ITV

Tag: Amit Goenka

  • Diverse language content the pivot for ZEE5’s growth

    Diverse language content the pivot for ZEE5’s growth

    MUMBAI: The Zee Group’s much anticipated new digital platform ZEE5 (Z5) has finally launched, a few months down the brand refresh that was given to media behemoth’s entertainment channels. Offering everything from Indian and international original content, movies, TV shows, music, live TV and health and lifestyle content, Z5 gives viewers the opportunity to pick their entertainment from 11 browsing (and content) languages—English, Hindi, Bengali, Malayalam, Tamil, Telugu, Kannada, Marathi, Bhojpuri, Gujarati and Punjabi.

    During the launch event, Zee International and Z5 global CEO Amit Goenka said, “As a global content company, our biggest strength is how well we understand our consumers and translate this into content they love. Every aspect of Z5 is based on our deep understanding of our consumers and their local ecosystem. It is both local and global at the same time and we know it is going to change the way you watch content.”

    Z5 is seeking to addresses the entertainment demands of a young India that is increasingly digital savvy and globally connected, yet fundamentally rooted in its culture. Aggregated and original content is offered in the 11 languages as well as Odiya. “Digital will play a critical role in fuelling this growth and we wanted to ensure that we had a strong offering and presence in the space. With the launch of Z5 we see ourselves catapulting into the next phase of growth,” added Amit.

    A silent preparation of 1.5 years went into Z5 to include content and features that cannot be found on any other Indian platform. While revealing the mystery of the silence Zee Entertainment Enterprises MD and CEO Punit Goenka said, “We have invested immense amount of time and energy in creating and acquiring rich and engaging content for Z5, which I am sure will be cherished by our viewers across the nation and worldwide. The launch of Z5 further strengthens us as a media and entertainment powerhouse.”

    While talking about the strategies for India, ZEE5 digital head Archana Anand said, “We see ZEE5 as filling a definite need-gap in the Indian market for strong language content and navigation experience across Indian languages. Our platform will be as relevant to the urban elite as it is to the new digital audiences experiencing Internet for the first time. India’s digital story is going to be fuelled by new language consumers and that’s exactly who ZEE5 is for. 

    Our Brand Anthem celebrates this spirited new India, globally savvy, yet happiest in the language of their comfort. We believe this market to be hugely underserved and hence, see this approach as key to driving our India win.”
    Z5 is banking on India’s rich diversity of languages to bag it the popularity. “Our brand anthem celebrates this spirited new India, globally savvy, yet happiest in the language of their comfort. We believe this market to be hugely underserved and hence, see this approach as key to driving our India win,” she added. Tie ups have been made with regional producers for language content. 

    The platform’s brand anthem has been directed by Dangal director Nitesh Tiwari, composed by Amit Trivedi and written by Amitabh Bhattacharya. Keeping in mind the distinct audiences, two versions of the anthem have been created – one for the North market and one for the South, each catering to the specific market nuances for authenticity and connect.

    Z5 has a freemium pricing model with both free and paid premium content to cater to a mix of audiences. Viewers who subscribe to the subscription pack will get access to the entire library of content at a special launch offer price of Rs 99 per month instead of the actual monthly pack price of Rs 150. The advertisers will have a strong involvement in their free wall offerings. Those with Zee’s older digital platforms, i.e. Ozee will automatically upgrade to Z5, whereas Ditto TV will ask for an upgrade from the viewer. However, originals, international movies, old shows, Zee theatre and many more things will fall under its paid offerings. The live news TV offering will not only provide Zee News but also other news broadcasters’ feeds on it.

    People can watch 100 movies that have never been shown on TV with subtitles and with dubbing in their language of choice. Fresh series will be either launched together or on a weekly basis. Punit said that Z5 will focus towards the production of kids’ content in the near future. Anand also added that they will look at acquisitions in the kids’ space in regional languages. 

