Zenetis may go for IPO next year, launches 'Kolkata TV'

Televisionpoint.com Team
Zenetis Group of companies has announced the soft launch of its global Bengali infotainment channel Kolkata TV. Referring to their other business ventures, Chairman of the promoting company Santanu Ghosh and Managing Director Tathagata Dutta said they might go for the IPO sometime next year to raise more funds.

Speaking about the launch of this round-the-clock channel, its director and well known media personality Suman Chattopadhyay claimed that the channel which is poised to go live before the coming assembly elections will strive to satisfy the curiosity of Bengali viewers across the globe with 'real-time- updates' from the world of politics, business, art and culture, education, sports and entertainment.

Besides Chattopadhyay, acclaimed film actor-cum-director Aparna Sen has joined the channel as its creative director and promises to give it the proper look and feel that is global. Along with a host of other renowned journalists from around the country, it really looks like a team to do wonders. Also speaking on the occasion, Chairman of the promoting company Santanu Ghosh and Managing Director Tathagata Dutta, the young duo who had created a ripple in the country's computer hardware industry, said after achieving all-round success in the technical field they had decided to diversify into the media industry and also had a plan to launch a Bengali newspaper, a fortnightly newsmagazine and an FM channel.

The company founded about three years back is all set to touch the RS 600 crore in business turnover during the current financial year recording 200% growth from the previous year. It's now targetting to increase the business level to RS 5000 crore in five years. They also announced the setting up of a separate company SSP Media to manage the media business and plan to invest upto RS 100 crore (Rs 1 billion) within one year in terms of technology upgrade and purchase of sophisticated equipment.

"So far we have invested RS 20 crore for this purpose and to get the necessary human resources," they said.

Referring to their other business ventures, including the production of two-wheelers, the first of its kind in Eastern region, in collaboration with a Chinese partner from next year itself, both Ghosh and Dutta said they might go for the initial public offering by sometime next year to raise more funds for the project.