Programming head Niyati Shah quits Zee Music

Programming head Niyati Shah quits Zee Music

MUMBAI: Changes continue in the Subhash Chandra-promoted Zee Telefilms and it's the turn of Zee Music to play a new talent tune as the programming and marketing head, Niyati Shah, is tuning out of the music channel.

Serving her notice period till 29 April, Shah, now to be based in Chennai, is set to join Sify Broadband as head of the content and marketing team.

Confirming, her departure from the music channel, Shah said, "I am looking for better prospects. Heading the Sify Boardband (content and marketing division) is like creating Zee Network as the work is more than just managing a channel. My job profile gets broadened at Sify."

At Zee Music, she looked after both the programming as well as marketing aspects of the channel and her association with the music channel has been for over two years.

During her tenure, she was part of the core team that engineered the re-launch of Zee Music, which unveiled a new look in 2003. Then, the channel pumped up the adrenaline by jumping into the reality show genre by launching the Item Bomb, which was a hunt for a girl for an 'item' number in Hindi flicks.

Shah is also credited with conceptualising the present live interactive shows on Zee Music, Suniyo-Re and Please-To- Play.

Initially, she was reporting to Yogesh Radhakrishan, who is now looking after the Dubai operations of Zee Telefilms, and then worked with Zee Music business head, Bharat Ranga. At present, Zee Music is in search of professionals for heading the programming and marketing teams, according to Ranga.

In a bid to be an effective competition and an important player in the music genre, Zee Music is attempting to cash in on innovations and the fact that it has access to the largest library of film songs as the Zee Network acquires lot of movies for broadcasts.

In an interview given to indiantelevision.com some time back, Ranga had said that as a company, they understand the music space well as there has been a heritage of music-based shows through programmes like Antakshari and Sa Re Ga Ma. An ideal package, according to Ranga, for a music channel is a combination of attitude, aura and music, backed by strong marketing and promotional activities.

Zee Music is also attempting to target SEC A audience without losing out its core base that is formed from SEC B, C and D.