    Z5 is also available as a progressive web app (PWA) to address the patchy connectivity and low phone storage scenarios.

  • ZEEL’s Amit Goenka: Target 3 billion audiences in the next 5 years

    ZEEL’s Amit Goenka: Target 3 billion audiences in the next 5 years

    MUMBAI: To conquer half the world – that is the aim of the 25-year old Zee Network. Barely weeks into the channel refresh of Zee Entertainment Enterprises (ZEEL) channels, the conglomerate has a new brand philosophy – ‘Extraordinary Together’.

    ZEEL CEO Punit Goenka admits that for the last 25 years it has been choosing the time slot for people to watch television. “But in next 25 years we have to listen to the consumers and where he wants to consume, in which format and through which medium. That is the biggest change we see going forward,” he adds.

    The company has reached 1.3 billion viewers globally with the presence in over 173 countries since 23 years. The foray into producing international content is recent and today Zee produces content in nine different languages. “We plan to produce more global content but 80 per cent will stay Indian content. We plan to target three billion audiences in the next five years,” says ZEEL International broadcast business CEO Amit Goenka.

    In India, ZEEL will soon enter the Malayalam market. Along with this, the network plans to launch its consolidated digital platform Z5 soon.

    Punit Goenka is optimistic that the company’s content will differentiate it from others. It will span Hindi and 11 regional languages, and a large film library in multiple languages. Though TV content will be on Z5, there will be original ones too.
    He also said and expressed his wish to take theatre to extreme heights both in India and abroad.

    Goenka clarified that ZEEL isn’t abandoning its earlier philosophy of Vasudeva Kutumbakam, but it is rather encompassing it all together.

  • Zee TV new logo unveiled; refreshed digital platform Zee5 launch soon

    Zee TV new logo unveiled; refreshed digital platform Zee5 launch soon

    MUMBAI: Celebrating its silver jubilee at a grand event here on Saturday, India’s first private satellite TV channel, Zee TV, unveiled a new logo aimed at representing its journey for the next 25 years, while its parent Zee Entertainment Enterprises Ltd (ZEEL) used the occasion to also showcase the logo of its new digital platform Zee5, which is to be launched over the next few weeks.

    Speaking during the Zee Rishtey Award, organised on Saturday and telecast on Sunday that was attended by the company bigwigs, television stars and a “3,400-strong Zee family”, ZEEL MD and CEO Punit Goenka said that not only Zee was the world’s “biggest joint family”, but is committed to keep entertaining and innovating over the next 25 years also, which is reflected in the new channel logo (tagline being `aaj likhenge kal’ or ‘we’ll write our future today’).

    The stage was perfect to unveil a teaser of Zee group’s soon-to-be-launched new digital platform in the form of its logo. The OTT service, to be called Zee5, is a completely refreshed version of the group’s existing digital services and will ultimately subsume with itself the likes of dittoTv and Ozee. Incidentally, the digital platform logo was dedicated to Zee group chairman- founder-promoter and media baron-turned-Member of Parliament Subhash Chandra.

    “The new identity (of Zee TV) is not an evolution, but a revolution of the belief of being stronger as one family. The new colour of the logo is a sign of transformation,” Goenka was quoted by Zee sibling and newspaper DNA as saying, adding, “Over the next few weeks, we will see the rollout of Zee5 across India and other global markets.”

    ZEEL is a worldwide media brand offering entertainment and news content to diverse audiences. With a presence in over 172 countries and a reach of more than a billion people around the globe connecting in 19 languages, it is among the largest global content companies across genres, languages, and platforms, spanning presence across broadcasting, movies, music, live entertainment, digital and talent businesses.

    Holding forth further on Zee5, DNA quotes Goenka (Chandra’s eldest son) as saying, “Zee5 is poised to be the largest digital platform for Indian entertainment in the world, bringing the best of live television, Indian and international TV shows, movies and videos to viewers in the language of their choice and across all internet connected devices.”

