Technology Sits At The Heart Of Our Content Creation Eco-System – Somnath Malakar
In an exclusive interview with Alayande Stephen T.(Splash9ja Editor-In-Chief), Kehny Obafemi (Deputy Editor-In-Chief) and Lawal Sodiq (Feature Editor), Board Room guru, Somnath Malakar, the Chief Executive Officer (CEO), Zee Entertainment Enterprises Limited (Zee World)- Sub- Saharan Africa and Indian Ocean Islands talks about the coming of age of Zee World as a thriving global brand not just in Nigeria but across Africa, the evolving of the Television landscape, the consecutive participation of Zee World in the Nigerian Electronic Media Content Exhibition and Awards (NEMCEA) project amongst many other issues.
Somnath Malakar is a man with many caps to his credit, flying and colourful ones. He has an MBA with 23 solid years’ experience, majorly in Fast Moving Consumer Goods (FCMG), Sales & Marketing (Cadbury, Coca-Cola & ITC), including leadership role of over 15 years managing Domestic & Foreign Markets (Indian Sub-Continent, South East Asia & Africa). He has what we can simply put as relevant cross industry exposure of Telecom & OTC/ Consumer Pharma and currently in Entertainment & Media.
He described his Unique Selling Proposition (USP) profile as an End To End Experience across diverse Categories and Functions.
A SEAT AT THE TABLE WITH SOMNATH
A seat at the table with Somnath Malakar specifically at the ZEE World branded Exhibition booth during NEMCEA 2023 specifically on Wednesday 23rd, August, 2023 at Radisson Blu Hotel, Ikeja, Lagos, Nigeria, provided the needed tonic to have a holistic view of his personality, his world-view to issues, his sense of humour, the weight of the responsibility that rests on his shoulders as the man in charge of a global brand, the desire for him and his team to continually deliver premium quality in terms of content programming across Africa to the best of their ability and the quest to still achieve more, were enough reasons to conclude to have him as the first Chief Executive Officer (CEO) to climb the podium of the “The Big Shot” on SPLASH9JA platform.
Indeed, a decision well thought out, an honour well deserving and shot well captured, knowing that this is the maiden edition of such an EXCLUSIVE INTERVIEW. Congrats to Somnath Malakar and the entire Zee World team across Africa.
If you guys are ready, can we then take a plunge into the world of our guest today as we unlock so much from this amazing and modest man. Enjoy the exclusive interview.
Zee Entertainment has for the second year participated actively in NEMCEA 2023, tell us more about your involvement with the project?
ZEE’s presence at NEMCEA is integral as the market allows for network expansion, we increase lead generation opportunities, while gaining insights to the industry in Nigeria.
Your colleague mentioned during the NEMCEA 2023 conference that Zee World is introducing new channels unto the bouquet… can you shed more light on this?
Yes, at the end of August we launched the first ever isiZulu TV channel called Zee Zonke on DStv in Southern Africa. This 24/7 channel offers drama series fully dubbed in isiZulu with English subtitles, catering for South African audiences. And just to add that the isiZulu language from the Nguni family is spoken by approximately 27.3 million South Africans making it the most significant and widely spoken local language. Zee Zonke allows the content to travel wider geographically and deeper in terms of the emotional connection.
Can you provide an overview of your company’s mission and vision especially concerning the Africa market?
Our business is entertainment. We draw inspiration from our audiences, their struggles and triumphs, their beliefs and cultural nuances, weaving stories into the fabric of everyday lives of households across Africa connecting with our consumers’ souls.
Our mission is to become the world’s leading global content company, driven by content leadership based on innovation and creativity while delivering exceptional value to our customers, viewers and stakeholders.
How has the television landscape evolved in recent years, and how is your company adapting to these changes?
The television landscape has certainly transformed from a single screen to an omni platform of streaming apps, OTT platforms, social media and connected TV which has led to changed viewing behaviour and being people being able to access a plethora of content available anytime, anywhere across multiple devices. This includes the instant gratification factor of being able to binge view.
Having said that, a recent Zee Entertainment research study has shown us there is still a significant place for television, co-existing with streaming services.
For a large part of our audiences, there are still very strong ritualistic behaviours linked to TV; there is a high prevalence of signature content that is best viewed on a big screen or together with others. Television does still signal a change in rhythm and a downtime, it brings people together, which online devices, and mobile devices can’t do.
Zee has adapted by creating shows that are binge-worthy and have a continuous storyline which keeps audiences engaged. To satisfy the viewers’ need for instant gratification, series are available 7 days a week. We also pride ourselves on high-quality unique content that is exclusive to Zee channels.
What strategies does your company employ to stay competitive and innovative in a rapidly changing media environment?
Touching the lives of our audiences with new and unique hybrid formats, for example, Dance Naija Dance, a reality show fusing Nigerian-Indian culture, dances and celebrities. Drama series Mehek is another solid example which comprises an African-Indian star cast.
