Media major Zee Entertainment Enterprises Ltd (ZEEL) has cancelled its board meeting, scheduled to be held on Wednesday for considering the results for the July-September quarter, due to lack of quorum. In a regulatory filing on Tuesday, ZEEL said, "A meeting of the Board of Directors of the Company, which was scheduled to be held on Wednesday, October 27, 2021, inter alia, to consider and approve the unaudited financial results of the Company both on a standalone and consolidated basis for the 2nd quarter and half year ended September 30, 2021, has been cancelled due to lack of quorum." The development comes at a time when the company is battling it out the single-largest shareholders Invesco Developing Markets Fund (formerly Invesco Oppenheimer Developing Markets Fund) and OFI Global China Fund LLC that together hold 17.88 per cent and have been pressing for an extraordinary general meeting of shareholders for removing managing director Punit Goenka, besides opposing ZEEL's proposed merger deal with Pictures Network India (SPNI).
Markets regulator Sebi on Monday barred Essel Group chairman Subhash Chandra and Zee Entertainment Enterprises Ltd (ZEEL) MD and CEO Punit Goenka from holding the position of a director or key managerial personnel in any listed company for siphoning off funds of the media firm. The case pertains to Chandra, who was also the chairman of ZEEL during the alleged violation, and Goenka having abused their position as directors or KMPs of a listed company for siphoning off funds for their own benefit. In its interim order, Sebi noted that Chandra and Goenka alienated the assets of ZEEL and other listed companies of Essel Group for the benefit of associate entities, which are owned and controlled by them.
In a major relief to media major Zee Entertainment Enterprises Ltd (ZEEL), the National Company Law Appellate Tribunal (NCLAT) on Friday stayed the insolvency proceedings initiated against it earlier this week. Admitting a petition filed by ZEEL Managing Director and chief executive Punit Goenka, the appellate tribunal issued notices to private sector lender IndusInd bank and the interim resolution professional directing them to file a reply in two weeks. NCLAT said the submissions made by both sides need a detailed hearing.
Plenty of room for all three formats to flourish, says Sehwag
Assume Voot, JioCinema and Disney+ Hotstar are merged into one entertainment app, and you have a streaming service with more than 233 million unique visitors. That is a reach just under half of India's largest streaming app: YouTube. 'This level of consolidation does not exist even in the US.'
The Indian equity market has been dancing to the tune of foreign portfolio investors (FPIs) for more than two decades now. Typically, when FPIs are net-buyers on Dalal Street (D-Street) and raise their ownership of Indian equities, the broader market rallies. Conversely, when FPIs turn net-sellers, the stock prices decline. FPIs have been net-sellers on D-Street for five quarters on the trot and the result has been predictable.
The Bombay high court on Tuesday granted an interim injunction against Zee Entertainment Enterprise Ltd's (ZEEL) largest shareholder Invesco, restraining the latter from going ahead with the requisition of an extraordinary general meeting (EGM) seeking removal of the ZEEL MD and CEO Punit Goenka. A single bench presided over by Justice Gautam Patel said, "I have granted an injunction to the respondents." A detailed order of the court is awaited.
Reliance Industries on Wednesday said it had couple of months back made a proposal for merger of its media properties with Zee but dropped the offer over differences over stake of Zee founders. Hours after Zee Entertainment Enterprises Ltd's biggest shareholder named it as a firm that could help revive the television company's fortunes, billionaire Mukesh Ambani's firm issued a statement clarifying its position. "In February/ March 2021, Invesco assisted Reliance in arranging discussions directly between our representatives and Mr Punit Goenka, member of the founder family and managing director of Zee," it said.
IndusInd Bank had moved NCLT claiming default of Rs 83.08 crore against the media & entertainment firm. The petition, to initiate insolvency proceedings against ZEEL, has been filed under section 7 of the Insolvency & Bankruptcy Code (IBC).
We must stop stigmatising business failures. Particularly when startups are mushrooming all around, the financial system, backed by the RBI and the government, can explore ways of extending support to restart the journey of a failed entrepreneur by finance as well as counselling, recommends Tamal Bandyopadhyay.
The reduction in value of Chandra's assets comes close on the heels of the group's debt burgeoning to over Rs 12,000 crore, much of which he had raised by pledging his shares to banks and mutual funds in his flagship company ZEEL after many of the groups infrastructure bets did not take off.
Sony India and Zee Entertainment Enterprises (ZEEL) have agreed to sell three Hindi channels--Big Magic, Zee Action and Zee Classic--to address anti-competition concerns arising out of their proposed merger. The broadcasters submitted their proposal to the Competition Commission of India (CCI), which gave a conditional approval on October 4. On Wednesday, the CCI made public its detailed 58-page order, specifying the channels that would be dropped.
Zee is estimated to have paid around Rs 225 crore for the complete rights of Radhe. The total revenue that it may earn could be around Rs 135 crore, implying a shortfall of Rs 90 crore.
