MUMBAI: 31 July was an extremely busy day for Zee Entertainment Enterprises Ltd (ZEEL) managing director and CEO Punit Goenka. Conference calls with investment analysts followed by video interviews with various business news channels late into the evening. Hardball questions were asked, he parried them with ease. Congratulations poured in and Punit responded to them all.

This was a confident Punit. Not jubilant, but very businesslike. He sounded like a CEO in charge of his company, in control of its future. It appeared like he had finally emerged out of the shadows of his father the highly accomplished Subhash Chandra.

By the end of it all, Punit, as he is known to all of us, understandably sounded tired. But it was a “good” fatigue.

As committed, he had delivered on his promise to make an announcement before the end of July 2019 about the Essel Group promoter family finding an investor to help them free equity which had been pledged with mutual funds, NBFCs and banks to raise debt to finance their expansion into newer areas.

MUMBAI: Creative Channel Advertising and Marketing (Manoranjan Group) is venturing into the Hindi general entertainment space with the launch of Manoranjan Grand.

The free to air (FTA) Hindi GEC will launch on 15th August. The test signal of the channel is already on. The company had received the licence to launch Manoranjan Grand in February.

This will be the third channel from Manoranjan Group which already owns and operates Manoranjan TV (Hindi movie channel) and Manoranjan Movies (Punjabi movie channel).

Creative Channel Advertising and Marketing president Sahib Chopra said that Manoranjan Grand will look to plug in the gap in the FTA market due to the exit pay-TV broadcasters.

Leading networks like Star India, ZEEL, Sony Pictures Networks India, and Viacom18 have converted their FTA Hindi GEC and movie channels to pay in new tariff regime of the Telecom Regulatory Authority of India (TRAI). Currently, there are two leading FTA Hindi GECs Dangal and Big Magic.

“There is a gap in the market which Manoranjan Grand will fulfill. We see space for a new Hindi GEC in the FTA market,” Chopra said.

Manoranjan Grand will have two hours of original primetime programming on weekdays and three hours on the weekends. Going forward, this will be increased to 5-6 hours during prime-time and afternoon bands.

The channel will focus on crime, thriller and comedy genres. It will be targeted at rural Hindi speaking markets. The key TG would be female audiences.

Chopra said that the company is in talks with direct to home (DTH) as well as cable TV operators for carrying the channels. “We will also look at DD Free Dish as and when a slot comes up for bidding,” he noted.

Going on air from August 15, the channel will be available with all major MSOs, cable and DTH operators, especially in tier II and tier III cities
After the new tariff order (NTO) regime, the demand for the free-to-air (FTA) market is growing rapidly, especially in rural areas, as a result of which several broadcasters are eyeing this space.

Manoranjan Group, which is successfully running two movies channels, Manoranjan TV (Hindi) and Manoranjan Movies (Punjabi), also aims to cash on this burgeoning market.

The group has announced its entry into the GEC category with a new FTA channel, ‘Manoranjan Grand’. The channel will mostly target audiences in smaller towns and rural markets. After the new tariff regime came into effect in February, all leading players decided to convert their FTA GECs into the pay mode and included them in the bouquet of channels they were offering.

As a result of this, the basic pack subscribers of channels (Rs 130) on the cable network were hardly left with any good GEC content. According to experts, the FTA GEC is space is pretty much open for new players and the launch of Manoranjan Grand is a timely move.

From the advertisers’ point of view also, there is hardly any leading FTA GEC channel after the NTO regime that touches the chord with rural and small-time audiences.

According to the data revealed by BARC for the period (Week 30: Saturday, 20th July 2019 to Friday, 26th July 2019) for Across genres ( All platform) Category, Hindi GEC Dangal has Overtook previous week leader Sun TV and regained its leadership position  by clocking 866 mn while the latter one is pulled down to 2nd spot with 852 mn imps. STAR Maa takes a giant leap forward and occupies 3rd spot by garnering 789 mn imps followed  by Hindi GEC Star Plus at 4th spot with 775 mn imps. Hindi GEC Zee TV drops to 5th place with 728 mn imps from its 4th position in previous week. SONY SAB Steps up and captures 6th place with 581 mn imps followed by Tamil GEC Star Vijay and Hindi GEC Colors in 7th and 8th palces clocking 554mn  and 552 mn imps each. Sony Entertainment Televison clocks 532 mn imps and occupies 9th spot while the Sony MAX is seen dropped to 10th place with 501 mn imps.

