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Tag: ZILS

  • ZILS announces Zee Institute of Media Arts

    ZILS announces Zee Institute of Media Arts

    MUMBAI: The education arm of ZEE Network, Zee Interactive Learning Systems Limited (ZILS) has announced their new initiative – Zee Institute of Media Arts, a training institute targeted at aspirants looking at a career in films and television.

    The institute will conduct courses on direction, cinematography, acting, writing, production, sound, editing, computer graphics and a variety of courses related to entertainment.

    “The potential growth, the entertainment sector is witnessing and the dearth of professionals has lead to a huge demand for training and education in this domain, with special emphasis on films and TV. The combined strengths of ZILS, an established player for over a decade in education and training and ZEE Network, a media conglomerate in the domain of TV/film entertainment provide a valuable proposition to the student enrolled at ZIMA,” said ZILS CEO A. K. Khetan in an official release.

    These courses will be conducted at the ZIMA centre in Mumbai that is equipped with advanced learning systems. The centre is set to open shortly at Lokhandwala, Andheri West, the hub of entertainment Industry in Mumbai.

    Admissions to the various courses have begun, the classes for which will commence from the first week of July 2004. Students who enrol will have the privilege of being taught by prominent personalities of the Indian film Industry, informs the release.

    The teaching methodology is designed such that students develop skills through classroom sessions, practical hands on sessions, studio round ups, film screenings, workshops and guest lectures. Assessments for the certificate courses will be done through basic theory and practical training, project films, monthly assessment, semester performance and a final exam.

    Apart form the regular one-year course, ZIMA will also offer short-term 6 to 8 months courses. To ensure the quality of students, the selection will be done through an entrance exam, assessment of a film and interview, adds the release.

  • Zee seeks to clean convergence adventure from balance sheet

    MUMBAI: It is finally taking a hit in its balance sheet for its adventurous forays during the peak of the dot com and convergence craze.
    Subhash Chandra’s Zee Telefilms Ltd (ZTL) is planning to write off the value of ZTL’s investment of Rs 614.5 million in its wholly owned subsidiaries, Econnect India Ltd (EIL) and Zee Interactive Learning Systems Ltd (ZILS).
    Consequent to this, ZTL has proposed to effect a corresponding reduction in its reserves and surplus by Rs 612.2 million to Rs 34483.6 million.
    Breakup of ZTL’s investments in EIL and ZILS:
    EIL    Rs 210 million (2,10,00,000 equity shares of Rs. 10/- each)
    ZILS    Rs 404.5 million (19,26,413 equity shares of Rs. 10/- each at a premium of Rs. 200/- per share)
    Investments written off by Rs 614.5 million.
    Reserves and surplus reduced by Rs 612.2 million.
    Zee has already got board approval for the same. Now it is seeking its shareholders nod too, through an extraordinary general meeting scheduled to be held on 8 August 2003.
    The move comes in the wake of a major capital reduction in EIL and ZILS, both of which have incurred heavy losses. The company has admitted that the two companies’ net worth has been totally eroded in its notice to shareholders.
    While EIL has a paid up share capital of Rs 210 million, the net worth of ZILS is pegged at Rs 405.3 million comprising of paid up capital of Rs 20 million and Reserves and Surplus of Rs 385.3 million (on account of its shares being issued at a premium of Rs 200 each to ZTL).
    The accumulated losses and outstanding miscellaneous expenses of the two subsidiaries as on 31 December 2002 are as given below:
    Subsidiary    Accumulated losses    Miscellaneous expense not written off
    EIL    163,957,067    43,397,962
    ZILS    413,909,000    13,810,000
    Under the proposal, the ZTL board says it wants to extinguish the losses of EIL by reducing its paid up equity share capital from Rs 210 million to Rs 2.6 million.
    Similarly, ZILS will also undertake a capital reduction from Rs 20 million consisting of 2 million equity shares to Rs 500,000. The Rs 385.2 million which it got from its issue of shares to ZTL at a premium of Rs 200 per share will be shown as a credit in the balance sheet.
    ZTL has said that the losses in Zils are on account of a general slowdown in the information technology business globally and those in EIL to a general slowdown in the dotcom business. This news comes in the aftermath of the dotcom slaughter, which left many Internet ventures in ruins. However, it should be noted here that regionally and globally, IT education, which was the mainstay of ZILS, was not greatly affected by the dotcom bust. Did the ZILS management follow an incorrect business model?
    Despite the fact that Econnect has closed down a number of unremunerative channels on the portal and has been focusing on entertainment portals to supplement the business of its parent company ZTL, the company has not started making profits yet.
    ZILS also has not been financially strong enough to generate profits even as recent efforts at non-performing operations and assets were discontinued. This despite the fact that ZILS has also closed down a number of loss making centers and has restructured the business to focus on the export of software and content development. 
    It is pertinent to note though, that the Zee Group has been plugging its KidZee foray into pre-primary education on its television channels with a plan to roll out 100 centres through the franchising route. The kids education initiative is being charted through ZILS.
    The Zee management says the current accounting exercise will not impact its ability to service its liability in respect of the paid up or unpaid share capital.
    Market analysts say the markets have already factored in losses incurred by subsidiaries of Zee Telefilms and don’t expect any reactions to the resultant capital reduction in ZTL. Following the write-off, the current assets position is expected to be more in line with Zee’s present financial position.
    (Figures have been approximated to one decimal place)

