GECs

Chandra’s New Growth Recipe

Published

24 years ago

March 13, 2002

No one seems to be knowing this piece of wisdom better than Zee Telefilms chairman Subhash Chandra. The doughty businessman is fighting back. And how. Over the past six months, the goateed entrepreneur who brought Hindi satellite entertainment television to India, has unveiled a new strategy: growth through alliances, acquisitions and mergers.

First, he did a distribution deal with Turner Broadcasting late last year, wherein he brought in the Turner channels – HBO, CNN, and Cartoon Network – adding tremendously to the Zee Network subscription bouquet pushed to cable TV operators.

He followed that with an inconceivable deal: he acquired ETC Networks, which owns the rights to ETC Punjabi and ETC Music, and the telecast rights to Holy Sikh prayer, Gurbani, in the Golden Temple. He paid Rs 252.15 million for a 68.32 per cent stake in ETC. Chandra expects a major foreign exchange inflow through subscription revenues from this deal. Zee estimates say it has 150,000 subscribers each in the UK and the USA and another 50,000 in Canada. Working with a subscription rate of about $ 20 a month that sources close to the deal say will be the charge for etc Punjabi, that gives a potential earning of $ 84 million a year.

When you are pushed back to the ropes, you should pull up your defences, pause momentarily before you launch into a counter against your opponent. That‘s the piece of advice many a boxing coach may have given their pupils.

Then yesterday Chandra announced another deal which once again sent reverberations through the industry. He said Zee Telefilms was going to acquire a large stake in animation and film company Padmalaya Telefilms. The cost 590 million for a 64.3 per cent stake in PTL‘s holding company, Padmalaya Enterprises Pvt Ltd (PEPL).

Industry sources say the network has just about started out on its acquisition trail. Other deals are planned to achieve his goal of being a vertically integrated media company.

Let‘s take a look at what he has achieved so far in his vertical integration plans:

Entertainment Broadcasting: Zee Telefilms, with its channels in Hindi, English, and regional languages.

Cable TV: Siticable, which commands a subscriber base nationally of about 3 million homes.

Films: under the Zee Telefilms umbrella, which had a super success in Gaddar – Ek Prem Katha and now under the Padmalaya Telefilms umbrella.

Theme parks: Entertainment complexes in major metros under the E-Citi brand, and the Water Kingdom and Essel World brands.

Publishing: An interest in Asian Age.

Education: The Zed Learning initiative.

Retailing: Agrani iSwitch stores, which will retail everything from mobile phones to convergence devices, to computers to even addressable systems.

Manufacturing: Essel-Shyam, which is in telecom and V-Sat Equipment Manufacture.

Real Estate: Essel Construction

As recently as mid-last year, the Chandra was being dismissed of as a player who had been outmaneuvered by his rivals and had misread the market. His big convergence, expansion and fund-raising plans had fizzled out. His satellite telephony project was left on the shelf, thanks to the US government sanctions on US companies sharing information on sensitive areas such as satellites

His mother channel Zee TV was looking tacky, losing marketshare consistently to rivals Star and Sony. The Zee Telefilms share price had dropped to a low, and his associations with certain stockmarket operators were being examined under a magnifying lens.

The company looked weak on the human resources front, with employee morale being on a low. Siticable was reportedly losing subscribers to rivals. Report after report in the media had highlighted how Chandra had lost his Midas Touch and that he was facing an uphill task.

But Chandra did not let things weigh him down. He admitted he had gone wrong in a story to a leading business magazine. And he went about trying to right the situation. He brought in a new CEO Sandeep Goyal, who launched a glut of new programmes in a hurry which failed to find favour with viewers. But Chandra did not let this faze him either.

Along with Goyal, he has been gradually restructuring Zee Telefilms, bringing in new people to tackle any weaknesses. Among them: TV producer and writer Vinta Nanda, who is heading the ideation team to help bring back Zee TV to its glory days. Additionally, the network has reworked its regional language bouquet, making Channel IDs more contemporary, with modern programming that seems to be working with viewers.

Clearly, Chandra is looking at adding more value to Zee Telefilms. He has for some time being talking about bringing in a global media firm in as a strategic partner into Zee Telefilms, even if it means acceding control. Zee Telefilms today looks a lot more mouth watering than it did a year or two ago, because of the acquisition route that has been followed. There is real value in the deals he has struck, unlike earlier there were only plans. Chandra has acquired good products, brands at reasonable prices, and hence cut down on set up time and costs.

It‘s not as if his entire growth map has been completed. He has to fill the following holes:
* Publishing, promotion and merchandising of successful television shows.
* A theatrical chain (which could be filled through the E-Citi chain).

Unconfirmed reports are that he has more or less agreed with AOL-Time Warner to sign up for a DTH venture for the Indian market. Additionally, there is likely to be the deal with the same global behemoth, wherein it could take a stake in Zee Telefilms. The visit of AOL-Time Warner CEO Gerald Levin and the meeting he is having with him in Delhi today are indicators that things are moving ahead between the two.

Some see the deal – when it happens with AOL-Time Warner – as a sellout by Chandra. But they could not be more wrong. Chandra is among those businessmen who are unlikely to disappear over the horizon. Expect him to lead from the front.

All these indicators are exciting investors and analysts. Analyst after analyst that indiantelevision.com spoke has changed his recommendation on the Zee Telefilms stock from sell to hold or buy.

Related Topics:cable TV operators Cartoon Network CNN Dish TV distribution DTH HBO Subhash Chandra Turner Channels Zee Telefilms.

