well for the India Chapter.”