The Hindu Business Line : Chandra leads from front as Zee pads up

THE Chairman of Zee Telefilms, Mr Subhash Chandra, is back in action. After acquiring the television rights for the matches organised by the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI), the Zee chief is said to be personally involved in the creation of a new channel and working out strategies for cricket.

Sources in the industry said Mr Chandra usually adopts a hands-on approach whenever the group embarks on a new initiative. "He is good at spotting winners, be it foraying into broadcasting or launching new programming options like Aap Ki Adalat or India's Most Wanted," said an industry source.

This time round, the stakes are high. With the broadcaster forking out about $308 million, the Zee Group has to be extremely thorough in its planning, said officials in the broadcasting industry. Besides advertising, it has to look at alternative revenue streams from distribution, sale of overseas rights and even merchandising. The broadcaster wants to offer a unique viewing experience, especially through its direct-to-home (DTH) platform.

Mr Jawahar Goel, Vice-Chairman of Zee Telefilms, said, "We will have to make some technological upgradation so that the viewer can demand various action-replay shots. Also for starters, the platform can allow the viewer to choose between Hindi and English commentary."

But for now, the broadcaster must fulfil the various qualifying conditions put forward by the BCCI. It has already paid the initial sum of $20 million to secure the letter of intent (LOI) from the cricket board.

Zee also has to sew its arrangement with the national broadcaster, Prasar Bharati, for sharing terrestrial rights by the end of this week. A meeting between the two broadcasters is likely to take place shortly.

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