ITV

Tag: Zeel

  • Zee gets aggressive with dittoTV relaunch

    Zee gets aggressive with dittoTV relaunch

    MUMBAI: Media watchers have been speculating for some time about what Zee Entertainment Enterprises Ltd (ZEEL) would do in the live and linear OTT and VOD space with its dittoTV service. The reason: even as rivals Hotstar, Voot and others such as Hooq, YuppTV seemed to be having strategic direction, dittoTV seemed to be going adrift.

    The riposte came from the Zee management yesterday with its announcement that it would be launching dittoTV with a bouquet of 100 plus channels at a price point of just Rs 20 per month.  As part of the relaunch Zee Digital Convergence Ltd (ZDCL) has re-positioned dittoTV as desh kaTV with a promise to make live television available to every Indian via any device – viz phones, tablet or PC. The price gets even more lip smacking for users subscribing for three months (Rs 50), six months (Rs 90) and annually (Rs 170). 

    The platform has tied up with major Indian broadcasters with the exception of the SunTV group and Star India giving it a portfolio of 100 plus Hindi, English and regional language channels, encompassing general entertainment, sports, movies, news and lifestyle on board.

    “With the new avatar of dittoTV, we aim to change the media landscape to suit the evolving media consumption preferences of consumers. It will allow users to control where they watch television in a way that has not been possible before. We are proud to present a platform that will help scale up this transformation by making it affordable for people across a wide economic spectrum,” opines Zeel MD and CEO Punit Goenka.

    dittoTV business head Archana Anand gives the rational for the competitive and low pricing. Says she: “We really wanted to go mass and affordable with this pricing.  We see it serving as your first and only screen, as your second screen or just your TV on the go! Keeping the Indian landscape in the mind, dittoTV will soon be available in all regional languages. A huge aspirational audience of ours is college students who we believe will use this especially given the Wifi in the colleges. They are the specific TGs that we are chasing. We have found that there is a huge need gap in hostels and we intend to be at youth festivals and various events to make sure that ditto is their one stop entertainment destination.”

    She points out to dittoTV’s adaptive technology which will adjust to a range of internet speeds in order to deliver a seamless viewing experience, making it suitable for both urban and rural markets. A broad marketing campaign – which observers say will include TVCs on the Zee network, Siticable and dishTV – has been drawn out to push the #deshkatv and #beeskaTV to the potential target audience.  

    In a bid to encourage sampling of dittoTV, ZEEL has partnered with Birla group owned telecom provider Idea Cellular. Under this, a promotional offer has been drawn up which allows customers in Idea 3G and 4G provider circles to subscribe to dittoTV free of cost, along with select monthly data packs until 31 July 2016.

    “With the rapid rollout of our 4G services and increased penetration of smartphones in the country, we are providing our customers an array of rich digital services to meet their demand for engaging apps and content,” explains Idea Cellular chief marketing officer Sashi Shankar. “TV being synonymous with entertainment for the Indian masses, we are excited to partner with dittoTV to enable consumers to carry their entertainment wherever they go.”

    Anand adds that dittoTV has sewn up carrier billing deals with almost all the telecom providers. Says she: “It’s not just with Idea. But we are glad to have them on board to bundle dittoTV with their data cards.  We have reached out to a wonderful telecom partner for our distribution. They also see this as valid proposition for them because there is nothing more massy which consumes data than TV. They see it as a good service for their subscribers and in the process getting data consumed. So, there is an increased synergy between the two.”

    dittoTV has also reached out to other service providers within the Essel group – Siti Cable and ITZ Cash – to give it a retail push and make it available to subscribers. 

    Will the low rates of dittoTV spark off a price war in this segment? The jury is out. A media observer states that it is quite possible that rivals such as YuppTV, Airtel’s PocketTV may have to reduce what they charge to consumers.  While YuppTV’s larger offering of 200 plus channels (it also offers SunTV channels) is priced at Rs 99 a month, Airtel’s PocketTV is priced at Rs 45 a month for a bouquet of 150 plus channels.  And then there is the Reliance Jio juggernaut which is set to roll with its much larger channel portfolio JioPlay. The pricing for JioPlay has not yet been revealed but observers expect it to bring about a paradigm shift.