    According to ZEEL CEO, international broadcast business Amit Goenka, “I see excitement in the air. We are progressing towards a new global destination. Zee5 is a digital platform that is born out of passion to create something new for the industry, and we are going to create a new history in the coming 25 years.”

    Meanwhile, Chandra tweeted two photos on Saturday from the 25th birthday bash of Zee with the message: “Then: Interacting with my colleagues when we completed 150 days. And Now: Interacting with colleagues tonight while we celebrate 25 years.” Incidentally, Chandra is one of those few businesspeople in the world who, as a local partner, managed to buyout Rupert Murdoch in three joint ventures in a cash and stock deal.

    Speaking on the occasion, Chandra, in what could be a direction to colleagues now managing the affairs of ZEEL, said, “We have to keep going, as it is not written in our fate to stop.”

    “I remember when we celebrated the first anniversary of Zee TV back in 1993. I had only 50 people (around) those days, and today, in 2017, we have more than 3,000 individuals who are a part of Zee. I believe that human resource is the biggest infrastructure that one has, and that is one of the biggest plus points for our nation,” he reminisced.

    public://PG Announcing Zee TV Logo2.jpg

    Over the last 18 months, ZEE has been restructuring its business portfolio shedding unattractive properties like the sports channels, which was sold to Sony Pictures Networks India, and buying GEC channels of Reliance Broadcast as also FM radio channels to expand reach and business that add value to its core value as a corporate entity.

    public://SC at Zee bash-Then and Now.png

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    ‘Chawal’ to channel: Zee’s 24 years of a memorable roller-coaster ride

  • Zee India’s cultural ambassador to world, says Amit Goenka as it shares anniversary celebrations with India’s sat TV industry

    Zee India’s cultural ambassador to world, says Amit Goenka as it shares anniversary celebrations with India’s sat TV industry

    MUMBAI: ZEE has, over the years, emerged as the cultural ambassador of India to the world, taking its rich and engaging content to diverse 1.3 billion audience, said ZEEL CEO – international broadcast business Amit Goenka during the celebration of the channel’s completion of 25 glorious years.

    In the history of India, 2 October is a landmark day as it is the birthday of the Father of the Nation, Mahatma Gandhi. On this momentous day, way back in 1992, India also witnessed the birth of satellite television with the launch of the first Hindi satellite television channel, Zee TV from the stable of Zee Telefilms Ltd., now ZEE Entertainment Enterprises Limited (ZEEL). This year, ZEE Entertainment, which has evolved from an Indian television broadcaster into a media and and entertainment conglomerate, has completed 25 years of bringing the best of entertainment content to viewers in India and across the world.

    Essel Group and ZEE chairman and Rajya Sabha MP Dr. Subhash Chandra said, “Zee TV had led to the commencement of a new industry which not only generated employment for 50 lakh people but also gave a new direction to India. We started with a single resolution to provide entertainment, and today, we share this happiness with 1.3 billion viewers across 173 countries, in 19 languages. 

    Under the leadership of Punit and Amit, ZEE will always work towards new technology and concepts so as to provide its viewers with the best of entertainment.”

    Sharing his views on this milestone, ZEEL MD and CEO Punit Goenka said, “On 2 October, 1992, our chairman Dr. Subhash Chandra launched the nation’s first private satellite television channel. The industry today stands at an estimated size of Rs 588 billion. As consumer preferences shift and evolve, our aim at ZEE, is to anticipate the change, embrace the new and continue to lead by innovation.”

    Amit Goenka said, “ZEE forayed into the international business in 1995 with the launch of Zee TV in the UK. ZEE has emerged as the cultural ambassador of India. Our vision for the future is to become the world’s leading global content company from the emerging markets.”

