Zee Media Corporation

Zee Media Corporation Limited
Company typePublic
BSE: 532794
NSE: ZEEMEDIA
IndustryNews Media
HeadquartersMumbai, Maharashtra, India
Key people
Jawahar Goel
(Editor-in-chief)
Brands
Revenue₹640 crore (US$80 million)[1] (2020)
₹−273 crore (US$−34 million)[1] (2020)
Number of employees
1,719[1] (2020)
Websitezeemedia.in
Footnotes / references
[2]

Zee Media Corporation Limited (abbreviated as ZMCL; formerly Zee News Limited) is a news broadcasting company based in Mumbai, India. The company is engaged mainly in the business of broadcasting news and current affairs, and regional entertainment uplinked from India via satellite television channels.

The network has been involved in several controversies and has broadcast fabricated news stories on multiple occasions.[3][4]

History

Zee Media Corporation Limited (formerly Zee News Ltd.) was founded by Essel Group and it was incorporated on 27 August 1999, as Zee Sports Ltd. It was a subsidiary of Zee Telefilms Ltd (later renamed Zee Entertainment Enterprises). The company was reincorporated on 27 May 2004, as Zee News Ltd.[5] It was demerged as a separate company of the Essel Group in 2006.[6] In 2013,[7] Zee News Ltd. changed its name to Zee Media Corporation Limited.[8][9]

It was involved in a joint venture with the Dainik Bhaskar Group for the publication of the Daily News & Analysis newspaper but the paper was discontinued in 2019 after suffering losses.[10] The corporation also runs the Zee Institute of Media Arts (ZIMA)[11] which is owned by Zee Learn.

Channels

Zee Media Corporation Limited (ZMCL) operates 14 television news channels, 5 digital news channels, 7 news apps and 32 digital properties.

Current channels

Channels Launched Language Category Notes
Zee News 1999 Hindi News Launched as EL TV in 1993, it was rebranded as a television news program on Zee TV and in 1995, as a separate news channel.
Zee Business 2002 Initially launched as a television business news program on Zee News, it was launched as a separate business news channel in 2005.
Zee Bharat 2023
Zee Rajasthan 2013 Launched as Zee Rajasthan Plus Marudhara in 2013 and rebranded as Zee Marudhara in 2014 and in 2016 as Zee Rajasthan News.
Zee Madhya Pradesh and Chhattisgarh 2008 Launched as Zee 24 Ghante Chhattisgarh in 2008 and as Zee 24 Ghante Madhya Pradesh and Chhattisgarh in 2013.
Zee Uttar Pradesh and Uttarakhand 2006 Launched as Zee News Uttarakhand and Uttar Pradesh (2009-2013) and Zee Uttar Pradesh Uttarakhand (2013-2014) rebranded as Zee Sangam in 2014 and in 2016 as India 24×7. The channel was relaunched in 2017.
Zee Punjab, Haryana and Himachal 1999 Launched in 1999 as Alpha TV Punjabi, it was rebranded in 2005 as Zee Punjabi. Again rebranded as Zee Punjab, Haryana and Himachal in 2013.
Zee Bihar and Jharkhand 2009 Maurya TV was rebranded as Zee Purvaiya in 2014, after being acquired. In May 2017, it was again rebranded as Zee Bihar and Jharkhand
Zee Delhi-NCR and Haryana 2022
Zee 24 Ghanta 2006 Bengali Launched as 24 Ghanta in 2006 and rebranded as Zee 24 Ghanta in 2017.
Zee Salaam 2010 Urdu
WION 2016 English
Zee 24 Taas 1999 Marathi Launched as a programme in the name of Alpha TV Batmya on Alpha TV Marathi from 1999 to 2005. Renamed as Zee News Marathi and in 2007 as a separate news channel, known as Zee 24 Taas.
Zee 24 Kalak 1999 Gujarati Launched as a programme in the name of Alpha TV Samachar from 1999 to 2005 on Alpha TV Gujarati. Renamed as Zee Gujarati Samachar in 2005 and launched as a separate news channel in January 2017.