    Anand, on her part, is not letting the competitive noise frazzle her. “Reliance is going to disrupt everything in the broadband ecosystem. So I don’t let that worry me at all,” says she. “We are focused on offering our customer a service that’s good and that’s ditto for television, which means, offering television to them wherever they go.” 

    Amen to that!

  • Zeel ties with Dish and Sling TV to expand reach in US

    Zeel ties with Dish and Sling TV to expand reach in US

    MUMBAI:  Zee Entertainment Enterprises Limited (Zeel) announced a landmark agreement with Dish and Sling TV to further strengthen its presence in the US Territory the media conglomerate announced in a release.  As a part of the agreement, Dish and Sling TV will carry 27 new channels in addition to the existing 10 Zee channels, which will be available in varied languages like Spanish, Portuguese, Arabic, Hindi, Bengali, Marathi, Tamil, Bhojpuri, Oriya, Rajasthani and Urdu. Post this alliance, the total number of Zee channels available in the US market will be 37 with a combined reach of 52 million or 5.2 crore homes (that includes English and Spanish HHs).

    Further, Sling TV and Dish will be the ‘exclusive provider’ in the US of Zee’s premium on-demand library, which includes movies and over 400 additional popular video titles.  Over time, Sling TV will become the exclusive over-the-top (OTT) provider in the US for all but one of Zee’s South Asian channels. In the coming months, Zee will transition viewers from its direct-to-consumer services to Sling TV or to authenticated access only.

    Speaking on the partnership, Zeel CEO of International Broadcast Business, Amit Goenka said, “America is one of the most important markets for our International business. The deal with Dish further consolidates our leadership position and is in line with our ambitious 2020 goals. We are very delighted to announce that with this deal not only has our reach in the Mainstream American market for our Z Living network quadrupled, but we will also now be serving the high potential Spanish language subscribers with two 24×7 networks. With this deal we will cater to 16 different language groups in America across 5 genres. Zee and Dish have been natural partners for the last 18 years and we both share our vision on future growth of pay TV in USA.”

    “Our agreement with Zee enables us to provide a vast amount of entertainment to fans of South Asian content, while also giving customers a more streamlined way to access and enjoy both linear and on-demand content,” said Sling TV & Dish senior vice President of Programming Chris Kuelling. “Zee shares our goal of growing the South Asian market, and together we are able to better serve this community, as well as the other language groups served by Zee.”

    To broaden the options available to fans of South Asian content, Sling TV and Dish are launching a new ‘Hindi Gold Pack,’ which will contain all of the Zee Hindi channels, plus other leading Hindi channels. In addition, &TV, one of the most requested Hindi channels by current Sling TV and Dish customers, will be added to the existing lineup. Zee’s on-demand content will be available at no additional charge to Dish and Sling TV subscribers with the Hindi Gold Pack.

    Dish and Sling TV will also add two Spanish-language channels, Z Living Español and Zee TV Español, and two Brazilian channels, Zee TV Portuguese and Z Living Portuguese, to their respective line-ups.  The new Spanish channels can be found on Dish in the DishLATINO Clasico, DishLATINO Dos, DishLATINO Plus and DishLATINO Max packages, and the Best of Spanish TV package on Sling Latino.

    Zee Alwan and Zee Aflam, two popular Arabic channels will launch in the Dish Arabic Super Elite and the Arabic Mosaic Pack on Sling TV as well.

  • Zeel ties with Dish and Sling TV to expand reach in US

    Zeel ties with Dish and Sling TV to expand reach in US

    MUMBAI:  Zee Entertainment Enterprises Limited (Zeel) announced a landmark agreement with Dish and Sling TV to further strengthen its presence in the US Territory the media conglomerate announced in a release.  As a part of the agreement, Dish and Sling TV will carry 27 new channels in addition to the existing 10 Zee channels, which will be available in varied languages like Spanish, Portuguese, Arabic, Hindi, Bengali, Marathi, Tamil, Bhojpuri, Oriya, Rajasthani and Urdu. Post this alliance, the total number of Zee channels available in the US market will be 37 with a combined reach of 52 million or 5.2 crore homes (that includes English and Spanish HHs).

    Further, Sling TV and Dish will be the ‘exclusive provider’ in the US of Zee’s premium on-demand library, which includes movies and over 400 additional popular video titles.  Over time, Sling TV will become the exclusive over-the-top (OTT) provider in the US for all but one of Zee’s South Asian channels. In the coming months, Zee will transition viewers from its direct-to-consumer services to Sling TV or to authenticated access only.

