Zee Media Corporation

Overview

Zee Media Corporation Limited

key people
former names	Zee News Limited (1999–2013)
type	Public
traded as	bse: 532794 nse: ZEEMEDIA
isin	INE966H01019
industry	Mass Media
founded	August 27, 1999
hq location	Mumbai, Maharashtra, India

History

brands	• Zee News • Daily News and Analysis • Grazia India • TopGear India

revenue	inr 6400000000‡R1R‡

revenue year	2020

net income	inr -2730000000‡R1R‡

net income year	2020

num employees	1,719‡R1R‡

num employees year	2020

owner	Essel Group

website	zeemedia.in

footnotes	‡R2R‡

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.[3] It was demerged as a separate company of the Essel Group in 2006.[4] In 2013,[5] Zee News Ltd. changed its name to Zee Media Corporation Limited.[6][7]

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.[8] The corporation also runs the Zee Institute of Media Arts (ZIMA)[9] 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

Former/Defunct channels

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.[12] The World is One News (WION) channel operates its website.[13] The ZMCL also owns the India.com news website.[14]

Controversies and criticism

Jindal Group extortion incident

The channel was tried for allegedly extorting ₹1 billion from the Jindal Group revealed through a sting operation.[19] Two senior journalists Sudhir Chaudhary and Sameer Ahluwalia were arrested.[20][21][22] The two were sent to a 14-day judicial custody in Tihar jail and were ultimately released on bail.[23][24]

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.[27] 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.[28] 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."[29] A forensic report of the Delhi Police however later stated that the footage was doctored.[30]

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.[31] The Minister of Finance, Arun Jaitley dismissed the report as being rumours.[32] The Reserve Bank of India has also stated that no such chips are present in the currency notes.[33] The presence of "nano-GPS" in the currency notes has been classified as a hoax being spread on social media.[34][35]

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.[36] Sidhu accused Zee News of playing a doctored video and threatened to file a defamation suit against Zee News.[37] Sidhu stated that slogans of Jo Bole So Nihal were misconstrued as being in favour of Pakistan.[38] 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.[39]

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.[40] Moitra accused the channel of false reporting and submitted a breach of privilege motion against Zee News and Sudhir Chaudhary.[41] Martin Longman responded and stated that the legislator did not plagiarise him.[42] Subsequently, Moitra filed a criminal defamation case against Chaudhary.[43]

Zee Media Corporation

History

Channels

Current channels

Former/Defunct channels

Online

Controversies and criticism

Jindal Group extortion incident

See also

References

Newspaper

Cases of fabrication

Jawaharlal Nehru University sedition controversy

GPS Chips in ₹2000 currency notes

Navjot Singh Sidhu – Alwar controversy

Mahua Moitra criminal defamation case

Jawaharlal Nehru University sedition controversy

GPS Chips in ₹2000 currency notes

Navjot Singh Sidhu – Alwar controversy

Mahua Moitra criminal defamation case

Coverage of 2020 Delhi election results

Ban in Nepal

Alleged interference in Canadian issues