Zee Entertainment Enterprises

1982
 
 
 - The Company was incorporated on 25th November, and it obtained the
 Certificate of Commencement of Business on 5th January 1983 as
 Empire
 Holdings Ltd. in the state of Maharashtra.  It was promoted by the
 Essel group of companies, comprising Sanjay Badgamia, Vasant Parekh
 and
 Ashok Kothari.  The main object of the company the business of
 entertainment software.
 
 1992
 
 - It entered into the business of entertainment software and
 subsequently the name was changed to ZEE Telefilms Ltd.  The Company
 co-promoted Essel Packaging Ltd. the partnership company of the
 Essel
 group in 1982.
 
 - The Company produces/develops Hindi films, serials, game shows,
 children programmes etc.  The Company would also commission serials,
 game shows etc., through directors/producers on contract basis,
 purchase rights of Hindi films, serials and other programmes from
 the
 producers for a predetermined period.
 
 - 70 No. of Equity shares subscribed for by signatories to the
 Memorandum of Association.  2,47,930 No. of equity shares of Rs 10
 each
 were then issued at par of which 97,930 shares reserved for
 allotment
 to directors, their relatives etc.  Balance 1,50,000 shares issued
 to
 public on 25th February 1986.  4,96,000 shares offered in rights
 basis
 in proportion 2:1.
 
 1993
 
 - ASSPL became a wholly owned subsidiary of the Company.  During the
 year, the Company entered into an agreement with the Mauritus
 Broadcasting Corporation for supply of programme software to ZEE TV.
 
 - During August, the Company issued 89,28,000 rights equity shares
 of
 Rs 10 each at a premium of Rs 20 per share in proportion 12:1. 
 Another
 90,00,000 shares were offered at a premium of Rs 20 per share through
 a
 prospectus as follows: 9,00,000 shares and 27,00,000 shares reserved
 for allotment to FIIs and NRIs (repatriation basis) respectively. 
 Only
 21,90,300 shares taken up by NRIs.  Of the balance 10,000 shares
 reserved for allotment on preferential basis to employees (only
 4,100
 shares taken up).  Remaining 45,90,000 shares along with 5,15,600
 shares not taken up were issued to the public (of these 4,98,000
 shares
 taken up by FIIs and 17,600 shares by public).
 
 1994
 
 - The Company promoted Siti Cable Venture for provision of
 integrated
 cable network facility to individual cable operators on a city by
 city
 basis and function as a city TV station.
 
 - The Company also proposed to develop Pay TV industry and with this
 in
 view is jointly promoting Zee Cinema, the first Hindi movie Pay TV
 Channel along with the News Corp Group.
 
 1995
 
 
 - The Company alongwith Newscorp promoted another company viz.
 Programme Asia Trading Company Private Ltd. (PATCO) for programme
 supplies to EL TV and Zee Cinema Channel.
 
 - Asia Today Ltd. and Zee Telefilms Ltd. entered into a sale and
 purchase agreement for production, procurement and provision of
 Hindustani entertainment software from India and export the same to
 Hongkong for transmitting such software on ZEE TV Channel.
 
 - As per the agreement entered into between ASSPL & ATL the former
 has
 been approached as a sole canvassing agent for booking and selling
 advertisement slots or time slots throughtout India directly or
 through
 advertising agencies for relaying on the Zee TV.
 
 - 4,00,000 Redeemable Cumulative Non-Convertible Pref. share issued
 during the year.
 
 1996
 
 
 - Pref. shares redeemed during the year.
 
 1997
 
 
 - 3,00,000 pref. shares issued.
 
 - Walt Disney animation films will be telecast every day for two
 hours
 on Zee TV from February 1 following an agreement reached between
 Buena
 Vista Television India and Zee.
 
 - In order to bring the first of its kind `Zee Cine Awards' to
 millions
 of TV viewers across the globe, the Zee Network has tied up with the
 150-year old world audit major, Price Waterhouse (which incidentally
 is
 the auditing firm for the Oscar awards also) and the market research
 firm Gallup MBA.
 