Despite the media space changing so swiftly, some basic human values remain the same and Zee’s proposition of family friendly content speaks to that.
Could you share some insights into the most significant challenges your company has faced and how you’ve overcome them?
A rather massive challenge of ZEE’s is the dubbing and creating of compliant and culturally appropriate content for the various markets across Sub Saharan Africa – for example, a new language for a single channel fully dubbed is roughly a volume of 1500-2000 hours of programming per year. It’s not just taking a drama series or movie and slapping a language on it.
There are different technical standards and shows are edited to increase the pace of the storytelling to keep viewers’ interest while retaining the production values, remaining sensitive to the tension, drama and flow of the storyline. This requires continuity skills and understanding of the content to make sure that edits don’t damage the storyline and viewing experience.
Our experienced linguists create a lip-sync dubbing script and acting as well as language skills are required to translate dialogue with the same nuances as the original.
This challenging process requires continual monitoring and quality control.
What role does technology play in your company’s operations and content delivery?
Our technology sits at the heart of our content creation ecosystem; from content streaming and highly sophisticated data analytics to a robust ad suite and assets management. Zee’s Broadcasting operations consists of 10 post-production hubs, 290 edit suites, 100+ new shows delivered daily with 490 fresh hours of content every week. We maintain one of the most advanced automation-based media architectures that receives, processes and delivers content to 150+ countries as linear multi-format channels. Our broadcasting system is underpinned by five satellites, a solid storage mechanism and state-of-the-art network engines to deliver curated and localized content globally.
How do you approach content creation and programming decisions to cater to diverse audience preferences?
Regarding content creation, Zee has adopted a hyper local approach where we adapt or create formats to meet the needs of our audiences, their culture and look-and-feel while allowing for audience participation
Programming decisions are based on character representation, storylines and social messaging as it allows viewers to see themselves and their experiences reflected on screen, fostering a sense of connection and understanding. Additionally, we look at various genres, romance, action, family, suspense and period pieces which can appeal across genders while remaining family friendly to include younger audiences.
Can you discuss your company’s approach to distribution and reaching audiences across various platforms?
The ZEE channels are available across satellite and terrestrial platforms such as DStv, GOtv, Startimes to name but a few. Select ZEE series are available on the DStv catch up and live streaming services. We also syndicate select ZEE programmes to other channels and OTT platforms. ZEE further offers short clips on our Youtube channels.
What trends do you see shaping the future of television and electronic media in general, and how is your company positioning itself to capitalize on these trends?
OTT platforms, all TVs will become connected Smart TVs, increase in original and local programming, and FAST channels will continue to shape the future.
The freedom-of-choice trend will likely continue, regardless of the media company ownership, putting pressure on traditional platforms to reconsider the way they offer their services, that is possible unbundling, becoming more a la carte.
There are so many varying opinions, thoughts and views out there, it’s difficult to future proof, but we attempt to ride the wave the best we can. So, ZEE is looking at the creation of strong local formats, developing strategic partnerships with content creators and production studios, and being open to co-production opportunities.
How does your company address issues related to content regulation and ethical considerations considering the ethnic and cultural background differences in Africa?
Thankfully, as ZEE’s core proposition is family friendly programming, we fall well within the regulatory parameters. Careful content curation underpins the ZEE channels while the strong cultural similarities between the African and Indian culture aids the resonance of the ZEE offering allowing it to travel ‘safely’ across the continent.
What efforts are being made to foster diversity and inclusion both in your company’s workforce and in the content that you produce?
We have a great track record of diversity and inclusion and will continue on this trajectory with fusion shows consisting of hybrid casts and unifying themes to include local participants. In this we utilize local producers, studios, crews, music and talent, artists or celebrities.
We have also invested in developing local talent by partnering with industry stalwart MultiChoice Talent Factory where ZEE offers a learnership for 3 students from Nigeria, Kenya and Zambia at the Zee Studios in India for a few weeks.
Tell us about the rationale behind/curation behind the Dance Naija Dance show?
The Zee philosophy had always been innovation and viewer delight. We wanted to curate something unique for the Nigerian audience in return of the love they always have for the brand. The audience love Indian music and if they can also be a part of it, the experience becomes more memorable. That’s why Dance Naija Dance – the fusion of music and entertainment from Nigeria and India.
How well has the show impacted your brand as a whole ? Is it serving its purpose as it were?
As expected- the show has already completed 2 Seasons and everyone loves it. Both the fusion concept and the quality of execution has been adored by the Nigerian audience and we are so glad about it. As a brand, Zee has become an even more integral part of the lives of the Naija viewer. Given the love and acceptance of the viewer for the project, we will soon be coming with more innovative fusion content that will be an absolute viewer delight going forward.
Lastly, how do you feel winning two different categories of Awards in the just concluded NEMCEA 2023?
We are truly honoured to be acknowledged with these accolades, it has reaffirmed ZEE’s strength and the teams’ dedication and hard work behind the scenes. We thank the organizers for this, we are grateful.