    Also Read:

    Zee takes drama, factual and lifestyle shows to MIPCOM, celebrates 25 years

    ZEEL to unveil new look of Zee TV on 15 Oct

    GEC: Zee TV vaults to top, DD Nat among best 10 in 3 markets

  • Zee Studios to produce Indian shows’ adaptation in Canada

    Zee Studios to produce Indian shows’ adaptation in Canada

    MUMBAI: Entertaining the world for over two decades, Zee Entertainment Enterprises Limited (ZEEL) has achieved another milestone by becoming the first Indian broadcaster to set up a production company in Canada.

    A few of the initial productions that are in the pipeline include adaptations of the smash-hit format of ZEE’s homegrown sitcom, ‘Hum Paanch’ which is being produced in its British version as ‘Lala’s Ladiez’ and an Anglo-Spanish sitcom ‘Love Thy Neighbour’ (working title) which is adapted from the ever-popular home grown format ‘Bhabiji Ghar Par Hain.’

    ZEE Studios International marks ZEE’s entry into global production for mainstream audiences which will facilitate production requirement for ZEE’s diverse platforms as well as international markets. The production company, located at Vancouver, British Columbia, will be headed by Subhadarshi Tripathy who will be supported by a local team.

    Tripathy will jointly report to ZEEL MD and CEO Punit Goenka, and CEO – international broadcast Business Amit Goenka.

    Amit Goenka said, “Canada is known as a large production hub for various Hollywood companies, as the country offers the requisite infrastructure, talent pool, scenic locales as well as a favourable Government incentive scheme. After a series of discussions with the Government of British Columbia, Canada, we were invited to set up a production company in Vancouver. Our endeavor through this venture is to produce global content for mainstream audiences across various international markets as well as take care of our domestic requirements.”

    “ZEE Studios International will be headed by Subhadarshi Tripathy who has been with the organisation for over 18 years and has championed several of our leading brands,” Goenka added.

    “I’m pleased to welcome Zee Studios International to British Columbia,” the premier John Horgan said. “This new production company will create jobs and opportunity for people, and showcase our province to audiences around the world. B.C. is a global leader in film and television production, and we’re pleased to see that growth continue with the addition of Zee Studios International.”

    ZEE Studios International will create global content and formats for international markets in their local languages, many of which will be based on successful Indian ideas and concepts. The production company will initially focus on developing content for television and digital platforms as well as original formats and homegrown remakes, with a plan to venture into film production at a later stage.

    The content developed will encompass a wide portfolio of ingenuously developed scripted and unscripted formats across an array of genres, ranging from reality, game and dance shows to shows in the fictional crime drama, sitcom, sci-fi, horror and paranormal space.

  • Ditto TV has the largest paid OTT subscriber base in India, says Zeel’s Z5 head Archana Anand

    MUMBAI: Even as Zee Entertainment Enterprises Ltd has got it right on the television front, questions have time and again been raised that it has not got its act together on digital. However, ever since the digital business was handed over to Essel Group chairman Subhash Chandra’s younger son Amit Goenka, the company has been working on redoing its roadmap for VoD and streaming. 

    Hence, last year, it took a major punt by relaunching its platform Ditto TV as a live television platform. The sticker price was Rs 20 a month. And, the water cooler talk is that Goenka and team Z5 have got   a handle on the direction they would like to steer Ditto TV. More action and announcements are slated to follow.

    Goenka’s point professional is Archana Anand who serves as Z5 Business EVP and  head of digital. It is Anand who is executing strategy on the ground. And, she believes that the Rs 20 decision has proved to be a wise one, as it  has helped it reach newer audience who are not watching TV.

    Anand was one of the speakers at indiantelevision.com’s second edition of Vidnet2017. She had a one-on-one conversation with Indiantelevision.com consulting editor Anjan Mitra.  Excerpts from the conversation:

    What are your views on the OTT landscape in India?

    I think we are going through the best time possibly can have for the industry. Jio has played an immense part in easing out the the ecosystem and making it much more viable for people to consume OTT.