 1998
 
 
 - A Letter of intent was signed on 14.04.98 between Zee Network and
 EchoStar Communications Corp, to launch Zee's Hindi family
 entertainment channel on EchoStar's direct-to-home (DTH) satellite
 services for television audiences in the US.
 
 - The Zee Network, which runs the Zee family of channels, is
 foraying
 into the print media with the launch of a film magazine christened
 Cine
 Zee.  The magazine will be launched in August.
 
 - Zee has also signed an agreement with Deutsche Telecom for beaming
 in
 Germany.  It is also negotiating with leading cable companies in
 Sweden.
 
 - Subhash Chandra-promoted Zee Telefilms (ZTL) and the holding
 company
 for the Zee Network, Asia Today Ltd (ATL) may be merged.
 
 - Equity shares and convertible debentures of Zee Telefilms Limited
 can
 now be purchased up to 30 per cent of its total paid-up equity
 capital
 subject to certain conditions.
  
 - Apart from the three Star India channels - Star News, Star Plus
 and
 Star Movies - Asia Today Ltd (ATL), the 50:50 joint venture between
 Chandra and Murdoch; Siticable, the 50:50 joint venture between Zee
 Telefilms and murdoch; and Chandra's Zee Multimedia, which owns the
 UK,
 US, African and European Zee channels, will be merged with Zee
 Telefilms.
 
 - Zee TV and Tata Tea Ltd have won the 1997-98 Ficci awards for
 creativity in visual media and training and placement disabled
 persons
 respectively.
 
 - Siti Cable and Zee Telefilms Ltd (ZTL) have merged their
 operations.
 Siti Cable is a 50:50 joint venture between Subhash `Zee TV'
 Chandra's
 Essel group and Rupert Murdoch who controls Star TV.
 
 - Zee Telefilms will launch its cable Internet services in 4-6
 months
 through its sister concern SitiCable.  The company will provide
 unlimited Internet access (24 hours) over cable and will not charge
 its
 customers for Net-surfing.
 
 1999
 
 - As part of its expansion plans, ZTL will increase its authorised
 capital from Rs 50 to Rs 75 crore.
 
 - Zee Telefilms Ltd (ZTL) shareholders approved an increase in the
 company's authorized share capital from Rs 50 crore to Rs 75 crore
 to
 safeguard itself from any fund shortfall required for the ambitious
 projects envisaged in the face of technological convergence.
 
 - Subhash Chandra-promoted Zee Telefilms Ltd (ZTL) has tied up with
 French major Canal Plus for its proposed digital TV service, a
 precursor to a KU-band direct-to-home (DTH) service.
 
 - ZEE TV will launch three new channels in Europe and start
 broadcasts
 in eight regional languages in India during an action-packed six
 months
 expansion programme.
 
 - Zee Telefilms Limited (ZTL) will soon launch three English
 language
 channels, including a news channel called the Asian News Network,
 thus
 taking head-on its partner-turned-competitor Star TV.
 
 - Zee TV upto 1999 has been operating four channels, three of which
 were being played out of STAR TV facility in Hong Kong on lease
 basis.
 With the growth of the network into eleven channels, the launch of
 the
 DTO bouquet and the Alpha channels including the English channels, a
 decision was taken to install a fully owned facility in Singapore
 which
 can play-out ten channels. This facility was set up in a record time
 of
 three months and has been fully operational since middle of March
 2000.
 
 - In September 1999, ZTL acquired Zee Multimedia Worldwide Limited
 (ZMWL). Following this acquisition, all the international operations
 including the broadcasting business of ZMWL came under ZTL's
 control.
 ZTL acquired NewsCorp's 50% stake in Asia Today Limited (ATL),
 Siticable, and Programme Asia Trading Company Ltd. and now owns 100%
 of
 these businesses. The consideration paid for the acquisition was USD
 296.51 million
 
 2000
 
 - Zeenext.com, the Internet portal site of the company subsidiary
 EConnect India Ltd, and mobile Internet firm Unimobile.com that they
 had tied up to offer zeenext portal contents to wireless
 communication
 devices.
 
 - Zee Telefilms has emerged as the new market mover on Dalal Street.
 
 - Zee Telefilms signed an MoU with Asianet Communication Ltd. for
 consolidating Zee's entry into the South Indian regional channels.
 
