The National Company Law Appellate Tribunal on Friday issued notices to Zee Entertainment Enterprise Ltd (ZEEL) over the petitions filed by IDBI Bank and AXIS Finance against an NCLT order that approved the media company's merger with Culver Max Entertainment. However, a two-member NCLAT bench comprising chairman Justice Ashok Bhushan and Member Arun Baroka declined to grant any stay over the merger process during the pendency of the hearing. The appellate tribunal (NCLAT) has directed to list both petitions on January 8 for hearing, directing Zee Entertainment Enterprise Ltd to file a reply.
The National Company Law Tribunal (NCLT) on Thursday allowed the merger of Zee Entertainment Enterprises Ltd and Culver Max Entertainment (earlier known as Sony Pictures Networks India). This order by the Mumbai bench, headed by H V Subba Rao and Madhu Sinha, will pave the way for the creation of a $10-billion media company, the biggest in the country. The tribunal also dismissed all objections regarding the merger.
The Mumbai bench of the National Company Law Tribunal (NCLT) on Wednesday directed Zee Entertainment to convene a shareholders' meet on October 14 for approving the merger with Culver Max Entertainment (formerly Sony Pictures Network). The order, passed on August 24, but uploaded to the bourses on Wednesday, comes close on the heels of the Competition Commission of India (CCI)'s observation that the $10-billion merger could hurt competition and that greater scrutiny of the deal was needed. "This Tribunal hereby directs that a meeting of the equity shareholders of the applicant company (Zee) be convened and held on Friday, October 14, 2022 at 4 p.m. for the purpose of considering, and if thought fit, approving the proposed scheme," the NCLT order read.
More screens, more films, and longer windows will convert to more people watching, assuming they know a film is releasing, points out Vanita Kohli-Khandekar.
At 8,700 screens, India, the world's largest film producing country, has just six screens for every million of its people, compared to 125 in the US and 30 in China. With Sitaare Zameen Par, Aamir Khan hopes to expand the market for Indian cinema.
Investment firm Invesco Developing Markets Fund, the largest shareholder in Zee Entertainment Enterprises, on Thursday said it will support the Zee-Sony merger deal and has decided not to pursue the call for ZEEL EGM to remove managing director and CEO Punit Goenka and two independent directors. The company said it will support the merger of Zee and Sony, contending the "deal in its current form has great potential for Zee shareholders" but added if it is not completed as currently proposed, Invesco retains the right to requisition a fresh EGM. Two days after the Bombay high court ruled that Invesco's call for EGM was legally valid, the investment firm in a statement said, "Since we announced our intention to requisition an EGM and add six independent directors to Zee's Board of Directors, Zee has entered into a merger agreement with Sony.
The National Commission for Protection of Child Rights demanded Sony Pictures Networks take down an episode of the dance reality show Super Dancer Chapter 3 where judges were allegedly seen asking a minor 'vulgar and sexually explicit' questions regarding his parents on stage.
Kapil Sharma will be back on telly!
July has interesting OTT entertainment awaiting you.
Black, White & Gray - Love Kills has a unique take on the standard murder mystery that may not be perfect but is very entertaining nonetheless, discovers Mayur Sanap.
Sony Pictures Networks India Pvt Ltd (SPNI) and Zee Entertainment Enterprises Ltd (ZEEL) on Wednesday said they have signed definitive agreements for their merger following conclusion of an exclusive negotiation period during which both parties conducted mutual due diligence. In a joint statement, the two companies said they have "signed definitive agreements to merge ZEEL with and into SPNI and combine their linear networks, digital assets, production operations and program libraries". The agreements follow the conclusion of an exclusive negotiation period during which ZEEL and SPNI conducted mutual due diligence, it added.
This was the highest rated show in the week under consideration (August 17-23, 2014). The show outdid shows like Diya Aur Baati Hum (Star Plus), Jodha Akbar (Zee Tv) and Kumkum Bhagya (Zee TV).
While KKK 15 will premiere in July, a lot of celebrity names are already floating on the internet as possible contenders.
Bada Naam Karenge is a sweet, simple love story sprinkled with family drama and entertainment, something that has been missing from the OTT space for a while, feels Namrata Thakker.
At 250 million unique visitors a month, MX Player has for long been in the same bracket as YouTube (454 million) and Meta (324 million) in reach.
The last two months of the year have plenty of entertainment to offer.
The actors will promoted their upcoming film, Once Upon A Time In Mumbai Dobaara, on the show.
The National Company Law Tribunal's (NCLT's) declaration that Zee Entertainment is bankrupt adds a new measure of uncertainty to the proposed merger with Sony. Three entities -- Aditya Birla Finance, IndusInd Bank and YES Bank -- have filed appeals in the NCLT for recoveries of Rs 130 crore, Rs 90 crore and Rs 540 crore, respectively. The money was borrowed by a related party - Siti cable - and not returned. Zee was a corporate guarantor.
Leading broadcaster Zee Entertainment on Monday said it is planning to raise funds from the market through various routes, including issuing of equity of shares, and qualified institutions placements (QIPs). Though the company has not specified the amount it plans to raise, Zee Entertainment Enterprise Ltd (ZEEL) in a regulatory filing said its board is meeting on June 6 to consider the proposal for this.
Shooting in small towns, to establish a connect, will increase the sampling of the channel itself.
Mohnish Behl has been replaced by Sharad Kelkar in Sony Entertainment Television's romantic soap Kuch Toh Log Kahenge.
Leading media firms Zee Entertainment and Sony Pictures on Wednesday said they have received in-principle approval for a merger that will combine both companies' linear networks, digital assets, production operations and programme libraries.
It's a rather dull month on OTT this April with only a few releases arriving sporadically.
Across the board, brands use influencers like a Bhuvan Bam or Kusha Kapila as the second or third rung of their strategy. The first rung is always a celebrity that has been created outside the Internet, through mainstream media.
Looking at the OTT releases coming up this summer.
Apart from a stake buy, some other options on the table include a merger of the entertainment businesses of Sony and Network18 Media.
Intolerance and dissent from the orthodoxy have been a bane of Indian society, the Bombay high court said, quoting author A G Noorani, while quashing a complaint against singer Kailash Kher for allegedly hurting religious sentiments with a song on Lord Shiva.
Stand-up comedian Kapil Sharma is back with his show and while the set is bigger and the look is grander, the gags are still the same, feels Namrata Thakker.
'When I meet someone and feel something, and start dreaming about a big wedding, I will...'
Siddharth Roy Kapur's RKF aims to raise around $50 million by offering up to a 50 per cent stake in the company.
Billionaire Mukesh Ambani-led Reliance Industries has completed the merger of its media assets with the India business of global media house Walt Disney and formed a joint venture with a valuation of over Rs 70,000 crore. The JV will be one of the largest media and entertainment companies in India with a combined revenue of approximately Rs 26,000 crore and will be led by Nita Ambani as its chairperson, according to a joint statement.
From Network18 perspective, this helps reduce dependence on ads and helps especially in times of slower GDP growth.
Balaji Telefilms witnessed selling pressure in the early trades on reports that Sony Entertainment Television has decided to take the company's serial off air due to its poor performance.
It's time to say goodbye to The Kapil Sharma Show after five years of almost uninterrupted success.
'Netflix, Amazon Prime Video, Crunchyroll, and Disney+ Hotstar are continuously expanding their Anime libraries.'
Competition Commission of India on Wednesday said it has approved the merger of the media assets of Reliance Industries and Walt Disney Co to create the country's largest media empire. The deal, announced six months ago, has been cleared by the CCI with certain modifications proposed by the two parties.