AFTER HUFFING AND PUFFING, the much-touted merger between Culver Max Entertainment (Sony India) and Zee Entertainment Enterprises (Zee) was finally called off just a little over two years since it was announced amid fanfare. Had the deal gone through, it would have created a broadcasting major with 75 channels and two OTT platforms, with a strong presence in entertainment, sports and regional channels. Besides, there was limited overlap, making it a clear strategic fit.
But the merger came up against many challenges along the way. The most prominent among them was an interim order by the Securities and Exchange Board of India (Sebi) last June that barred Essel Group Chairman Subhash Chandra and his son Punit Goenka from holding key managerial positions in Zee. Sebi accused them of having diverted money to private entities. While Chandra is the Promoter of Zee, Goenka is the company's MD and CEO. More critically, the latter was tipped to be the MD and CEO of the merged Sony-Zee entity. The case landed in the courts and, not entirely unexpectedly, Sony pulled the plug on the deal.
75 Channels
THE POTENTIAL PORTFOLIO OF THE MERGED SONY-ZEE ENTITY IF THE DEAL HAD GONE THROUGH
The question now is how Zee and Sony will deal individually with a challenging media and entertainment landscape. Much has change in those two years, and there is the possibility that the two will have a media behemoth to compete with. This is because Reliance Industries’ media business and Disney Star are looking to merge their operations, and there are concerns about the merged entity’s impact on smaller players, as the broadcasting business will have close to 110 channels.
Esta historia es de la edición February 18, 2024 de Business Today India.
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Esta historia es de la edición February 18, 2024 de Business Today India.
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A Man of Multitudes
IN A NEW BOOK, CAPTAINS OF INDIA INC. AND OTHERS PAY TRIBUTE TO RAHUL BAJAJ, THE TITAN OF INDIAN INDUSTRY
HOUSE OF THE RISING SUN
WITH THE GOVERNMENT OFFERING SUBSIDIES UNDER THE PM SURYA GHAR MUFT BIJLI YOJANA, MANY HOUSEHOLDS HAVE TAKEN A SHINE TO SOLAR ROOFTOP PANELS. BUT HOW MUCH DO THEY COST?
FROM GREY TO GREEN
WITH THE CLIMATE CRISIS BECOMING MORE ACUTE, GREEN HYDROGEN COULD BE AN IMPORTANT SOLUTION
ECO CHAMBER
DATA CENTRES ARE A VERY VITAL PART OF THE DIGITAL TRANSFORMATION THAT IS UNDERWAY, BUT THERE'S A PROBLEM: THEY CONSUME TOO MUCH ENERGY. AS DEMAND FOR SUCH CENTRES INCREASES IN INDIA, IT HAS NO OPTION BUT TO EMBRACE GREEN SOLUTIONS
THE GREEN BARRIER
THE EU'S CARBON BORDER ADJUSTMENT MECHANISM COULD MAKE INDIAN EXPORTS UNCOMPETITIVE, UNLESS EFFORTS TO REDUCE CARBON EMISSIONS ARE ACCELERATED
HUMANISING SUSTAINABILITY
THERE IS A NEED TO MOVE BEYOND INDIVIDUAL WELL-BEING AND FOSTER A SENSE OF INTERCONNECTEDNESS AND SOLIDARITY
DE-RISKING THE BOOKS
INDIAN BANKS ARE BEGINNING TO TAKE BABY STEPS TOWARDS ADDRESSING CLIMATE-RELATED FINANCIAL RISKS IN THEIR BOOKS. BUT THEY MUST PUT THEIR FOOT ON THE PEDAL AND ENHANCE PREPAREDNESS
PAYING FOR CHANGE
WITH EXTREME WEATHER INCREASINGLY PUTTING THE COUNTRY AND ITS ECONOMY AT RISK, INDIA SHOULD EXPLORE CLIMATE FINANCE PATHWAYS TO FUND ITS NET-ZERO JOURNEY TOWARDS A GREENER FUTURE
BEYOND THE BLIP
ESG HAS BEEN UNDER SCRUTINY GLOBALLY AMID ALLEGATIONS OF GREENWASHING AND RECORD REDEMPTIONS FROM ESG FUNDS. BUT THAT MAY JUST BE ONE SIDE OF THE STORY, SINCE SUSTAINABLE PRACTICES HAVE BECOME CORE COMPONENTS OF COMPANIES' STRATEGIES
PROFITING FROM ESG
INITIALLY DRIVEN BY REGULATORY COMPLIANCE REQUIREMENTS, BUSINESSES ARE INCREASINGLY VIEWING ESG AS A TOOL TO ENHANCE PROFITABILITY. BUT THERE IS STILL A LONG WAY TO GO