  • Zee issues notice to BSE on board meet

    Zee issues notice to BSE on board meet

    Zee Telefilms Ltd today issued a notice to the Bombay Stock Exchange that it has scheduled a meeting of its board of directors for 1 February, 2002, to consider and review the corporate structure of the company.

    It was in September that Zee Telefilms president (corporate finance and strategy) Rajesh Jain had said the company would be reducing the number of its subsidiaries from 22 to between 10 and 12 in line with its overall corporate restructuring plans.

    “Over a period of time, we will rationalise the number of our subsidiary companies for maximising synergies,” Jain had said then.

    The move will align the businesses of the media conglomerate under three broad heads: Content, access and education � as proposed by management consultants AT Kearney.

    Taking up the example of Zees access business, Jain said this business comprises Siti cable which is a wholly-owned subsidiary of ZTL. Siti cable, in turn, has a wholly-owned subsidiary called Zee Interactive Multimedia Ltd. Zee plans to merge these two companies to bring the access function under one umbrella.

    While the education business is conducted via a single company called Zee Interactive Learning Systems (ZILS) all the remaining subsidiaries perform the crucial content business, both in India and overseas, he said.

    The move by Zee Telefilms to further rationalise its large number of subsidiaries follows divestment of its stake last year in three subsidiaries  Buddha Films LTD, Zee Sports LTD and Zee Publishing Ltd.

    In line with this restructuring exercise, e-Connect India LTD, which is at present a wholly-owned subsidiary of ZTL, may be merged with ZILS, for distribution functions, the holding company Patco may be merged with the direct-to-home marketing company EL-Zee.

    ZTL has eight wholly-owned subsidiaries in India including Patco, EL-Zee Television LTD, Siti cable, ZIML, e-Connect India, ZILS besides two regional channel companies in Dakshin Media LTD (Tamil) and Kaveri Entertainment LTD (Kannada).

    Its overseas subsidiaries include Zee Multimedia Worldwide LTD British Virgin Islands (ZMWLBVI) which is the holding company of ZMWL Mauritius and others. ZTL holds 50 per cent stake each in Winterhealth Company LTD which is the holding company for Asia Today Ltd.

    Other ZTL subsidiaries functioning abroad include Expand Fast Holding BVI (which is the broadcasting company for Zee Music, Alpha and English channels) and Zee Multimedia Worldwide, Mauritius.

    Zee Telefilms had last year appointed Kearney which suggested many changes in the then organisational structure including downsizing the media giants manpower, realigning businesses under the three distinct business heads with their respective CEOs and sprucing up programming on the flagship channel Zee TV. 

