Laxmi Shetty replaces Ashish Sehgal as Zee's ad revenue head

  laxmi-shetty-replaces-ashish-sehgal-as-zee-s-ad-revenue-head.html
  Media and Entertainment on Tue, Aug 26th, 2025 by The Financial Express

Zee Sets New Course for Advertising Revenue with Laxmi Shetty’s Appointment

The Indian media giant has appointed former executive Laxmi Shetty to replace Ashish Sehgal as the head of advertising revenue, signaling a strategic shift in its monetisation strategy amid a highly competitive and rapidly digitalising market.

A High‑Profile Exit

The appointment follows Ashish Sehgal’s resignation earlier this month, after a brief tenure that saw him steer Zee’s advertising business through a challenging post‑pandemic period. Sehgal, who had joined Zee from the U.S.‑based advertising firm WPP, had previously held senior roles at the advertising network Omnicom and the media house Star India. His departure was widely seen as part of a broader restructuring of the company’s sales and marketing functions.

“We wanted to bring in fresh energy and a deeper understanding of our domestic advertising ecosystem,” Zee’s CEO, Nikhil Bhatia, said in a press release. “Laxmi’s track record in building cross‑platform revenue streams aligns perfectly with our growth objectives.”

Laxmi Shetty: A Proven Revenue Leader

Laxmi Shetty joins Zee with more than two decades of experience across India’s top media and advertising houses. She previously served as the Chief Revenue Officer at Zee and has spent significant periods at Star TV and Sony Pictures Networks. During her time at Zee, Shetty was credited with pioneering the integration of linear TV and digital ad formats, driving the company’s first‑ever multi‑platform advertising platform that combined traditional broadcast slots with targeted online placements.

Her experience also extends to the U.S. market, where she was part of the strategic advisory team at WPP that focused on data‑driven advertising solutions for Indian brands. “Shetty has a unique blend of hands‑on execution and strategic foresight, especially in the realm of programmematic advertising,” said Rahul Kumar, a senior analyst at ICRA.

Shetty’s appointment comes at a time when Indian broadcasters are grappling with declining advertising budgets. The industry has seen a 9.5% drop in ad spend since the peak of the pandemic, according to a recent report by Deloitte. Shetty’s mandate is to reverse this trend by capitalising on Zee’s extensive content library and its growing OTT platform, Zee5.

A Focus on Data‑Driven, Cross‑Platform Growth

One of Shetty’s first public statements emphasised a “data‑first” approach. She said, “Zee has an incredible content ecosystem that spans regional and national languages. Our goal is to harness this breadth to offer advertisers a single, unified platform where they can reach audiences across TV, digital, and emerging technologies like AR/VR.”

In practical terms, this means tighter integration between Zee’s linear channels and its over‑the‑top (OTT) platform. Zee5, which now boasts over 80 million paying subscribers, is set to play a pivotal role in Shetty’s revenue strategy. The company is reportedly negotiating a series of cross‑promotional bundles that will allow advertisers to place dynamic, context‑relevant ads across both mediums.

Shetty also indicated that Zee will be expanding its data science capabilities. “We are building an in‑house analytics team that will provide real‑time audience insights, helping advertisers optimise their spend and achieve higher ROI,” she said.

Industry Reactions

The appointment has been greeted with cautious optimism by industry observers. “Shetty’s deep understanding of the Indian media landscape and her experience with multi‑channel advertising gives Zee a competitive edge,” said Shankar Patel, former chief marketing officer at TV9. “The real test will be how quickly she can convert that potential into measurable revenue gains.”

Some analysts, however, warn that Zee will need to navigate a crowded advertising space. “OTT platforms like Disney+ Hotstar and Amazon Prime Video are also ramping up their advertising divisions,” noted Priya Sharma of Deloitte. “Zee will have to offer differentiated solutions that resonate with brand marketers.”

Looking Ahead

Zee’s new revenue head will report directly to the Chief Commercial Officer and is expected to work closely with the digital product team and the regional sales divisions. Her first order of business will involve conducting a comprehensive audit of existing advertising contracts, identifying under‑utilised inventory, and developing a roadmap for the next 12 months.

“We’re committed to a bold, data‑driven strategy that will deliver measurable results for our advertisers,” Shetty said in an interview with the Financial Express. “We’re excited to partner with brands that want to tell stories that resonate across all of India.”

In the weeks ahead, market watchers will keep a close eye on Zee’s advertising revenue figures and any new product launches that signal Shetty’s influence. If successful, her tenure could usher in a new era for Indian broadcasters—one where data, technology, and creativity converge to create high‑impact advertising solutions that appeal to an increasingly sophisticated consumer base.