Mumbai: Zee Entertainment Enterprises Limited (ZEEL) and Sony Pictures Networks India Private Limited (SPNI) are now merging into one. The merger of two big houses in the world of entertainment has got the approval of the board. The merger of Zee and Sony may take 8 to 10 months.
The merger of both companies will have a big impact on the entertainment world and the stock market. With this merger, the company’s position in the market will be good, due to which there is a possibility of increasing revenue. The new company will get strong management. Shareholders will get the direct benefit of this.
Impact on the market
Market experts are advising investors to buy the stock of ZEEL. Experts have given ZEEL a target of Rs 400-415. Shareholders will get 85 shares of the new company for 100 shares of ZEEL.
After this merger, Zee and Sony will be the largest entertainment network in the country with 26.7 percent viewership. It will also have a 63 percent stake in Hindi cinema.
The new company will have 75 TV channels, 2 video streaming services, 2 studios, and a digital content studio. It is also discussed that Zee and Sony together can bet on taking IPL rights.
Zee-Sony Merger
Both companies have been in the television industry for a long time. Sony Pictures Networks India launched its first TV channel in India in 1995. And Zee Entertainment Enterprises Limited (ZEEL) launched its first channel Zee TV in 1992.
What will be the network
Zee has 49 and Sony has 26 TV channels. After the merger of the two companies, the new company will have a total of 75 channels. Zee is present in 173 countries and reaches 1.3 billion people worldwide. At the same time, Sony has a reach of 700 million people in 167 countries.
Big bet on cricket
The broadcast rights of the Indian Premier League are currently with Star India. Earlier, the broadcast rights of IPL were with Sony. The new company can make a big claim to take back these rights.
Zee Entertainment CEO Puneet Goenka has already said that the newly merged entity will focus on sports content as part of its growth strategy. This merger will also see a big change in the advertising sector.
India is a huge market for entertainment. Foreign companies like Netflix, Amazon, Disney Hotstar dominate. Sony and Zee are also on OTT. After the merger, both these companies can launch cheap plans to improve their content as well as increase the user base.