 - Zee Telefilms will set up 500 Internet kiosks, named eZee centres,
 across the country as part of its e-commerce initiatives, senior
 company.
 
 - Zee Telefilms has been awarded the prestigious Ground Breaker
 award
 as the top national programmer by the US-based trade publication,
 Multichannel News International.
 
 - Media and entertainment major Zee Telefilms has acquired 26 per
 cent
 stake in Aplab Ltd, an electronic equipment market.
 
 - Zee Telefilms will launch Basic Education Support Television in
 April 2001 - a project aimed at educating the rural India through
 the
 television medium.
 
 - Zee Telefilms Ltd's American Depository Receipts/American
 Depository
 Shares issue worth .5 billion.
 
 - Zee Telefilms Ltd aims at a 1:1 debt-equity ratio for its Rs. 
 2,400
 crore outlay to set up a fibre-optic and coaxial network across 26
 cities in the country.
 
 - The Company and TransWorld International have joined their bids
 for
 the telecast rights for the cricket World Cup tournaments for 2003
 and
 2007.
 
 - Zee Telefilms subsidiary Zee Publishing has been hived off as a
 separate company.
 
 - Zee Telefilms Ltd will be launching its sports channel,
 tentatively
 christened, zee Sports, on 1st October.
 
 - Zee Telefilms Ltd. will float a new joint venture company with the
 Hollywood studio, Metro Gold-wyn Mayer Inc (MGM) to operate a
 co-branded movie channel exclusively for the South Asian market.
 
 - The promoter of the company Mr. Subhash Chandra will launch Zed TV,
 a
 education channel on October 12.
 
 - Indian media firm Zee Telefilms it has signed a joint venture
 agreement with an infotech firm to provide direct-to-home broadcast
 services.
 
 - Zee Interactive Learning Systems, a 100 per cent subsidiary of Zee
 Telefilms, has tied up with three public sectors undertakings and
 four
 state governments in the country to provide Web-based training
 initiatives.
 
 - The Company has apppointed three whole-time directors viz. Mr.
 R.K.
 Singh, Mr. Deepak Shourie and Mr. Dev Naganad.
 
 - The Company has entered into a joint venture tie-up with Sterling
 Infotech to establish a direct-to-home television services.
 
 - Zee Telefilms, proposes to set up a niche alternative lifestyle
 channel targeted at the non-resident Indian Population, has decided
 to
 brand the channel as Chakra.
 
 - The Indian Music Industry has joined hands with Zee Telefilms to
 present year 2000's IMI-Zee Sangeet Awards.
 
 - Zee Interactive Multimedia Ltd., a subsidiary of Zee Telefilms, is
 expanding its operations to 26 cities in the next 12 to 18 months.
 
 - Buddha Films, the company that has been working as the Zee group's
 platform for acquiring sports properties has been de-merged from Zee
 Telefilms (ZTL) and spun off as a separate, stand-along company.
 
 - Former director operations of Videsh Sanchar Nigam Amitabh Kumar
 has
 joined Zee Telefilms as vice-president distribution and access
 infrastructure.
 
 - Media baron Subhash Chandra has sold 50 lakh shares in Zee
 Telefilms
 (ZTL) to a US-based institutional investor.
 
 - The four regional channels that form the Alpha bouquet were
 launched
 on the following dates :Alpha Marathi : 15th August, 1999Alpha Bangla
 :
 15th September, 1999Alpha Punjabi : 18th October 1999Alpha Gujarati
 :
 21st March, 2000
 
 2001
 
 - In May, 2001, Zee Telefilms has decided to induct a strategic
 partner, preferably an international media major to strengthen its
 financial and technical strengths to achieve high growth in the
 field
 of convergence. ZTL has converted its flagship Zee TV into a pay
 channel with effect from 10 June 2001.
 
 2002
 
 - Zee Telefilms has come out with Open offer to acquire 23,39,900
 fully
 paid-up equity shares of Rs 10/- each of ETC Networks. It represens
 20%
 of the voting equity share capital at a price of Rs 31.52/- per
 fully
 paid up equity share. The issue opens on 3rd Apr. 2002 and closes on
 3rd May 2002.
 