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GECs

Sun TV posts steady revenue, profit dips amid rising costs

Published

4 weeks ago

February 7, 2026

indiantelevision.com Team

CHENNAI: It appears there is still plenty of Sun to go around in the Indian broadcasting landscape, even if a few clouds have drifted across the financial horizon. Sun TV Network Limited, the Chennai-based behemoth that dominates airwaves across seven languages, has tuned into a steady frequency for the quarter ending 31 December 2025. While the numbers show a resilient revenue stream, the company’s latest broadcast reveals a few static-filled spots in its profit margins.

For the quarter in question, Sun TV’s total income climbed by approximately 3.31 per cent, reaching Rs 958.39 crores compared to Rs 927.66 crores in the same period last year. Revenue from operations also saw a healthy bump, rising 4.32 per cent to Rs 827.87 crores.

The real star of the show, however, was domestic subscription revenue, which surged by 8.86 per cent to Rs 472.99 crores. This growth highlights the enduring appetite for Sun’s diverse content, which spans everything from daily soaps in Tamil and Telugu to its burgeoning OTT platform, Sun NXT.

Despite the revenue growth, the picture quality of the profits was slightly blurred by rising costs. Eitda for the quarter stood at Rs 409.79 crores, a dip from the Rs 432.14 crores recorded in the corresponding 2024 quarter.

The profit after tax followed a similar downward trend, settling at Rs 316.44 crores against the previous year’s Rs 347.17 crores. Advertisers also seemed to have switched channels slightly, with advertisement revenues sliding to Rs 291.94 crores from Rs 332.17 crores.

Sun TV isn’t just playing on home turf; its sporting ambitions are becoming increasingly global. The network now owns three major cricket franchises: SunRisers Hyderabad in the IPL, SunRisers Eastern Cape in SA20, and SunRisers Leeds Limited in The Hundred (UK).

The foray into British cricket saw the company acquire a 100 per cent stake in Northern Superchargers Limited (now SunRisers Leeds) for approximately £100 million. While these franchises brought in Rs 14.61 crores this quarter, they also incurred corresponding costs of Rs 19.89 crores. Over the nine-month period, however, the cricket business is a major player, contributing Rs 487.64 crores in income.

The company’s bottom line took a minor hit from exceptional items, including a Rs 4.23 crore charge related to India’s new Labour Codes, which consolidated 29 existing labour laws. Additionally, the consolidated results reflect the amalgamation of Kal Radio Limited with Udaya FM, a move that became effective in May 2025 and required a restatement of previous figures.

To keep investors from reaching for the remote, the Board has declared an interim dividend of 50 per cent, that’s Rs 2.50 per equity share. This comes on top of earlier dividends of 100 per cent (Rs 5.00) and 75 per cent (Rs 3.75) declared in August and November 2025, respectively.

With a massive cash reserve and a dominant position in the South Indian market, Sun TV continues to shine, even if the current quarter required a bit of fine-tuning. For now, shareholders can sit back, relax, and enjoy the show.

GECs

SPNI hires Pradeep M with responsibility for standards and practices in the south

Published

1 month ago

February 3, 2026

indiantelevision.com Team

MUMBAI: Sony Pictures Networks India has hired Pradeep M to handle standards and practices for its southern market, bolstering its compliance bench as content rules tighten across platforms.

Pradeep, who has nearly 13 years in the entertainment media industry, takes on responsibility for content standards in a region that is both linguistically diverse and regulatorily sensitive. His brief spans television, OTT, sports and digital platforms.

He specialises in content review and compliance across shows, commercials, on-air promotions and international feeds, ensuring alignment with broadcast, OTT and advertising codes. He has also handled brand approvals and sponsorship integrations for heavily regulated categories—including online gaming, cryptocurrency, NFTs and lottery brands—offering guidance shaped by fast-evolving rules.

Before Sony, Pradeep worked at Jiostar as assistant manager for content regulation from November 2024 to January 2026. Earlier, he spent nearly seven years at Viacom18 Media, rising from senior executive to assistant manager in content regulation between 2018 and 2024. There he served as a key compliance touchpoint for the network.

His career began on the creative side. Between 2013 and 2018, he worked as executive producer on feature films and television shows, gaining hands-on exposure to production. He also had a stint as a non-fiction show director at Star TV Network in 2017. That mix of creative and regulatory experience gives him a dual lens—how content is made and how it must be managed.

As regulators, platforms and advertisers all tighten the screws, broadcasters are investing more in gatekeepers who can keep creativity within the lines. Sony’s latest hire shows where the industry is heading: in the streaming age, compliance is content’s quiet co-star.

GECs

Colors Gujarati rolls out two new shows from 2nd February

Published

1 month ago

February 2, 2026

indiantelevision.com Team

MUMBAI: Colors Gujarati has unveiled two new prime-time shows as part of its push to strengthen culturally rooted storytelling for regional audiences. The channel will premiere the devotional saga Gangasati–Paanbai at 7.30 pm, followed by the romantic family drama Manmelo at 9.30 pm from February 2.

Inspired by Gujarat’s spiritual and literary heritage, Gangasati–Paanbai: Shyam Dhun No Navo Adhyay draws from the timeless bhajans and poetry of saint-poetesses Gangasati and Paanbai, weaving devotion and human values into a contemporary narrative aimed at younger viewers.

In contrast, Manmelo explores love and responsibility across social divides, tracing the lives of three middle-class sisters whose relationships with three affluent brothers reshape their futures. The show delves into ambition, emotional conflict and the realities of married life, offering a layered family drama.

A Colors Gujarati spokesperson said the new launches reflect the channel’s commitment to authentic Gujarati entertainment that blends cultural values with modern storytelling.