ITV

Tag: Zee Tamizh

  • Zee Tamizh launched on Rogers Cable

    Zee Tamizh launched on Rogers Cable

    MUMBAI: ZEE Americas, the number one South Asian Entertainment Network, in partnership with Ethnic Channels group, the largest distributor of ethnic services in Canada, launched Zee Tamizh on Rogers Cable. The addition of Zee Tamizh makes a total of 10 ZEE channels currently distributed in Canada.

     

    Zee Tamizh is a general entertainment channel that offers a variety of unique programs targeting the Tamil-Canadian audience. Rogers Cable subscribers who enjoy Zee’s top programming can now watch their favorite shows in Tamil throughout the day. Canada has a very large Tamil population, and Zee Tamizh will be of a lot of interest to this vibrant community.

     

    “The Tamil segment is one of the fastest growing South Asian language groups in GTA. It was an obvious step for us to be part of that movement. With a separate Zee pack on Rogers, we will expect excellent results from the Canada market,” said ZEE Americas general manager Sameer Targe.

     

    President of Ethnic Channels Group Hari Srinivas, added, “We are very thrilled to partner with Rogers Cable on the launch of Zee Tamizh. The Zee Network provides unmatched entertainment, and Zee Tamizh will assist Rogers to grow their subscriber base by capturing new clients, who are looking for more relevant South Asian programming.”

     

    Viewers can subscribe to Zee Tamizh on Rogers Cable Channel 622.

  • Seven Indian channels added to StarHub TV in Singapore

    Seven Indian channels added to StarHub TV in Singapore

    MUMBAI: Festive season is the time when channels make the best use of the opportunity served to them. This time, it’s also happening overseas as StarHub TV, Singapore’s only cable operator service has decided to give its viewers a treat of seven new Indian channels to view, increasing its lineup of channels from the country to nine.

    The channels that are now a part of the bouquet include: Life Ok, NDTV 24 X 7, NDTV Good Times, Verna, Zee Tamizh, Zee Khana Khazana and Zee TV HD. While the channels became a part of StarHub from 18 October, subscribers can get a free preview till 4 November.

    StarHub TV also has a facility called ‘Anywhere TV’ that allows subscribers to view TV on their personal devices through a subscription plan. Except for Life OK, remaining six new channels along with three others Vannithirai, Zee Cinema and Zee TV can be viewed through ‘Anywhere TV’.

    “India is a colourful country with a rich cultural tapestry,” said StarHub TV head of media business unit Lee Soo Hui. “The diversity of content across these seven new channels will ensure that our customers are now spoilt for choice when it comes to Indian programmes,” she added.

    As part of Diwali celebrations, the existing channels will also be available for free from 1 to 4 November. These include Colors, Asianet, Channel V India, Sony, Star Gold, Sony Max, Star Plus, Star Vijay, Sun Music, Sun TV and Zee News apart from the nine that will be available on ‘Anywhere TV.’

    A ‘Manoranjan’ pack gives eight entertainment channels including Life Ok and Zee TV at $25.90 per month while the NDTV pack comes at $6.24 per month. Verna and Zee Tamizh are available at a la carte price of $8.56 and $6.42 respectively per month.

  • Zee TV launches HD service in Canada with ECG

    Zee TV launches HD service in Canada with ECG

    MUMBAI: Zee TV in partnership with Ethnic Channels Group (ECG), Canada‘s largest distributor of third language television services, launches Zee TV Canada in HD.

    Zee TV HD is available on NEXTV along with Zee Cinema and Zing, the company said in a statement.

    Zee already has six channels in Canada catering to the diverse group of viewers: Zee TV, Alpha ETC Punjabi, Zing, Zee Salaam, Zee Tamizh and Zee Cinema.

    Zee Americas Director – Distribution Akhilesh Gupta said, “Zee TV HD was the first South Asian Network to go HD in the US last year and we are very pleased to now announce the launch of Zee TV Canada in HD.”

  • Zee Cinema, Zee Salaam and Zee Tamizh launch on Cogeco Cable in Ontario

    Zee Cinema, Zee Salaam and Zee Tamizh launch on Cogeco Cable in Ontario

    MUMBAI: Zee Americas in partnership with Ethnic Channels Group Limited (ECG), Canada’s largest distributor of third language television services, launched Zee Cinema, Zee Salaam and Zee Tamizh on Cogeco Cable on 12 December.

    Aimed at Ontario’s South Asian communities, these channels will serve to add great content to Cogeco’s third language services and help the Canadian multi-ethnic majority watch TV.

    Zee Americas CEO Suresh Bala said, “Canada is a dynamic market and we are happy to serve viewers in Ontario quality programming in the form of Zee Cinema, Zee Tamizh and Zee Salam. Ethnic Channels Group has been a pioneer in Canada bringing South Asians the kind of content that they most desire, this is a great partnership for us to offer Zee’s brand of top notch dramas, reality shows, news, Bollywood movies and music to our Canadian viewers.”
    Zee Cinema is a Bollywood channel in the US that includes a privately held Bollywood video library with more than 5000 hours of premium content.