    More importantly we have had some international players coming in and setting up  shop here, Netflix and Amazon, I think that’s wonderful in the sense as the category has got evangelised so that people who will be coming later will don’t have go to explain what it is.

     With Jio and all the international players coming in it’s a fantastic time for somebody to do interesting things in this space. 

    Would you like to share some insights from your work with Ditto?

    People have been questioning whether going the SVoD way in a market like India where consumers are still hesitant to pay and that mindset is that content should come to us for free. If not, we are okay to get it from pirated sites. At  DittoTV, we were pioneers when we launched in 2012 for quite some reasons we couldn’t make the impact which we wanted to.

    Last year, we re-launched with a very gutsy call. We re-launched Ditto at a very radical price of Rs 20 and our catch phrase was ‘BeesKa TV’ and industry asked how we would make a profit out of it  – at so low a price.

    I am delighted to say this was the most successful thing we ever thought through.

    The concept was to democratize television. With this Rs 20 price point, our thought process was we will actually create penetration and get television to be used by all of those little markets and people who couldn’t afford.

    Our campaign was pretty thought thourgh that I didn’t believe I was reaching out to the urban audience. I was very clear that I am reaching out the audience for whom digital is fuzzy word.

    More importantly with the 20 bucks price point what I got to do we were able to get it from telco’s mobile wallet which is the most ubiquitous in this country and that helped to partner with telcos and get immediate distribution. So today i have tied up with all the four telcos of this country. Subscription base comes (read: is growing month to month) because of the promotions done by the telcos. The highest cost is cost for acquisition and I don’t have any acquisition cost  – the telcos are giving it free to the consumer and paying.

    It was our good fortune that Reliance launched their Jio Play with live television and suddenly the other telcos needed Ditto. My guess is we would be highest or the biggest paid subscriber OTT in this country.

    Despite that,  as an ordinary consumer I am confused about your brand. Why so many brands in a space which is already littered with other brands?

    For starters, I understand it’s a bit confusing. In a short time, people will see our thought process and strategy for OTT very differently. We are going to get these multiple brands under a single umbrella and we will do a exciting launch in the near future.

    What will be your go-to market strategy then? 

    One should not view this market (in India) purely as AVoD or SVoD or TVoD. All of those models will still be exist because we are seeing the potential.  

    BARC recently put out some numbers saying there are some 103 million home who still don’t have access to television. So, what happened to those homes do they leapfrog to digital for they have already done so?

    Going by our Ditto expereince, I do believe we have reached out to a far greater audience than currently being targeted by BARC. Once EKAM (BARC’digital video measurement service) comes in, I hope you will realize that the last mile has expanded a little more because of the option of being able to watch live television on digital.

    Will OTT and traditional linear television both survive or cannibalise?

    Look at the consumer eyeballs around you and you resist all you want but the fact is this little device becomes the single point for us for most of our  content. Huge brands across the globe are now revisiting the way they are spending advertising money saying they wanted a particular urban audience or millennial audience. For the youth, they are possible smarter to put it on OTT.

    Having said that, while one is not making big prophecies about the death of television but you are going to see a trend. We have over 30 OTT players today. It doesn’t make any sense, it’s a loss pool today, and more and more people are jumping in. But, everybody is making a punt for the future.

    Zee Group, the parent company, completely got out of owning sports content. Aren’t you losing on a huge chunk of young audience who are digitally literate and could be your subscribers.

    It might be true but there are choices you make. You can’t do everything and so, I think, the concept was very clear if you couldn’t be the leader or number two in that space we rather move on and use the investment in the other areas.

  • ZEEL to globally strengthen its ‘largest Indian entertainment’ brand identity, says Amit Goenka

    Internet is significantly changing the way we consume entertainment — AR and VR are becoming commonplace. Over 60% of the world’s population is ‘digitally connected’ today. Content companies and advertisers are swiftly adapting to the new reality and redefining their strategies to stay on the top of the game. ZEEL’s international presence makes it one of the largest Indian entertainment brands and it wants to make the brand stronger, going forward. ZEEL CEO – international business Amit Goenka discusses the group’s plans and strategies in the company’s annual report:    

    How do you think the digital market will evolve and at what stage is India in that evolution process?