Digital Channels

Channels Language Category
Zee Tamil News Tamil News
Zee Telugu News Telugu
Zee Kannada News Kannada
Zee Odisha News Odia
Zee Malayalam News Malayalam

Upcoming channels[12][13]

Channels Expected launching Language Category SD/HD availability Notes
Zee News HD 2024 Hindi News HD Only available on Sensy TV Guide
WION HD English
Zee Telugu News Telugu SD available digitally, satellite channel yet to be launched
Zee 24 Ghanta North East Assamese Gets MIB Licence
Zee Tamil News Tamil Available digitally, satellite channel yet to be launched
Zee Malayalam News Malayalam

Former/Defunct channels

Channels Launched Defunct Language Category SD/HD availability Notes
Zee 24 Gantalu 2005 2016 Telugu News SD
Zee Odisha 2014 2022 Odia Launched as Zee Kalinga in 2014 and as Zee Kalinga News. Rebranded as Zee Odisha in 2018. Rebranded as Zee Odisha News in 2022"
Digitally available now

Online

Zee News operates the Daily News & Analysis and Zee News websites to provide online coverage of the channel. The ZEE5 website which is owned by the Zee Entertainment Enterprises is used to platform coverage of other ZMCL channels.[14] The World is One News (WION) channel operates its website.[15] The ZMCL also owns the India.com news website.[16]

  • Zee News Website: English and Hindi-language online news coverage service of Zee News.
  • Daily News & Analysis Website: English-language online news coverage service. It is branded under the DNA program of Zee News.[17]
  • Zee5 Website: Streaming service which hosts ZMCL news channels.
  • WION Website: English-language online news service of World is One News.
  • India.com: English and Hindi language news website owned by the ZMCL.

Newspaper

The Daily News & Analysis was an English-language broadsheet newspaper owned by the Zee Media Corporation Limited. It was launched on 30 July 2005 and branded under the Daily News & Analysis (DNA) program of Zee News. It was primarily circulated in Mumbai and discontinued on 9 October 2019 citing recurring losses.[18][19][20]

Controversies and criticism

Zee Media Corporation Limited has been involved in many controversies.

Jindal Group incident

The channel was tried for allegedly extorting ₹1  billion from the Jindal Group revealed through a sting operation.[21] Two senior journalists Sudhir Chaudhary and Sameer Ahluwalia were arrested.[22][23][24] The two were sent to a 14-day judicial custody in Tihar jail and were ultimately released on bail.[25][26] Naveen Jindal had accused the two journalists of trying to extort ₹1,000,000,000 (equivalent to ₹2.1 billion or US$26 million in 2023) in advertisements for Zee News from him through blackmail by threatening to air stories against his company in the Coalgate scam. Zee News denied the charges and made counterclaims of Jindal offering them ₹200,000,000 (equivalent to ₹410 million or US$5.2 million in 2023) to halt their investigations against Jindal Steel's involvement in the scam but filed no charges.[27] In July 2018, the Jindal Group withdrew the case against Zee News and both parties to the litigation stated that an out of court settlement had been reached which remains undisclosed.[28]

Cases of fabrication

Jawaharlal Nehru University sedition controversy

Zee News reported that students from the Democratic Students' Union (DSU) raised "anti-India" slogans such as Bharat ki barbadi (The destruction of India) and Pakistan Zindabad (Long live Pakistan) at an event in the Jawaharlal Nehru University campus.[29] In a letter, Vishwa Deepak, a journalist working at the channel, stated that "our biases made us hear Bhartiya Court Zindabad (Long live the Indian courts) as Pakistan Zindabad. Vishwa Deepak later resigned from the channel after expressing reservations over its "biased coverage". The footage on the newscast of Zee News had formed the basis of charges filed by the Delhi Police.[30] Sudhir Chaudhary, the editor and prime time anchor of the channel, however on a telecast, made a statement saying "our channel only showed what was happening there, whatever we have shown is 100% authentic."[31] A forensic report of the Delhi Police however later stated that the footage was doctored.[32]