    Zee Salaam is Zee’s first Islamic general entertainment channel targeting the Muslim community and the Urdu listening audiences, while Zee Tamizh is a general entertainment channel that offers a variety of programmes targeting the Tamil-Canadian audience.

    Cogeco Cable marketing and strategic planning VP Ron Perrotta said, “For Cogeco Cable, the second largest hybrid fibre coaxial cable system operator in Ontario, adding 23 services in 8 different languages distributed by Ethnic Channels Group allows Cogeco Cable to respond to a variety of customer tastes and needs and to enhance our already engaging multicultural TV offering.”

  • Zee News Q4 net up 221% at Rs 66.5 mn

    Zee News Q4 net up 221% at Rs 66.5 mn

    MUMBAI: Zee News Limited (ZNL) has posted a consolidated net profit (after minority interest) of Rs 66.48 million for the quarter ended 31 March, a 221 per cent jump over the year-ago period.

    The company had posted a net profit of Rs 20.70 million in the corresponding quarter of the previous fiscal.

    ZNL’s total consolidated revenues for the three-month period stood at Rs 759.7 million, up 26.5 per cent, compared to Rs 600.6 million in the fourth-quarter of previous fiscal.

    Meanwhile, expenses also jumped 10.7 per cent to Rs 621.7 million, from Rs 561.8 million a year ago.

    Profit before tax for the quarter stood at Rs 128.2 million, up from Rs21.8 million in the year-ago period.

    ZNL posted Ebitda profit of Rs 247.8 million (Rs 105.7 million in previous year quarter) from its existing business (Zee News, Zee Business, Zee 24 Taas, Zee Punjabi and 24 Ghanta). However, its Ebitda loss from new business (Zee Tamizh, Zee 24 Ghantalu and Zee News UP) widened to Rs 109.8 million from Rs 66.9million (from loss of Rs 116.5 million).

    Meanwhile, for the full fiscal ended 31 March, the company has posted a net profit of Rs 163.67 million, down from Rs 456.84 in the previous year. However, the company clarified that in view of the demerger of regional general entertainment channels with effect from the appointed date of 1 January 2010 from ZNL to Zee Entertainment Enterprises Limited (ZEEL), numbers for the full year are not comparable with the previous year numbers.

    Revenue from the fiscal stood at Rs 2.77 billion (from Rs 5.29 billion), while expenses were at Rs 2.34 billion (from Rs 4.38 billion). Ebitda profit from existing business was at Rs 868 million (Rs 1.33 billion in previous year) while Ebitda loss from new business was Rs 444 million, down from 427.2 million.

    ZNL chairman Subhash Chandra said, “The network has outperformed competition when assessed as a business unit by posting profits in not a very favourable scenario. In retrospect, we can safely affirm that our decision to consolidate the news business and focus on regional markets has yielded positive results.”

    ZNL CEO Barun Das added, “Our focus on current deliverables even while we cement our long term strategy has ensured that we have closed another year on a positive note. The upbeat results are reflective of all-round performance, with every channel making a contribution. Advertising and subscription have continued to grow and further digitalization will only augment our position. Our ability to reinvent ourselves as per the changing dynamics and sensitivity to the need of the serious news viewers appear to have been instrumental in our success in this quarter as well as the year.”

  • Zee News Ltd Q2 net at Rs 2.2 mn on revenue of Rs 615.9 mn

    Zee News Ltd Q2 net at Rs 2.2 mn on revenue of Rs 615.9 mn

    MUMBAI: Zee News Ltd (ZNL) has posted a consolidated net profit of Rs 2.24 million (after minority interest) for the three-month period ending September on a revenue of Rs 615.87 million.

    The corresponding quarter a year ago had six regional general entertainment channels which powered a net profit of Rs 131.49 million for the second-quarter of FY‘10. Since 1 January 2010 the regional GECs have moved to group company Zee Entertainment Enterprises Ltd.

    On sequential basis, ZNL had posted a net profit of Rs 33 million on a turnover of Rs 648.5 million in the fiscal first quarter.

    ZNL chairman Subhash Chandra said, “The company has utilised the last two quarters to consolidate its position post demerger, and is poised to expand from here. The balance sheet looks sanguinely healthy and advertising and subscription revenues have continued to grow. What is particularly heartening is that the company has managed to show robust growth at a time when most players in the industry have been facing degrowth.”

    Ebitda for the quarter under review stood at Rs 70.2 million and profit before tax at Rs 32.1 million.

    The trimmed down ZNL‘s advertising revenue grew 16.3 per cent over the year-ago period, while subscription revenue for the quarter was Rs 194.1, which constituted 31.5 per cent of the total revenue.

