The latest Q1FY21 result shows that Sun TV has witnessed a 40 per cent drop in profit before tax to Rs 352.38 crore during the quarter ended June 30, as compared to Rs 587.01 crore, a year ago.

However, the subscription revenues for the quarter was up by 18 per cent to Rs 442.25 crore as against Rs 375.95 crore, a year ago.

EBITDA for the quarter ended June 30, 2020 was at Rs 416.49 crore as against Rs 682.91 crore for the previous quarter ended June 2019.

As per the results, Sun TV revenues for the quarter stood at Rs.606.10 crore, in the absence of IPL and movie distribution in particular, as against Rs 1,080.36 crore for the corresponding quarter ended 30th June 2019. The results also show a drop in total income for the quarter which was at Rs 714.71 crore as against Rs 1,137.07 crore for the corresponding quarter ended June 30, 2019.

From marquee offerings  like ‘Along With The US’ launched in early 2000, where latest international shows like The Big Bang Theory, Grey’s Anatomy and Supergirl were aired along with their US release, to the introduction of binge-watching as a format with ‘House of Cards S3’ and subsequent properties like ‘BBC First’ and ‘Breakfast To Bed Binge’ – Zee Café has always catered to the evolving consumer needs. As the channel completes 20 years in the TV industry, exchange4media caught up wth Kartik Mahadev, Business Head, Premium Channels, ZEEL, to talk about Zee Cafe's journey, the challenges of the category and future growth drivers. 

Edited Excerpts

How has Zee Cafe's 20-year journey been? What were the key highlights in the last two decades? 

Two decades ago, while the Indian audience was still warming up to international content, Zee bolstered a new era of English programming on television with the launch of what was then called Zee English, later rebranded as Zee Café. 
In early 2000, consumption of English entertainment was still at a nascent stage in India where those who spoke, understood and appreciated international content on television formed just a sliver of the pie. Today, this has grown into a glocal community. Zee Café has played a pivotal role in shaping this genre through compelling content and shaping the aspirations of this community of international content viewers.

KOLKATA: At the beginning of the Covid2019 crisis, distribution platform operators (DPOs) witnessed a sharp drop in collections from subscribers. After months of lockdown and controlled movements, major multi-system operators (MSOs) are seeing stability in their collections from June end. 

According to a survey done by business intelligence enterprise Intin titled ‘Cable TV Fitness Check’ published in late May, the collection dropped for 84 per cent of cable operators, which was attributed to the unwillingness for digital payment and the lack of infrastructure, coupled with the social distancing norms.

GTPL Hathway CATV business head and chief strategy officer Piyush Pankaj says that they have recovered the collections once the opening up started. Moreover, many new consumers have opted for digital payment. Hence, the payment collection issue has stabilised. Pankaj also added while 10-15 per cent of total collection dipped at the beginning of the pandemic, the scene has changed June onwards leading to 100 per cent recovery in the collection.

NEW DELHI: Prasar Bharati CEO Shashi Shekhar Vempati is a little miffed with private broadcasters. The reason? While 200 TV channels carried Doordarshan’s live coverage of main events, most private channels didn’t give credit.

“I asked my team to look at how many channels gave credit to Doordarshan. There were only a handful and the rest had cleverly masked the logo with advertisements. But as a public broadcaster, it's our responsibility to share content without any expectations,” he expressed in a conversation with Governance Now MD Kailashnath Adhikari.

Vempati shared that over 160 million people watched the live telecast of foundation stone-laying ceremony of the Ram temple in Ayodhya, which resulted in viewership hike of more than seven billion viewing minutes across television in India. The event took place between 10.45 am and 2 pm on 5 August.

In the light of the coming Ganesh Chaturthi festival, and related movement restrictions due to the pandemic, Marathi news channel ABP Majha from ABP Network launched a special donation drive initiative ‘Be a Vighnaharta’ (Be a remover of obstacles).