Mumbai: Chrome Data Analytics and Media’s Optimal+ data has released the comparative study of the performance of various brands in week 29 against week 28. The report divides the performance of brands under three broad categories namely Most Watched ads, Most Aired ads and the Most Liked ads based on analysis of data involving 34000 panel homes across the country.

Most Aired:

Chrome optimal+ study reveals that Santoor Sandal & Turmeric campaign by Santoor has retained its Numero uno position followed by Colgate India’s campaign for Colgate Dental Cream Which hangs on to the runner up position in this week. Sanitary Brand Lizol’s ad Campaign manages to secure 3rd place followed by Trivago’s  ad Campaign in 4th position.  Ad Campaign by Amazon for Amazon prime Video service is seen dropped to 5th position from third place in previous week While the ad campaign by Online Music Streaming App Spofity drops out the list.

MUMBAI: The Telecom Disputes Settlement and Appellate Tribunal (TDSAT) has allowed news channel Kashish Developers Ltd to pursue its representation before the Telecom Regulatory Authority of India (TRAI) regarding the target area of direct-to-home (DTH) operator Tata Sky.

While the news channel operating mainly in Bihar and Jharkhand has yet not accepted to sign the RIO agreement with Tata Sky as required under the new regulations of 2017, the tribunal contended that there is no challenge to the regulations or to the RIO. According to TDSAT, the main challenge appears to be the wisdom of the TRAI in giving liberty to DTH operators to declare their target areas. 

Earlier, Kashish Developers’s learned counsel argued that the target area for the petitioner’s news channels should confine to Bihar and Jharkhand otherwise it may lose on account of lack of pan-India penetration. On the other hand, Tata Sky’s learned counsel submitted that being a DTH platform it has no option but to treat the target area even in respect of the petitioner’s channel as a pan-India channel.  

“In the facts of the case, we are of the considered view that the issues relating to wisdom of the policy can be considered effectively only by the regulator,” the latest order by TDSAT read. Kashish Developers Ltd has already approached TRAI with a representation filed on 29 June.

BENGALURU: The Essel group’s Zee Media Corporation Ltd (ZMCL) reported 29.7 per cent growth in consolidated operating revenue for the quarter ended 30 June 2019 (Q1 2020, quarter or period under review) at Rs 200.66 crore as compared to Rs 154.69 crore for the corresponding year ago quarter Q1 2019 (y-o-y). Growth in numbers was led by 35.7 per cent y-o-y growth in advertising revenue in Q1 2020 at Rs 185.90 crore as compared to Rs 136.97 crore in Q1 2019. Subscription revenue for Q1 2020 increased 1.6 per cent y-o-y to Rs 11.28 crore from Rs 11.10 crore. Other sales and services declined 47.5 per cent y-o-y to Rs 3.47 crore during the period under review from Rs 6.62 crore.

However, the company’s consolidated profit after tax (PAT) for Q1 2020 declined 52.9 per cent to Rs 26.07 crore from Rs 55.38 crore in Q1 2019. It must be noted that ZMCL had sold off its entire equity stake in Ez-Mall Online to a related party effective 30 June 2018 and the company has arranged for impairment as per Ind-AS-109 for its investments in Diligent Media Corporation Ltd. For further details please refer to the company’s financial statements. Consolidated operating EBITDA for the quarter under review increased 83.6 per cent y-o-y in Q1 2020 to Rs 65.88 crore from Rs 35.88 crore.