         
      The expenses of the company stood at Rs 545.7 million.

    ZNL posted Ebitda profit of Rs 186.8 million from its existing business (Zee News, Zee Business, Zee 24 Taas, Zee Punjabi and 24 Ghanta). The company, however, suffered Ebitda loss of Rs 116.5 million from its new business (Zee Tamizh, Zee 24 Ghantalu and Zee News UP).

    ZNL CEO Barun Das added, “Our performance in the second quarter of this fiscal reflects all round growth. All our existing channels continued to perform, while both the newly launched news channels are on path to meet their respective breakeven targets. Our focus to offer a bouquet of channels in national and vernacular languages has reaped rich dividends, giving us an edge over competition. Advertising revenues of 16.3 per cent would possibly standout as an exception in TV News industry. Moreover, our strategy to concentrate on the middle line besides top line has ensured that the company remains in fine fettle. Usually Q2 is the slowest quarter in terms of advertising revenue. Despite that, we are pleased to post a healthy Ebitda. In this context, the buoyant figures in Q2 set the pace for an even more successful Q3.”

  • Zee News Ltd Q1 net at Rs 33 mn on revenue of Rs 648.5 mn

    Zee News Ltd Q1 net at Rs 33 mn on revenue of Rs 648.5 mn

    MUMBAI: Zee News Ltd (ZNL) has posted a fiscal first-quarter consolidated net profit of Rs 33 million on a revenue of Rs 648.5 million.

    The comparing quarter a year ago had six regional general entertainment channels which powered a net profit of Rs 119.1 million for the three months to 30 June 2009. Since 1 January 2010 the regional GECs have moved to group company Zee Entertainment Enterprises Ltd.

    Ebitda for the quarter under review stood at Rs 81.2 million and profit before tax at Rs 55.3 million. 

    ZNL’s advertising revenue grew 14.5 per cent, a satisfying growth considering that the year-ago quarter benefitted from political ads for the general elections.

    The expenses of the company stood at Rs 567.3 million

    ZNL posted Ebitda profit of Rs 208.3 million from its existing business (Zee News, Zee Business, Zee 24 Taas, Zee Punjabi and 24 Ghanta). The company, however, suffered Ebitda loss of Rs 127.1 million from its new business (Zee Tamizh, Zee 24 Ghantalu and Zee News UP).

    ZNL chairman Subhash Chandra said, “Continuing its sound performance in FY 09-10, ZNL has started FY 10-11 with a great zeal. Immediately after de-merger the company’s aim was to consolidate its existing operations. Our focus on innovation, efficiency enhancement, and further rationalisation of cost has enhanced our competitive advantage and has resulted in such encouraging performance.”

    On the first quarter numbers, Chandra added, “ZNL has out-performed the industry in Q1 of FY 2010-11.The advertising revenue of the company grew by 14.5 per cent, which is quite creditable given the fact that last year during the same period news genre enjoyed an unprecedented revenue growth owning to general elections of the Country. Aggressive business strategy, coupled with operational efficiency has enabled us achieve a 12.5 per cent Ebitda margin for the company despite the losses accruing from the three newly launched channels. In a cluttered television news market where profitability is a prerogative of only a select few, ZNL’s performance certainly stands apart.”

  • Zee News to invest $5 mn in UP news channel

    Zee News to invest $5 mn in UP news channel

    MUMBAI: Zee News Limited (ZNL) will invest $5 million in its news channel for Uttar Pradesh, a market where only Sahara operates.

    Zee 24 Ghante plans to launch by the end of the fiscal. “We are investing $5 million in the channel. We aim to break even in 18-24 months as the marketplace has just Sahara which makes around $4 million,” a senior executive in the company said.

    ZNL expects to suffer a loss of Rs 700 million from new businesses during the fiscal. For the first half of the year, the company has already incurred losses of Rs 280 million. While the newly-launched Tamil general entertainment channel, Zee Tamizh, booked a loss of Rs 50 million in the quarter, this is expected to go up in the subsequent quarters as the investments climb.

    “We are in talks with SCV, Sun Group’s cable TV company, for carriage of our channel. The distribution costs would go up as we aggressively push the channel,” the source added.

    Zee Telugu, the Telugu GEC, has broken even and plans are afoot to launch Telugu news channel Zee 24 Ghantalu in November. ZNL is also looking at innovative strategic investments to further expand the business in regional markets.

    Marathi movie channel Zee Talkies, which has been transferred from Zee Entertainment Enterprises Ltd to ZNL from 1 August, is close to break even. “We are not revising our loss guidance from new businesses despite adding a few new channels during the fiscal,” the source said.

    Zee News posted a consolidated net profit of Rs 114.7 million for the quarter ended 30 September 2008, up 104.4 per cent from Rs 56.1 million in the previous year. Revenue jumped 60 per cent to stand at Rs 1.27 billion as compared to Rs 798.1 million in the prior year.