  • ZILS focus on Zed Career Academy

    ZILS focus on Zed Career Academy

    Zee Interactive Learning Systems Ltd, the multimedia education subsidiary of Zee Telefilms, is currently in the middle of a major drive to increase awareness around its Zed Career Academy.

     

    The initiative is part of the increased activity being witnessed in ZILS after the twin appointments recently of promoter Subhash Chandra’s son Amit Goenka as managing director and Dilip Mahapatra as COO. As director of learning centers, Mahapatra has been instrumental in expanding Zed Career Academy from 156 centres to a 300-plus strong nationwide ground network of comprehensive learning network consisting of learning web portals, multimedia and the print, supported by a network of learning centres, equipped with interactive learning, across South Asia with the capability to address a variety of learning needs, an official release states. While Mahapatra handles day-to-day operations, Goenka’s brief is to drive the business of ZILS, official sources say.

     

    And in what is termed as a long-term relationship, ad agency SSC&B has been assigned the task of handling press publicity. The main focus is on print campaigns, which are being done through inserts in newspapers. Zee organises which paper and on what date they will appear while SSC&B provides the design. The agency is positioning Zed Career Academy as a “unique interactive computer learning institute” with the tagline – Classrooms of the future.

     

    ZILS is also concentrating on below the line activities. For example, it is organising seminars in colleges. They also run show reels in cinemas, both in the suburbs and in the city. Touch screen kiosks have also been set up in some locations. The possibility of hoardings in important city locations is also being studied, the sources say. On the television front ZILS is regularly being promoted on through the Zee bouquet.

  • Zee Interactive launches virtual classroom distance education

    Zee Interactive launches virtual classroom distance education

    Zee Interactive Learning Systems Ltd (ZILS), in a pioneering effort which integrates video and television with the interactive capabilities of the Internet, today announced the launch of I-Cell.

     

    A “broadband based interactive learning technology,” I-Cell aims to bring the best of expertise to thousands of students at different centres connected via a dedicated V-SAT (very small aperture terminal) network that will help them to see, hear and speak to their teachers live.

     

    The network uses a sophisticated interactive management system customised for the learning applications. It incorporates state-of-the-art features, which ensures both students comfort and teacher control over the virtual classroom environment.

     

    Speaking at the press conference in Mumbai to announce the launch, Uma Ganesh, president & CEO, ZILS, a 100 per cent subsidiary of Zee Telefilms, said: “The V-SAT based interactive systems is yet another initiative of ZILS to achieve our vision of delivering a unique learning experience through technology to multitudes of Indians. ZILS intends to bring about a quantum change in the quality of education in the country, which is facing the constraints of expert faculty and inadequate rigour in academic delivery. An estimated 100,000 students will be able to benefit by this technology in the first phase,” Ganesh said.

     

    Besides providing a rich learning experience to the students who enroll in the over 300 Zed Career Academies, ” I-Cell ” will also be used to support distance education programms of leading universities in the country. “This will transform correspondence courses into collaborative learning actively facilitated by expert faculty in the closed subject,” Dilip Mahapatra, director, Learning Centres, said.

     

    The Interactive Learning Technology services of ZILS will also enable high-speed Internet access and download of educational content even in remote parts of the country. ZILS has built a comprehensive portal ‘zeeleam.com’ with verticals for school, colleges and corporate which will be integrated with the V-SAT network.

     

    ZILS with this technology plans to offer unique training solutions for employees of corporates, with multiple locations which will not only make the training more effective, it will also save cost of time, travel & other resources, Mahapatra said.

     

    All operations will be coordinated from a central hub in Noida, outside New Delhi, Ganesh said. Initially there will be 30 centres which will go up to 100 within a year and the aim at present is to have 300 centres, Ganesh added.

     

    ZILS organised a real time exercise with an instructor sitting in Noida for the press to show how the concept worked. The potential is certainly immense. There is however, still the problem of broadband delivery. If that issue can be resolved, ZILS is definitely a project which may prove invaluable in the furtherance of education.

     

    There are also statutory issues that have to be clarified. VSNL can take issue with ZILS over its using the Net for voice telephony. VSNL does not condone the independent use of voice on the Net at present.