 -Zee Telefilms Ltd has informed that Zee TV Partners Cartoon Network,
 Snap Ties with Nickelodeon.
 
 -Zee Telefilms took a controlling stake in ETC Networks in June 2002,
 following a memorandum of understanding (MoU) signed between the two
 companies in February this year. As per the MoU, Zee was to acquire
 57 per cent in ETC in two stages for Rs 25 crore.
 
 2003
 
 - Zee News is attempting to give a full perspective of the stories by
 following them to the core. In this regard, it has launched a new
 programme, known as Zee Follow Up. The new programme will pick up the
 loose string of hundreds of stories that once made headlines but
 somewhere down the line lost their steam. Zee News is attempting to
 retrace history by keeping the viewers abreast of what had occurred
 since, the report said.
 
 -Decides to persist with its plan of showing Thursday Bollywood
 blockbusters
 
 -Hits upon a new income stream to boost revenues by permitting other
 international news channels to beam its exclusive footage and
 programmes for a fee
 
 -Delgrada, an overseas corporate body owned by the promoters of ZEE
 Telefilm, pledges an additional 3.1 crore shares or 7.6% of the
 equity capital of Zee Telefilms held by it in favour of Credit Suisse
 First Boston, Singapore
 
 -Mumbai High Court stays Zee TV's daily and Sunday lottery draws
 
 -Share price slumps to four-year low of Rs 60.15 on 01/04/2003
 
 -Zee News starts new programme 'Zee Follow up' through which it is
 attempting to retrace history by keeping the viewers abreast of what
 had occurred since
 
 -Zee, Turner International expand partnership with 3 new channels
 wherein Turner will be the advertising sales agent for Zee's English
 entertainment and lifestyle channels, Zee English, Zee MGM and the
 recently unveiled Trendz channel
 
 -Announces its la carte price list for bundling channels
 
 -Govt cancels Zee Telefilms plea for bundling its channels
 
 -Promoters' stake in Zee comes down to below 51-pc, stands at 50.5%
 
 -Zee News launches a new logo and a new advertising campaign with the
 baseline 'Haqeeqat Jaisi, Khabar Waisi'
 
 -Foreign shareholdings in Zee Telefilms surge to 58%
 
 -Promoters of Zee offload 3% shares to FIIs
 
 -Zee becomes first to get Ietter of intent for DTH operation in
 India
 
 -Delhi High Court permits Zee TV to telecast 'The Inside Story' 
 
 -Zee News, Mid Day Multimedia in pact for daily news capsule
 
 -Zee, Star landup in a fray over Siticable's HITS project
 
 -HLL's advertisements reappear on Zee TV after nearly a gap of one
 year
 
 - Board approved the proposal to commence broadcasting of Zee TV and
 Zee Cinema channels from India. The company has already obtained
 permission of ministry of Information & Broadcasting for the same.
 
 -Out come of AGM: Delisting of equity shares from Ahmedabad & Delhi
 Stock Exchange
 Appointment of S P Talwar as an Independent Director
 
 -High Court restrains overseas firms from using Zee in domain names
 
 -Zee Tele forges alliance with Rajashri Pictures
 
 -Board approves Corporate Restructuring of Indian and Foreign
 Subsidiaries
 
 2004
 
 -Zee announces launch of new religious channel 'Jagran'
 
 - Churu Trading Co. Pvt. Ltd, has purchased 3415518 equity shares of
 the Company from Livewire Programme Trading Co. Pvt. Ltd.
 
 -Zee Telefilms announced the launch of a separate encrypted beam for
 Singapore
 
 -BT Broadcast, ASCEL join hands to offer teleport services to Zee
 
 2005
 
 -Zee Telefilms Ltd launches separate sports channel
 
 -Zee Tele teams up with IBM Global
 
 -Zee Network in alliance with PanGlobal TV
 
 2006
 
 -Zee Telefilms acquires 50% stake in Ten Sports
 
 2007
 
 -Zee Telefilms Ltd has informed that consequent to all approvals
 having been received the name of the Company, effective from January
 10, 2007, has changed to Zee Entertainment Enterprises Ltd.