The company has kicked off sale of infrastructure assets as well as sale of a part of the promoter holding in Zee to repay loans.
The companies that have seen sharp erosion of market wealth include YES Bank, Indiabulls Housing Finance, Zee Entertainment, Vodafone Idea, and Bharat Heavy Electricals.
Puneet Goenka's ability to stay calm is probably what helped Zee rise from a down-in-the-dumps broadcaster into one of the largest, steadiest and most profitable media companies in India, reports Vanita Kohli-Khandekar.
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.
In an open letter to Zee's shareholders, Invesco, which holds a 7.74 per cent stake in the firm, reiterated its demand for an overhaul of the media group's board and that it would pursue extraordinary general meeting (EGM) to oust chief executive Punit Goenka and two other directors. Last month, Sony Group Corp's India unit signed a non-binding offer to buy Zee.
Debt funds have exposure of nearly Rs 8,000 crore to Zee group papers. Aditya Birla MF, HDFC MF, Franklin Templeton MF, and ICICI Prudential MF have the highest exposure, reports Samie Modak.
Even as the corporate battle over Zee Entertainment Enterprises (ZEEL) has reached the Bombay high court, another Essel Group firm - Dish TV India - is gearing up for a legal battle with YES Bank by planning to move the National Company Law Tribunal to appoint six of its nominees on the board of the loss-making company. While Dish TV said YES Bank has acquired 26 per cent stake by invoking the pledged shares of Essel Group promoter, it also said YES Bank must make an open offer to shareholders of the company, according to the Securities and Exchange Board of India (Sebi) takeover code. This, as YES Bank is seeking to take control of the company, said Dish TV.
At its meeting held on Friday, the company's board rejected the minority shareholders' demand and termed the requisition as "invalid and illegal". "In its meeting held on 1st October 2021, the board has arrived at a conclusion that the requisition is invalid and illegal; and has accordingly conveyed its inability to convene the Extraordinary General Meeting to Invesco Developing Markets Funds and OFI Global China Fund, LLC," ZEEL said in a statement.
A division bench of Justices Amjad Sayyed and Anuja Prabhudessai passed the judgment on a bunch of petitions filed by several broadcasters, like the Indian Broadcasting Foundation, a representative body of TV broadcasters, the Film and Television Producers Guild of India, Zee Entertainment Ltd and Sony Pictures Network India.
The regulator said violations could not be established against the company.
Overseas direct investment by Indian companies fell by over 53 per cent year-on-year to $1.16 billion in July 2014, as per RBI data.
Television's new channel Zindagi has some beautiful stories from across the border.
Bored of the far ethat's currently on your television? Tune into Zindagi!
While the stocks met various other inclusion parameters, there were fears they may still get disqualified given the sharp run up in their stock prices.
Amazon's rivalry in India with oil-to-retail conglomerate Reliance Industries looks set to head to the cricket field, where they will likely battle media heavyweights for telecast rights to the Indian Premier League (IPL) with its hundreds of millions of viewers.
Ajit Mishra, vice president, Research, Religare Broking, answers your queries.
Broadcasters are doing everything they can-overhauling content, firming up distribution deals and launching free-to-air channels - to capture the Rs 1,500-crore overseas market.
Invesco, the single largest shareholder of Zee Entertainment Enterprises Ltd (ZEEL), on Wednesday said it had tried to facilitate a possible deal between Reliance and the company but refuted claims it had pushed for the transaction at a lower valuation. The latest statement from Invesco comes a day after ZEEL chief Punit Goenka told the company's board that Invesco had come with a proposal in February for a merger with certain entities owned by a large Indian group (Strategic Group) with inflated valuation "by at least Rs 10,000 crore". In a statement on Wednesday, Invesco mentioned that Reliance was the large Indian group.
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.
Haresh Chawla, group chief executive officer of Network18, on Thursday put in his papers. And Rajesh Jejurikar, Mahindra & Mahindra's chief executive for the automotive division, will join Zee Entertainment Enterprises (Zee) as president.
'It's not a sequel to Wanted, it's just that the character's name is Radhe.'
Rajesh Jejurikar had quit M&M to join Zee Entertainment Enterprise.
Rs 40 crore already deployed in a residential project in Chennai.
Zee and its lenders had decided to enter into an agreement to not offload the pledged shares amid a sharp slide in the prices of the underlying securities during end-Janury. The terms give the lenders a greater say, upside benefit from the proposed strategic sale, more cover and personal guarantee.
The total buyback value shall not exceed 10 per cent of the paid-up capital and free reserves of the company for the financial year ended March 31, 2011.
Kalanithi Maran's Sun Network and Subhash Chandra's Zee Entertainment, the two homegrown media companies, have maintained their number one and two positions, respectively, in the Asia-Pacific pay broadcaster ranks for the second year in a row.