    Internet is dramatically changing the world as we know it. Over half the world now uses Internet, and technologies like AR and VR are fast becoming commonplace. Internet has already become an integral part of everyday life for most of the world’s population. Over 60% of the world’s population now owns a mobile phone and is ‘digitally connected’ and we will see a proliferation of this trend going forward. With increasing online content consumption, media businesses, content companies and advertisers are also rapidly adapting to the new reality and redefining their strategies accordingly to stay ahead and stay relevant.

    Given that Internet penetration in India is still under 40%, there is a significant growth potential

    for digital content consumption. We see the growth momentum across digital increasingly

    coming from smaller towns and rural areas, as urban areas get saturated. Businesses, across

    the board, will have to look at innovative ways to reach and capture the rural market given its

    propensity to consume content in vernacular languages and lack of comfort with English.

    What is ZEEL’s strategy for digital business?

    As an entertainment content company, it remains extremely important for us to be present where

    our consumers are, and so having a digital presence remains integral to our strategy for

    future growth.

    We launched the first Over-The-Top (OTT) platform in India in 2012 – dittoTV, our aggregator

    SVOD offering for live TV. We re-launched it last year at a strategic and disruptive price of ` 20 per month. We also partnered with leading telecom operators for both distribution and payment, which has been a successful move for us. OZEE, our free-to-consumer AVOD platform, has been showing excellent traction and is a leader in engagement metrics. With the launch of our global OTT platform Z5, we will consolidate our SVOD and AVOD offerings. It will be the single destination for all our content.

    How do you see competition from local players like Hotstar, Voot and international players like Amazon Prime and Netflix?

    The industry is still at a nascent stage. Though the digital consumption has grown significantly

    over the last couple of years, most of the players are still experimenting with different monetisation models. At this point, the entry of new players, especially the international ones, to my mind, is expanding the market size and popularising the category. Players have raised significant funds and are investing in content creation. These are also exciting times for users who are being wooed across the board with a plethora of choices and are getting to experiment with different genres of content. We do see this trend settling down in the future and expect a

    degree of consolidation in the industry. This will also lead to players finding their own content

    niche in which they would want to operate. We have our own strategy in place and are geared to create a distinct positioning for ourselves despite the cluttered market.

    What would make your digital product stand out from the others?

    Content is the key to attract a sustainable viewer base across any platform. Our experience and understanding of content and consumer certainly gives us a natural edge. The content viewing pattern on digital platforms is different from television and we are tweaking our content strategy accordingly to suit these needs. In addition, a rich viewing experience aided by a highly intuitive UI (user interface) across multiple languages is one of our key focus areas. Also, given our spread of channels across languages and geographies, a strong recommendation engine would help users to seamlessly navigate content suiting their needs.

    Do you think digital will take away share of advertising from television?

    I think both would complement each other. In a market like India where television penetration

    will continue to grow for years, it will remain the primary medium of entertainment for majority of the population. Digital allows content consumption on the move and is adding to the overall video consumption. Even in evolved markets like the US, television advertising is still growing despite the increasing share of digital. While we see growth in both the mediums, digital will grow at a higher rate over the next few years in India.

    Could you give a brief overview of ZEEL’s international business?

    There are two parts of our international business – the first part caters to the Indian and South Asian diaspora and the second part, caters to the foreign audience in their native languages. As far as the diaspora is concerned, I think we have reached most of the countries with sizeable Indian population. The endeavour here is to offer more channels and expand our distribution reach.