GPS Chips in ₹2000 currency notes

Anchor Sudhir Chaudhary ran a Daily News and Analysis program announcing that the Indian 2000-rupee note issued after the 2016 Indian banknote demonetisation by the government have GPS chips which will allow it to track currency, thereby reducing corruption.[33] The Minister of Finance, Arun Jaitley dismissed the report as being rumours.[34] The Reserve Bank of India has also stated that no such chips are present in the currency notes.[35] The presence of "nano-GPS" in the currency notes has been classified as a hoax being spread on social media.[36][37]

Navjot Singh Sidhu – Alwar controversy

Zee News telecasted a video with the claim that the slogans of Pakistan Zindabad were raised at a rally in Alwar presided over by the Indian National Congress politician, Navjot Singh Sidhu.[38] Sidhu accused Zee News of playing a doctored video and threatened to file a defamation suit against Zee News.[39] Sidhu stated that slogans of Jo Bole So Nihal were misconstrued as being in favour of Pakistan.[40] Zee News accused Sidhu of calling a news broadcast to be fake news and sent a defamation notice to him. The notice demanded an apology from him within 24 hours and threatened to pursue legal recourse if an apology was not issued by him.[41]

Mahua Moitra criminal defamation case

Zee News telecasted a show featuring editor-in-chief Sudhir Chaudhary where he claimed that the Trinamool Congress legislator Mahua Moitra had plagiarised author Martin Longman in her maiden speech after being elected to the Lok Sabha.[42] Moitra accused the channel of false reporting and submitted a breach of privilege motion against Zee News and Sudhir Chaudhary.[43] Martin Longman responded and stated that the legislator did not plagiarise him.[44] Subsequently, Moitra filed a criminal defamation case against Chaudhary.[4]

Coverage of 2020 Delhi election results

The 2020 Delhi Legislative Assembly election was held on 8 February 2020.[45] The exit poll results predicted the Aam Aadmi Party to retain their government in National capital territory of Delhi. The Zee News telecast of the exit poll results featured Sudhir Chaudhary, who indulged in polemic commentary against the voters of the election.[46] He stated that the people of Delhi had chosen Pakistan over Hindustan and that the rule of Mughals will now return. He further alleged the people of Delhi are lazy and only concerned about "freebies" and that issues like Ram Mandir, Balakot airstrike and Revocation of Article 370 do not matter to them which is why they have rejected the Bharatiya Janata Party.[47] The telecast resulted in backlash and mockery of Zee News and Sudhir Chaudhary on social media.[48]

Ban in Nepal

On 9 July 2020, Nepal's satellite and cable television operators banned Zee News and some other Indian privately owned news channels, citing "propaganda and defamatory report against the Nepali government".[49][50]

