IMI may take promos off three Zee channels

Krishna Gopalan in Mumbai

In a significant development, the Indian Music Industry (IMI), the association of which most Indian music majors are members, is likely to take its promos off three Zee network channels from January 13. This was confirmed by senior officials from the music industry to The Financial Express. Officials at IMI as well as the Zee Network were unavailable for comment.

The promos are primarily aired on Zee TV, Zee Music and Zee Cinema. “We have not managed to reach a consensus with Zee over the issue of advertisement rates and may have have to stop airing promos on these channels,” said an industry official. The IMI, at this stage, comprises prominent Indian music companies such as Saregama, Sony Music, Universal, Magnasound, Venus and BMG Crescendo.

The promos being aired by the music companies comprise largely new album releases. Sources have indicated that this is the first time that the IMI has decided to withdraw promos from a network. “While there have been issues in the past relating to advertisement rates, this is the first time that such a decision has been taken,” they added.

Interestingly, a large percentage of the IMI spend is across the Zee network and this decision may therefore have larger implications for the three Zee channels. The officials explained that the IMI was in negotiations with almost every television channel on ad rates, in the wake of the turbulent phase that the Indian music industry was going through.