    Speaking on the partnership, Zeel CEO of International Broadcast Business, Amit Goenka said, “America is one of the most important markets for our International business. The deal with Dish further consolidates our leadership position and is in line with our ambitious 2020 goals. We are very delighted to announce that with this deal not only has our reach in the Mainstream American market for our Z Living network quadrupled, but we will also now be serving the high potential Spanish language subscribers with two 24×7 networks. With this deal we will cater to 16 different language groups in America across 5 genres. Zee and Dish have been natural partners for the last 18 years and we both share our vision on future growth of pay TV in USA.”

    “Our agreement with Zee enables us to provide a vast amount of entertainment to fans of South Asian content, while also giving customers a more streamlined way to access and enjoy both linear and on-demand content,” said Sling TV & Dish senior vice President of Programming Chris Kuelling. “Zee shares our goal of growing the South Asian market, and together we are able to better serve this community, as well as the other language groups served by Zee.”

    To broaden the options available to fans of South Asian content, Sling TV and Dish are launching a new ‘Hindi Gold Pack,’ which will contain all of the Zee Hindi channels, plus other leading Hindi channels. In addition, &TV, one of the most requested Hindi channels by current Sling TV and Dish customers, will be added to the existing lineup. Zee’s on-demand content will be available at no additional charge to Dish and Sling TV subscribers with the Hindi Gold Pack.

    Dish and Sling TV will also add two Spanish-language channels, Z Living Español and Zee TV Español, and two Brazilian channels, Zee TV Portuguese and Z Living Portuguese, to their respective line-ups.  The new Spanish channels can be found on Dish in the DishLATINO Clasico, DishLATINO Dos, DishLATINO Plus and DishLATINO Max packages, and the Best of Spanish TV package on Sling Latino.

    Zee Alwan and Zee Aflam, two popular Arabic channels will launch in the Dish Arabic Super Elite and the Arabic Mosaic Pack on Sling TV as well.

  • TDSAT directs Zeel to sign RIO based interconnect pacts with five MSOs

    TDSAT directs Zeel to sign RIO based interconnect pacts with five MSOs

    NEW DELHI: Five multi-system operators have been asked by the Telecom Disputes Settlement and Appellate Tribunal to pay Zee Entertainment Enterprise Ltd (Zeel) a sum of Rs 3 crore to enable the signing of an RIO based interconnect agreement.

    Chairman Aftab Alam and member B B Srivastava said the agreement would be from 19 May, the date from which the petitioners are operating on that basis.

    Listing the matter to come up on 16 August, the tribunal on 2 June made it clear that both the payment of Rs 3 crores and the direction for execution of the RIO based agreement is without prejudice to the rights and contentions of the parties and will abide by the final result of the petition.

    The petitions were filed by Fastway Transmission Pvt Ltd, Jagsumi Perspectives Pvt Ltd, Novabase Digital Entertainment Pvt. Ltd, and Radiant Digitek Network Pvt. Ltd against a general notice asking all the MSOs who on the date of issuance (11 May) of the fresh RIO by Zee Entertainment did not have a subsisting interconnect agreement with it to execute an agreement based on the RIO. 

    The petitioners were willing to execute an RIO based agreement until the validity and legality of the RIO coming under challenge in this petition and several other petitions on that issue is finally decided by the tribunal.

    But the tribunal said the difficulty was that Zeel said the petitioners owe the sum of Rs 5.4 crores and odd and unless the dues are cleared, it is not inclined even to enter into the RIO based inter connect agreement. But the petitioners say the dues, if properly worked out, would come down to Rs 1,66,16,726, which the petitioners are agreeable to pay.

  • TDSAT directs Zeel to sign RIO based interconnect pacts with five MSOs

    TDSAT directs Zeel to sign RIO based interconnect pacts with five MSOs

    NEW DELHI: Five multi-system operators have been asked by the Telecom Disputes Settlement and Appellate Tribunal to pay Zee Entertainment Enterprise Ltd (Zeel) a sum of Rs 3 crore to enable the signing of an RIO based interconnect agreement.

    Chairman Aftab Alam and member B B Srivastava said the agreement would be from 19 May, the date from which the petitioners are operating on that basis.