See also

References

  1. ^ a b c "Zee Media Share Price, Zee Media Stock Price, Zee Media Corporation Ltd. Stock Price, Share Price, Live BSE/NSE, Zee Media Corporation Ltd. Bids Offers. Buy/Sell Zee Media Corporation Ltd. news & tips, & F&O Quotes, NSE/BSE Forecast News and Live Quotes". www.moneycontrol.com. Retrieved 25 August 2021.
  2. ^ "Slowdown Blues: Zee Media profit drops 73% to Rs 13.17 crore in FY19". www.businesstoday.in. 14 May 2019.
  3. ^ List of sources:
    • Bhushan, Sandeep (29 June 2019). "Book extract: Republic TV, age of fake news and promoters in Indian TV newsrooms". National Herald. Retrieved 25 February 2020.
    • Jha, Aditya Mani (31 January 2020). "The festival and its funder". Business Line. Retrieved 25 February 2020.
    • Patel, Jignesh (8 March 2019). "Zee News broadcasts old, unrelated satellite visuals as destroyed JEM camp in Balakot". Alt News. Retrieved 25 February 2020.
    • Hafeez, Sarah (22 February 2018). "Zee News producer quits: Video we shot had no Pakistan Zindabad slogan". The Indian Express. Retrieved 25 February 2020.
    • Yadav, Puneet (21 February 2020). "Are Newsrooms Run By Political Masters? Why Are Editors Compromising On Truth Telling?". Outlook. Retrieved 25 February 2020.
    • Rampal, Nikhil (3 December 2018). "Zee News tweets doctored video of Navjot Sidhu's Rajasthan rally". ThePrint. Retrieved 25 February 2020.
    • Menon, Aditya (10 February 2017). "Saffron journalism: Zee News & art of manufacturing anti-nationals". catchnews.com. Retrieved 25 February 2020.
    • Khan, Saif Ahmed (10 March 2016). "Subhash Chandra failed to convince Zee is not Modi's mouthpiece". DailyO. Retrieved 25 February 2020.
  4. ^ a b "Mahua Moitra Files Criminal Defamation Case Against Sudhir Chaudhary". The Wire. Retrieved 24 February 2020.
  5. ^ "Zee Media Corporation Ltd". Business Standard. Retrieved 25 February 2020.
  6. ^ "Zee Telefilms demerges into 3 firms". Business Standard. 14 December 2006.
  7. ^ "Zee Media Corporation History | Zee Media Corporation Information". The Economic Times. Retrieved 25 February 2020.
  8. ^ "Zee Media Corporation History | Zee Media Corporation Information". The Economic Times. Retrieved 25 February 2020.
  9. ^ "Zee Music Company and Boss Studio releases romantic song "Dekha Pheli Dafa". The Blunt Times. 20 January 2024. Retrieved 21 January 2024.
  10. ^ Dutta, Amrita Nayak (11 October 2019). "DNA goes out of print 14 years after launch — rise & sudden fall of a promising newspaper". ThePrint. Retrieved 25 February 2020.
  11. ^ "Zee Media Corporation". Media Ownership Monitor. Reporters without Borders.
  12. ^ "Zee Media Corporation to launch 3 channels in this election year - Exchange4media". Indian Advertising Media & Marketing News – exchange4media. Retrieved 2 April 2023.
  13. ^ "With elections around the corner, Zee Media to launch three channels". afaqs!. Retrieved 2 April 2023.
  14. ^ "Zee Media Corporation Limited". Essel Group. Retrieved 25 February 2020.
  15. ^ "Zee Group To Launch English News Channel, Hires Rohit Gandhi As Editor-In-Chief". Huffington Post. 18 August 2015. Retrieved 25 February 2020.
  16. ^ "Cautious road ahead for Zee Entertainment". The Financial Express. 8 December 2019. Retrieved 25 February 2020.
  17. ^ "Latest News Headlines, Breaking News & Live Updates on Politics, Business, Sports, Bollywood at Daily News & Analysis". DNA India. Retrieved 7 December 2020.
  18. ^ "DNA goes out of print 14 years after launch – rise & sudden fall of a promising newspaper". ThePrint. 11 October 2019. Retrieved 25 February 2020.
  19. ^ "DNA commissions E&Y to certify circulation". Indian Media Observer (issue #26). 1 June 2006. Archived from the original on 19 December 2007.
  20. ^ "Mumbai Mirror Shutting Down and the Screwed Up Business Model of India Media". 7 December 2020. Retrieved 7 December 2020.
  21. ^ Jebaraj, Priscilla (28 July 2016). "Jindal plays CD, claims Zee editors demanded Rs. 100 crore". The Hindu. Retrieved 4 December 2014.
  22. ^ "Naveen Jindal vs Zee: Senior journalists arrested over alleged extortion". NDTV India. Retrieved 4 December 2014.