Let us look at the other numbers reported by the company

Consolidated total expenditure for Q1 2020 increased 13.4 per cent y-o-y to Rs 134.78 crore from Rs 130.45 crore. Operating costs increased 41.7 per cent y-o-y in Q 2020 to Rs 36.12 crore from Rs 25.49 crore. Employee Benefits Expense in Q1 2020 increased 21.8 per cent y-o-y to Rs 42.40 crore from Rs 34.81 crore. Marketing, distribution and business promotion expenses in Q1 2020 increased 7 per cent y-o-y in Q1 2020 to Rs 22.23 crore from Rs 20.77 crore. Other expenses during the quarter under review declined 9.8 per cent y-o-y to Rs 34.03 crore from Rs 37.74 crore.

MUMBAI: Leading direct-to-home (DTH) operator Dish TV paid Star India Rs 55 crore adhering to the Telecom Disputes Settlement and Appellate Tribunal’s (TDSAT) order dated 23 July. The tribunal, in its 29 July order, also noted that Star India has admitted and acknowledged the payment.

TDSAT had earlier directed Dish TV to pay Rs 55 crore to the broadcaster by 27 July in order to avoid disconnection of signals. Star India issued a disconnection notice against Dish TV on 3 July and also filed a recovery petition in the TDSAT.

"We had clearly indicated in the last order that further protection to be given to the petitioner against the notice of disconnection will depend upon its commitment to take care of the current outstanding dues of every succeeding month," TDSAT said in its latest order.

Learned senior counsel for Dish TV also submitted that the company is ready to undertake payment of current invoices as per the agreement. It has also been recorded that the invoices for the month of June has already been raised and is payable by 10 August.

MUMBAI: Zee Entertainment Enterprises Ltd (ZEEL) on Wednesday announced what much of the media and entertainment as well as the investor ecosystem had been waiting to hear for a while. ZEEL reached an agreement with US-based Invesco Oppenheimer Developing Markets Fund for 11 per cent (around Rs 400 per share) of the promoter stake for Rs 4,224 crore. This essentially means the fund will intensify its shareholding to 18.7 per cent in the company.

This is the second round of good news for the Essel Group promoter family after acing Q1 of FY20 with a 40 per cent jump in its profit at Rs 512 crore on a revenue of Rs 1,789 crore, capping off a 14.5 per cent year-on-year growth.

The infusion of Rs 4,224 crore will give some relief to the group as it races to meet the 30 September deadline to pay off loans to the tune of Rs 11,000 crore to mutual funds, NBFCs and banks.  

ZEEL MD & CEO Punit Goenka expects the Invesco Oppenheimer transaction to get completed by 31 August. He added that the deal will be done through an escrow mechanism wherein “the lenders will have to pool their shares and once the escrow agent confirms that the requisite number of shares have been placed, they will tell Oppenheimer to wire the funds and therefore on that day, the transfer of both will happen.”

18 cases reported to Disciplinary Committee in 28 months, including six from Tamil Nadu, five from AP/Telangana and one from Karnataka

To make audience measurement more robust in India, BARC India has upped its vigilance drive with stronger counter measures to protect the system from panel tampering and other unfair practices used to manipulate television viewership.

In March 2017, BARC India had set up an independent Disciplinary Committee (DisComm) to probe complaints of viewership malpractice. Over the last 28 months, 18 cases have been referred to the DisComm with evidence of such malpractice.

The highest instances have been reported from South India markets: six from Tamil Nadu, five from AP/Telangana and one from Karnataka. Penal action has been taken against 12 channels in the country. It may be recalled that FIRs were filed in Telangana and arrests made in Karnataka and Gwalior.

The DisComm is headed by Justice Mukul Mudgal, former Chief Justice of Punjab and Haryana High Court, and has representation from all three industry bodies—Indian Broadcasting Federation (IBF), Indian Society of Advertisers (ISA) and Advertising Agencies Association of India (AAAI). The committee also comprises D. Shivanandan, former Mumbai Police Commissioner and Maharashtra DGP, and Paritosh Joshi, an independent technical expert.