    Listing the matter to come up on 16 August, the tribunal on 2 June made it clear that both the payment of Rs 3 crores and the direction for execution of the RIO based agreement is without prejudice to the rights and contentions of the parties and will abide by the final result of the petition.

    The petitions were filed by Fastway Transmission Pvt Ltd, Jagsumi Perspectives Pvt Ltd, Novabase Digital Entertainment Pvt. Ltd, and Radiant Digitek Network Pvt. Ltd against a general notice asking all the MSOs who on the date of issuance (11 May) of the fresh RIO by Zee Entertainment did not have a subsisting interconnect agreement with it to execute an agreement based on the RIO. 

    The petitioners were willing to execute an RIO based agreement until the validity and legality of the RIO coming under challenge in this petition and several other petitions on that issue is finally decided by the tribunal.

    But the tribunal said the difficulty was that Zeel said the petitioners owe the sum of Rs 5.4 crores and odd and unless the dues are cleared, it is not inclined even to enter into the RIO based inter connect agreement. But the petitioners say the dues, if properly worked out, would come down to Rs 1,66,16,726, which the petitioners are agreeable to pay.

  • TDSAT: ZEEL not to disconnect signals to Star Broadband Service

    TDSAT: ZEEL not to disconnect signals to Star Broadband Service

    NEW DELHI: The Telecom Disputes Settlement and Appellate Tribunal has directed Zee Entertainment Enterprise Ltd not to give effect to the disconnection notice sent to Star Broadband Services (I) Pvt. Ltd and continue to supply its TV signals in terms of the earlier arrangements subsisting before the issuance of the notice.

    Listing the matter for 9 August, Chairman Justice Aftab Alam and member B B Srivastava felt the validity of the RIO and whether or not it is fully in compliance with the directions of the Tribunal, requires serious consideration.

    It said the expression “earlier subsisting arrangement” would include not only the previous interconnect agreement in writing between the two sides (though it might have expired before the publication of the RIO) but also any carriage agreement / placement agreement / discount agreement etc., in case the latter was co-terminus with the interconnect agreement.

    In the next hearing, the Tribunal may hear the parties and make ‘a proper and equitable interim arrangement till a final decision is rendered on this petition’. However, the Tribunal said “It is made clear in case of any default in payment in terms of the subsisting arrangement, it will be open to the broadcaster to proceed in accordance with law.”

    A reply has been filed on behalf of Zeel. Rejoinder, if any, may be filed within two weeks, the Tribunal said.

    Zeel counsel Tejveer Singh Bhatia had with him in a sealed cover the list of MSOs with whom his client entered into interconnect agreements during the period between the Tribunal’s decision of 7 December ( Noida Software Technology Park Ltd. Vs. M/s ZE Zeel. & Others) and the publication of its RIO on 11 May this year.

    Zeel counsel Meet Malhotra, learned senior counsel appearing for Zee Entertainment submitted that the RIO had been framed and issued directly in pursuance of the Tribunal’s decision and it was being offered on a uniform basis and therefore, there is no reason for the petitioner or for anyone else, not to accept it.

  • TDSAT: ZEEL not to disconnect signals to Star Broadband Service

    TDSAT: ZEEL not to disconnect signals to Star Broadband Service

    NEW DELHI: The Telecom Disputes Settlement and Appellate Tribunal has directed Zee Entertainment Enterprise Ltd not to give effect to the disconnection notice sent to Star Broadband Services (I) Pvt. Ltd and continue to supply its TV signals in terms of the earlier arrangements subsisting before the issuance of the notice.

    Listing the matter for 9 August, Chairman Justice Aftab Alam and member B B Srivastava felt the validity of the RIO and whether or not it is fully in compliance with the directions of the Tribunal, requires serious consideration.

    It said the expression “earlier subsisting arrangement” would include not only the previous interconnect agreement in writing between the two sides (though it might have expired before the publication of the RIO) but also any carriage agreement / placement agreement / discount agreement etc., in case the latter was co-terminus with the interconnect agreement.

    In the next hearing, the Tribunal may hear the parties and make ‘a proper and equitable interim arrangement till a final decision is rendered on this petition’. However, the Tribunal said “It is made clear in case of any default in payment in terms of the subsisting arrangement, it will be open to the broadcaster to proceed in accordance with law.”