  23. ^ "Two Zee editors arrested for 'Rs 100-crore extortion bid' – Times of India". The Times of India. Retrieved 30 January 2018.
  24. ^ "Jindal Group and Zee television in extortion scandal". The Australian. Retrieved 4 December 2014.
  25. ^ "Zee editors in two-week custody". BBC News. 30 November 2012. Retrieved 7 August 2018.
  26. ^ "Zee News editors sent to Tihar jail". Hindustan Times. 1 December 2012. Retrieved 8 September 2019.
  27. ^ "Naveen Jindal accuses Zee News of extortion, channel hits back – The Times of India". Timesofindia.indiatimes.com. 25 October 2012. Retrieved 3 November 2012.
  28. ^ "ED charges against Naveen Jindal, others as his firm settles case of extortion with Zee". The Indian Express. 14 July 2018. Retrieved 12 February 2020.
  29. ^ "From 'Pakistan Zindabad' to 'Bharat ki barbaadi' – Slogans that were raised by 'anti-nationals' in JNU". Zee News. 14 February 2016.
  30. ^ "Zee News producer quits: Video we shot had no Pakistan Zindabad slogan". The Indian Express. 22 February 2016.
  31. ^ "We speak with the Zee News journalist who resigned over the channel's coverage of #JNURow". Newslaundry. 21 February 2016.
  32. ^ "Forensic experts say Kanhaiya video was doctored". India Today. 19 February 2016. Retrieved 12 March 2019.
  33. ^ Venkataramakrishnan, Rohan (9 November 2016). "No, the RBI hasn't announced a Rs 2,000 note with a 'nano GPS chip' that it can track". Scroll.in. Retrieved 24 February 2020.
  34. ^ "Nano Chip in Rs 2,000 Notes? Arun Jaitley Dismisses Rumours". NDTV.com. Retrieved 24 February 2020.
  35. ^ Raghavan, TCA Sharad (9 November 2016). "No electronic chip in Rs. 2000 notes: RBI". The Hindu. ISSN 0971-751X. Retrieved 24 February 2020.
  36. ^ "No, New Rs. 2000 Note Will Not Have a 'Nano GPS Chip'". NDTV Gadgets 360. Retrieved 9 April 2020.
  37. ^ "No, Rs 2000 note doesn't have nano GPS for tracking but it may have RFID". India Today. 10 November 2016. Retrieved 9 April 2020.
  38. ^ "Shocking! Pak supporters shout "Pakistan Zindabad" slogan in Navjot Singh Sidhu rally". Zee News. 3 December 2018. Retrieved 24 February 2020.
  39. ^ Mehta, Ashish; 4 December 2018. "navjot singh sidhu: Will sue channel for fake news: Navjot Singh Sidhu | Jaipur News – Times of India". The Times of India. Retrieved 24 February 2020.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: numeric names: authors list (link)
  40. ^ "Sidhu to file defamation suit against TV channel for airing 'fake' video". Business Standard. 3 December 2018. Retrieved 24 February 2020.
  41. ^ "Zee News sends Rs 1000 crore defamation notice to Navjot Singh Sidhu after he accuses channel of playing fake video". Free Press Journal. Retrieved 24 February 2020.
  42. ^ Chaudhuri, Pooja (3 July 2019). "Zee News falsely claims Mahua Moitra plagiarised her maiden Parliament speech". Alt News. Retrieved 24 February 2020.
  43. ^ "Mahua Moitra submits breach of privilege motion against Zee TV, LS speaker disallows it". Business Standard. 4 July 2019. Retrieved 24 February 2020.
  44. ^ "Trinamool MP Mahua Moitra didn't plagiarise: US writer of fascism article shuts trolls". India Today. 3 July 2019. Retrieved 24 February 2020.
  45. ^ "Delhi Election 2020: Polling held peacefully, counting of votes on February 11". The Economic Times. Retrieved 28 March 2020.
  46. ^ Jha, Fiza (10 February 2020). "EVM tampering in Delhi across channels & Zee's Sudhir Chaudhury angry at voters". ThePrint. Retrieved 28 March 2020.
  47. ^ "वीडियो: एग्जिट पोल में AAP की जीत पर एंकर ने कहा- दिल्ली को देश टूटने की चिंता नहीं". Jansatta (in Hindi). 9 February 2020. Retrieved 28 March 2020.
  48. ^ "'How does this qualify as journalism?': Twitter mocks Zee News and Sudhir Chaudhary for blaming Delhi voters after exit polls". Free Press Journal. 9 February 2020. Retrieved 28 March 2020.
  49. ^ "Cable operators ban Indian news channels in response to 'insulting' video about prime minister". The Kathmandu Post. Retrieved 13 July 2020.
  50. ^ "Nepal bans private Indian channels for airing 'false propaganda'". Al Jazeera. Retrieved 13 July 2020.
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