    We started targeting foreign audience having affinity for Indian content in 2008, and have significantly expanded our presence in the last eighteen months. I think this journey has just begun. Currently, we are offering content made for Indian market, dubbed, subtitled or repurposed as per the requirements of a country. We have 13 channels in this category and as we learn more about the needs of the audience, we will gradually make content for some of those markets.

    How would you describe your international journey so far?

    ZEEL forayed into the international business in 1994 with the launch of Zee TV in the Middle East & Pakistan. Following that, we commenced operations in Europe (UK) in 1995, Africa in 1996, US in 1998 and lastly APAC in 2004. Having reached Indian diaspora in all significant markets, we started targeting markets with a liking for Indian content. This journey commenced with the launch of Zee Aflam in MENA region. Our international presence makes us one of the largest Indian entertainment brands and we want to make this brand stronger, going forward.

    What are the factors you consider while launching a channel for non-Indian audience?

    The proposition to launch a new channel begins with identifying markets where a content gap

    exists and we can leverage the strength of our library to offer differentiated content. This involves extensive research to understand the market dynamics including learning about consumer preferences, competition and market size amongst others. This is a lengthy process and only a few of the markets meet our criteria for launch. We are happy that most of our launches targeted at the non-Indian audiences have been received well. Our channels in the Middle East – Zee Aflam and Zee Alwan – have been performing well for a long time. One of our recent launches, Zee World, consistently ranks amongst the top three channels in the South African market.

  • Zee Nung relaunched as FTA channel in Thailand

    BALI (Indonesia): It was in 2014 that Zee TV announced the launch of its Thai channel Zee Nung on the CTH pay-TV platform as part of its movie pack. But then came September 2016 and the pay TV operator shuttered its operations following the huge losses it ran up.

    Last month, Zee TV launched its Thai service as a free-to-air (FTA) channel. Speaking at APOS in Bali last week, Zee TV international broadcast business CEO Amit Goenka announced that the group had relaunched the Zee Nung as a free to air (FTA) channel as the group sees a larger opportunity in reaching a wider audience.

    “The FTA Zee Nung is already available in 12 million homes in Thailand,” he revealed.

    Goenka pointed out that Zee Nung has been transformed from being a movie-led channel to a hybrid one showing both , movies and TV series, dubbed in Thai.

    “This year, we will start doing local productions based on our non-fiction formats like dance reality,” he said.

    The network had earlier announced the licensing of its dance show “Dance India Dance” format to the local channel JKN Media. “It’s strategy we follow. We first syndicate and license our content, and then we get into our own branding and branded products in those markets,” stated Goenka.

    Zee Nung in its new avatar is being beamed off a Thaicom 6 (located at 78.5 degrees east) C-band transponder as a FTA service.

    Also Read :

    ZEEL takes Bollywood movie channel to Latam

    Zee TV enters Poland, strengthens position in Central Europe

    Zee buys Rajini 2.0’s three-language satellite rights for Rs 110 cr

  • ZEEL takes Bollywood movie channel to Latam

    MUMBAI: Setting a new landmark, leading Indian content company, Zee Entertainment Enterprises Limited (ZEEL) has announced its expansion into Latin America with the launch of its Spanish-language Bollywood movie channel, Zee Mundo in Mexico and Ecuador. With this, ZEE becomes the first-ever Indian broadcaster to take mainstream channels to LATAM. Zee Mundo will be available in Mexico on Sky, a leading Pay-TV satellite provider and in Ecuador on TV Cable.

    Commenting on ZEE’s foray into LATAM, Amit Goenka, CEO – International Broadcast Business, ZEEL said, “After Zee Mundo’s success in the US Hispanic market, where the channel’s unique offering has captivated viewers, we are now set to increase our footprint with a strategic expansion into Latin America. This is a key market for us and we want to take this channel to the length and breadth of audiences in both Spanish-speaking and Portuguese-speaking Latin America. We are launching our channel on the region’s biggest platforms – Sky in Mexico and TV Cable in Ecuador and soon we will be expanding across Latin America.”