The initiative, in collaboration with UNICEF, will raise funds through a 16-day TV campaign to support people affected by the pandemic. The funds raised will be used to support vulnerable families, through UNICEF’s Jeevan Rath initiative (A Relief and Response on Wheels) in the state of Maharashtra. The initiative will bring over 60 public and private NGOs together, to provide supplies of dry ration kits, hygiene kits, conditional cash transfers, and livelihood protection to people who are unable to afford or access these supplies in sufficient quantities.

The economic slowdown might not have had any impact on the 10-second ad rates Star India is charging advertisers, but several brands who are lining up to be co-sponsors and associate sponsors have reportedly sought a reduction in the mandatory inventories per game to fit their overall advertising outlays.

The official deal for an associate sponsor is that the brand has to take 90 seconds of advertising inventory per game and a co-presenting sponsor has to take 180 seconds per game.

The rate being quoted is Rs 12 lakh per 10 seconds. So, ideally, an associate sponsor has to spend about Rs 1 crore per match. For the entire tournament of 59-60 matches, the overall cost of associate sponsorship amounts to Rs 60 crore. Similarly, the rate quoted for a co-presenting sponsor is about Rs 2 crore per game, which becomes Rs 120 crore for the entire season.

Mumbai: Announced earlier this year, IN10 Media Network’s upgraded and reimagined OTT platform EPIC ON is set to go LIVE on 15th August, 2020 with a new look, exciting brand proposition, and a future ready vision for digital content consumption in the new decade.

“Content consumption in the next decade of digital streaming will be more than just about quality, variety, and language. It will also be about formats and preferences of mediums. The choice is not just what to make, but also whether to make it as a series, film, podcast, e-book, game, and then to expand it in others. With this in mind, the new EPIC ON offers the brand proposition of Dekho|Suno|Khelo (Watch|Listen|Play) – Engage with your content in your preferred manner,” explained Aditya Pittie, Managing Director, IN10 Media Network; as he revealed the expansive thought behind the strategic shift in the platform’s offering.

The first to announce and execute a unique symbiosis of extant technologies, and push the boundaries of what an OTT platform can be, the app, built from scratch by an in-house tech team, will enable consumers to Watch, Listen, Play & Read content on one app! Also introducing, EPICOINS – a loyalty program that offers exciting rewards and experiences.

Celebrating 20 years of we-time with viewers, here’s a channel that has broken the mould with the best of English entertainment through the years.

“It all started with the big bang!” as goes the title track of the longest running sitcom on television - The Big Bang Theory. And indeed, that’s how the English entertainment genre took off in a heterogeneous and multi-cultural, India. 2000s was truly a year of innovation and growth, one where the world was at the brink of change. Interestingly, that’s also when the Indian viewer took towards consuming and appreciating international content. However, back in the day, this audience segment formed a sliver of the pie. It was only with early entrants like Zee Café that the appetite for English entertainment was truly nurtured with the channel consistently curating new content, leading to this community growing manifold.

Since its inception in 2000, Zee Café has played a pivotal role not just in consumption of international content but also nurturing viewers’ lifestyles and cultures. Ringing in 20 glorious years of unparalleled entertainment, the channel commemorates this undying bond with viewers, being the force behind families and friends coming together and spending quality we-time over the best of English entertainment on Zee Café.

On its 20th year milestone, English entertainment channel Zee Café from Zee Entertainment Enterprises Limited, invites its audience to join in the celebrations as it completes two decades of ‘We-Time’ with its viewers. Over the years, the channel has featured the latest international content that has inspired, stimulated and entertained us.

Call for entries open for BuzzInContent Awards 2020 

Zee Café has launched a special campaign video that glides through time and showcases how the channel has inherently been a part of our lives. The visually striking video beautifully depicts this journey through the experiences of a girl from an Indian family who grew up watching Zee Café. Through a series of relatable illustrations, the film highlights moments in her life that are inspired by the iconic shows on Zee Café, that have become a signpost of her life stages, similarly playing a part in shaping life and lifestyle for their viewers from around the country.