Booming startups not in a bubble, says Subhash Chandra

Essel Group Chairman Subhash Chandra has said the country's booming startup space is not a bubble, rather it will help expand the overall market in the coming days. "They (startups) are neither a bubble nor a complete game changer. I am sure the traditional things will survive, it (startups) will expand the market," Chandra said last night at the Exchange4media Conclave.

Chandra added that when he started the country's first satellite television channel Zee TV 23 years ago, the film and theatre industry were wary and felt that it would mark their end. "I remember that when I started (satellite) television in this country, the film industry felt we will kill the film industry and theatre industry but the reverse happened. We promoted the films, we partnered with the movie industry and both grew.

Same way the technological startup companies will continue," he said. He said the e-commerce companies have found success as they are able to cater to the needs of people from smaller towns or the rural areas where products were earlier not available due to supply chain constraints. Stating that technology will help in expanding the market and things will co-exist, he debunked the myth that linear television will cease to be around after a decade.

"People say the linear television as it exists today, 10 years from now it will be dead. At Zee, we do take technology seriously. We are ahead at least in Asia in terms of adopting technology.