    Sharing further details, Rajeev Kheror, President – Strategy, International Business, ZEEL said, “There is a cultural synergy between India and Latin America, with Indian content and storylines resonating strongly with Latin American values and traditions. With our carefully curated Spanish-language Bollywood channel, Zee Mundo, we aim to deliver a never-seen-before experience with the best of Bollywood movies, telenovelas and series. The channel has already received a positive response amongst US Hispanic audiences, with viewers finding the variety and quality of content compelling. We wish to deliver a similar experience to our audiences in Latin America with content that is high-quality, unique and entertaining.”

    Javier Lopez Casella, Head of Business, US Hispanic & Latin America, ZEEL, “We are excited to entertain Latin American audiences with the region’s first dedicated Bollywood movie channel, Zee Mundo which will be present on the biggest platforms in the region – Sky in Mexico and Central America, and TV Cable in Ecuador. Even before its launch, the content and concept of the channel has already received great acceptance on social networks in Mexico. Going ahead, with our appealing value proposition, we hope to satisfy viewers’ demands for content that is fresh and different from what is currently available.”

    ZEE Mundo will be available throughout Mexico and Central America on Sky channels – #203 in SD and #1228 in HD and in Ecuador on TV Cable – Channel Nos. #151 and #362. Headquartered in Miami, Florida, the specially-customised channel will bring ZEE’s entire library of HD movie titles to LATAM audiences, meticulously dubbed in Spanish, crossing five genres – action, romance, suspense, drama and comedy and featuring some of the world’s biggest movie stars including Shah Rukh Khan, Priyanka Chopra, Anil Kapoor, Deepika Padukone and Irrfan Khan.

  • Zee accelerates growth plan for Africa, partners TNTSAT

    MUMBAI: Aiming to further strengthen its presence in Africa, leading Indian content company, Zee Entertainment Enterprises Limited (ZEEL) today announced its entry into the French-speaking country of Mali with the launch of its leading channels, Zee Magic and Zee Cinema on DTT network – TNTSAT Africa in Mali. Additionally, from today, ZEE Africa is partnering with the continent’s largest DTH platform, DStv for the launch of Zee Bollymovies (channel 114), a specially customized, English-dubbed, Bollywood movie channel for the African market.

    ZEEL CEO – international broadcast business Amit Goenka said: “ZEE will be making further inroads into the vast continent of Africa with our entry into the French-speaking country of Mali. Sharing our existing channels – Zee Magic and Zee Cinema with new audiences is a huge achievement for us and we thank TNTSAT for allowing us to bring the best of Bollywood to all their viewers in Mali.”

    Zee TV Africa CEO Harish Goyal stated: “In another major deal, within just four weeks of its launch, our 24-hour dedicated English-dubbed Bollywood movie channel, Zee Bollymovies will now be available on DStv, the largest DTH platform in Sub-Saharan Africa. ZEE has already witnessed tremendous success over the past two years on DStv with Zee World, its English-dubbed General Entertainment channel and with the addition of Zee Bollymovies on this platform, we hope to further raise the level of entertainment for our dedicated viewers.”

    Zee Magic, launched in October 2015, is a General Entertainment channel dubbed in French which brings the best of Bollywood series and food shows to Francophone Africa, while Zee Cinema is a 24-hour Hindi Bollywood Movie channel catering to South Asians on the continent. In Mali, Zee Magic and Zee Cinema will be available on TNTSAT Africa in the ‘Divas offer’, a high standard package that is tailor-made for viewers.

    Zee Bollymovies, a 24-hour specially customized movie channel dubbed in English, launched in January 2017 in Africa. DStv will first premiere Zee Bollymovies in South Africa and then take it to the rest of the continent to market Bollywood entertainment to Africa. With these exciting new additions from ZEE, Africa now has a first-row seat to watch the best of content – Bollywood movies, television series and food shows – that India has to offer!