    A reply has been filed on behalf of Zeel. Rejoinder, if any, may be filed within two weeks, the Tribunal said.

    Zeel counsel Tejveer Singh Bhatia had with him in a sealed cover the list of MSOs with whom his client entered into interconnect agreements during the period between the Tribunal’s decision of 7 December ( Noida Software Technology Park Ltd. Vs. M/s ZE Zeel. & Others) and the publication of its RIO on 11 May this year.

    Zeel counsel Meet Malhotra, learned senior counsel appearing for Zee Entertainment submitted that the RIO had been framed and issued directly in pursuance of the Tribunal’s decision and it was being offered on a uniform basis and therefore, there is no reason for the petitioner or for anyone else, not to accept it.

  • ZEEL’s legal head Anil Lale quits

    ZEEL’s legal head Anil Lale quits

    MUMBAI: Zee Entertainment Enterprises Ltd (ZEEL)’s Anil Lale has put in his papers and is stepping down from his position as head of legal and group general counsel.

    A source close to the broadcaster informed, “ Anil Lale has officially put down his papers and is currently serving his notice period. He will stay in office till mid July.”

    Lale joined ZEEL on 26 August 2014, where he lead a growing legal team that enabled Zee’s media businesses across the world and managed all related litigation. This included the broadcast business of entertainment and news with a portfolio of 36 channels, international distribution and carriage of television channels across platforms throughout the world and content licensing of television programs, movies and formats across the world.

    Lale’s duties also included legal matters related to content production of television programs and Bollywood films, music label under the brand Zee Music Company where music is produced, acquired and licensed across platforms. Apart from this he was looking after the digital businesses including one of the largest OTT platforms (Ditto TV), commercial web portals and upcoming ventures in the digital space and news print business under the brand DNA.

    Prior joining ZEEL, Lale worked with Viacom 18 as a legal associate vice president.

  • ZEEL’s legal head Anil Lale quits

    ZEEL’s legal head Anil Lale quits

    MUMBAI: Zee Entertainment Enterprises Ltd (ZEEL)’s Anil Lale has put in his papers and is stepping down from his position as head of legal and group general counsel.

    A source close to the broadcaster informed, “ Anil Lale has officially put down his papers and is currently serving his notice period. He will stay in office till mid July.”

    Lale joined ZEEL on 26 August 2014, where he lead a growing legal team that enabled Zee’s media businesses across the world and managed all related litigation. This included the broadcast business of entertainment and news with a portfolio of 36 channels, international distribution and carriage of television channels across platforms throughout the world and content licensing of television programs, movies and formats across the world.

    Lale’s duties also included legal matters related to content production of television programs and Bollywood films, music label under the brand Zee Music Company where music is produced, acquired and licensed across platforms. Apart from this he was looking after the digital businesses including one of the largest OTT platforms (Ditto TV), commercial web portals and upcoming ventures in the digital space and news print business under the brand DNA.

    Prior joining ZEEL, Lale worked with Viacom 18 as a legal associate vice president.

  • ZEEL’s Akash Chawla replaces Pradeep Hejmadi as Business Head of Zee TV

    ZEEL’s Akash Chawla replaces Pradeep Hejmadi as Business Head of Zee TV

    MUMBAI: ZEEL has elevated Akash Chawla and Deepak Rajadhyaksha for key roles in Zee TV to drive the organizations goals.

    In addition to his current portfolio as Business Head- Essel Vision Productions Limited/Zee Studios, Chawla will now also take charge as the Business Head of Zee TV. In his earlier broadcasting stint, Chawla has successfully spearheaded the marketing function for the flagship and national channels like ZeeTV, Zee Cinema and Zee Classic.

    He has also played a pivotal role in the launch of channels like &pictures, Zee Anmol and Zindagi. All the functions of Zee TV like marketing, research and PR will align with Chawla.

    Meanwhile, Deepak Rajadhyaksha, who has been successfully leading the role as the Business Head of Zee Marathi, will now take charge as the Deputy Business Head, Zee TV. He will report to Akash Chawla. The entire programming, OAP and Operations team would align and report to Rajadhyaksha.The duo will work closely with ZEEL – MD & CEO, Punit Goenka to bring Zee TV towards its leadership journey.