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Subhash Chandra touts his plans to disassemble Zee Telefilms Ltd (ZTL) into four separate entities as a necessary move to unlock value. As he stands on the eve of the digital age, he feels he can size up each line of his media business spreading across cable TV, direct-to-home (DTH), content and broadcasting with independent focus and management care.

What this means is that the core ZTL, after the trimming, would have all the network channels except in the news and regional genres which raked in Rs 2.01 for the 2005-06 fiscal. Operating revenues of Rs 1.54 billion from cable TV would also be transferred out, further eroding the company's consolidated turnover.

Even after cropping the topline, there is a mandate for robust growth. Riding on the wave of Zee Cinema and a resurgent Zee TV, the company expects to clock a 10 per cent rise from last year's turnover of Rs 10.51 billion.

Says Essel Group CEO of corporate strategy and finance Rajiv Garg, "We expect an advertising revenue growth of 12-15 per cent this fiscal. While international business will sustain its 10-12 per cent growth (adding of channels and gain from Middle East operations), domestic subscription will stay steady."

Zee's road to recovery came last year as the flagship Hindi general entertainment channel bounced back big time on the ratings scale with simple storyline soaps like Saat Phere and Kasamh Se. Zee TV smelt the first scent of success since its continuous slide for over six years, with Sa Re Ga Ma Pe Challenge, a singing talent show.

"It is not that we came out with any magic potion in programming. We just stuck to the basic rules. What made the difference this time is that we jelled as a team and came out with a winning mindset. The external environment also played a role as Sony lost audiences and Star Plus was still lighted up by the three long-running flagship soaps," says Zee Network senior vice president Ashish Kaul, explaining the turnaround story.

Zee's resurrection was born out of a long sequence of internal discussions and, in a reshuffle, Chandra's elder son Punit Goenka was made business head of Zee TV. In an interview with Indiantelevision.com, Goenka had then said that his induction would bring stability to the channel. "You can expect one change. We want a planned execution of what we do. We won't resort to any knee-jerk reactions… Here, internal palpitations happen whenever crucial projects come up. There have been instances when we started a project and left it midway… It is more like using someone who can handle pressure and bring in stability. I consider myself as one of the Zee professionals, not as a family hand. But, being a family man, I think I can bring in stability."

i really didn't read the whole thing so sorry if it's a waste of time