The series of layoffs has struck the Indian media industry. After tech sector companies laid off thousands of employees worldwide, the TV news channel Zee Hindustan is about to shut down. This will result in at least 300 media professionals going jobless. Zee Network has decided to shut down its Hindi news channel Zee Hindustan at a time when another prominent national media organization, NDTV, is being confronted with acquisition due to a financial problem. Zee Hindustan, which apparently employs 300 people, is also believed to have let go of a number of workers already.
A news channel at Nodia having 300+ staffs shuts down & employees’ fate hing in pendulum. In fact, TV news didn’t have a revenue model ever; it was largely a pseudo PR biz in the guise ‘news’. It only sucked money. Advent of digital was the last nail in its coffin. #ZeeHindustan
— सुशांत झा Sushant Jha (@jhasushant) November 25, 2022
According to reports, there are two main causes behind Zee Hindustan’s shutdown. The first was that the channel’s content mirrored that of its main Hindi news channel, Zee News. Zee Hindustan was launched as a regional Hindi news channel, to focus on Hindi-speaking states. But eventually, its difference with Zee News diminished. The financial stress of the channel is cited as the second factor. The Hindi news channel sector, which includes both major national channels and numerous regional channels, has become overcrowded, and due to that, several channels are suffering financially.
In the meanwhile, Zee Hindustan’s Managing Editor Shamsher Singh has resigned from his post ahead of the channel disappearing from TV sets. He confirmed it by responding to a news report saying that he has resigned. Before that, he had posted several cryptic tweets in Hindu hinting that everything was not right.
जी 🙏🙏🙏 https://t.co/je66q7poeK
— SHAMSHER SINGH (@ShamsherSLive) November 26, 2022
Earlier today, he posted a tweet talking about three phases of life, Creation, Decoration and Destroy, in the context of the news channel, where he confirmed that the channel is being shut down. The three stages of Zee Hindustan, according to him, were the launch in 2017, the relaunch in 2020, and the closure in 2022.
“सृष्टि- शृंगार – संहार” जीवन के तीन फ़ेज हैं।1. May 2017 जब @ZeeHindustan_ लॉंच हुआ (सृष्टि ) पहली 2 Pics. 2.November 2020 जब Relaunch हुआ ( शृंगार) तीसरी Pic 3.Nov.2022 जब बंद हो गया। ( संहार )आख़िरी Pic. और तीनों फ़ेज मेरे ही हाथों.ओम् शिव🙏 pic.twitter.com/fABpQcB6pQ
— SHAMSHER SINGH (@ShamsherSLive) November 26, 2022
Zee Hindustan’s shutdown comes after a series of layoffs in various companies in India and the world. It started with tech giants laying off their employees. Meta recently asked thousands of its employees not to come to the office. Meta is the parent company of social media platforms Facebook, Instagram, and the personal messaging application WhatsApp.
Deepak Chaurasia to make a TV comeback
In another significant development in the media sector in the country, Veteran TV newsman Deepak Chaurasia, who abruptly quit News Nation at the end of last year amid a controversy, will make a reappearance in the upcoming new year. A new TV news channel called Bharat Express, which has been formed by Upendra Rai, has offered him a primetime program. Upendra Rai is a journalist who formerly held administrative posts at Tehelka and Sahara News Network
Upendra Rai said, “The show will be called ‘8 pm with Deepak Chaurasia’. He will also be a consultative editor with Bharat Express.” Along with Chaurasia, Bharat Express will also have former Zee Salaam editor Khalid Raza Khan, Sahara India group editor Ismail Zafar Khan, and Rashtriya Sahara group editor Manoj Tomar.
In his nearly three-decade career, Deepak Chaurasia has worked for Aaj Tak, ABP News, and India News. He joined News Nation in 2019 and departed in December 2021, shortly after hosting his show while allegedly drunk. At the time, he served as the channel’s consultant editor.
