ZEE launches 4 regional channels to cater to Punjabi, Bhojpuri, Tamil and Kannada audience

With an endeavour to leverage the opportunity that the new India of tomorrow presents, leading media & entertainment powerhouse Zee Entertainment Enterprises Ltd. (ZEEL), announced today that it will further strengthen its regional portfolio to serve the many Bharats within our country. In line with this, ZEE unveiled four new channels - Punjabi GEC Channel - Zee Punjabi and three movie channels - Zee Biskope (Bhojpuri), Zee Thirai (Tamil) & Zee Picchar (Kannada) to add to the extraordinary kaleidoscope of cultures and to successfully continue its journey of winning hearts of viewers across the many Bharats.

29 states…a plethora of myriad cultures…and a billion dreams! India is the proverbial melting pot of cultures where every state has the scale and diversity of a country. In order to win people’s hearts in any region of India, one needs to understand them in their cultural context and engage with them in their own ‘bhaasha’ or ‘boli’. At ZEE, we have always valued the diversity of the cultures and people that exist within ‘a mini India’ that thrives in every part of the country. As the leading Media & Entertainment powerhouse, we have always led the way in not only talking to the consumer in their language but also taking inspiration from their lives and understanding of their cultures, ambitions, fears, challenges, and moments of celebration. We translate this cultural soul to screen  through our stories which has been fuelling our success for almost 3 decades now.

Speaking on the occasion, Punit Misra, CEO - Domestic Broadcast Business, ZEEL said, “ZEEL has completed 27 illustrious years, now entertaining over 800mn* people across India, 650mn* of which comes through our non-Hindi offerings. We at ZEEL have always believed that deep understanding of cultures across the many Bharats, and then serving people entertainment rooted in each culture is what wins hearts, be it through original shows, or through curation of content like movies. As India’s leading broadcaster with successful channel offerings across states, we have consistently showcased our capability to understand the cultural pulse of our extraordinary country. This is at the core of our differentiated strategy at ZEEL. Our newest offerings are designed to add to our growth trajectory, further cementing our belief in winning hearts across many Bharats.”

“At ZEE we have always believed that at the heart of storytelling lies culture, and for successful and endearing stories, one needs to obsess about getting deep inside this cultural core of each of our regions. This “soul to screen” approach is what helps us bring alive the spirit of that region through unique stories, relatable charming characters and boli that drives love for our brands and helps us belong to our audiences. From a highly TV penetrated but hugely under consumed latent Punjabi GEC opportunity to insatiable, thriving demand for movies in the Bhojpuri, Tamil and Kannada markets, the regional need gaps present the perfect opening to further deepen these bonds. We crafted and curated these four new offerings powered by deep viewer understanding, loads of passion and hoping that our viewers enjoy them as much as we did creating them!”, said Prathyusha Agarwal, Chief Marketing Officer, ZEEL.

Winning hearts of viewers across the many Bharats - Key Highlights

Zee Punjabi: 1st Punjabi GEC that will celebrate Punjab with stories of Punjabiyat.

• A tribute to Punjabi “Jazba” of “Kar Vakhon da”
• Over 20 hours of original weekly content. Epic story of Heer Ranjha to lead the Fiction offerings.
• Zee Punjabi will bring the humour of Vilayati Bhabhi, Valor of Kamli Ishq Di, Drama of Khasmanu Khani and Boundless Love of Tu Patang Mein Dor to Punjabi viewers.
• Biggest Reality Show of Punjab – Sa Re Ga Ma Pa with Gurdas Maan as mentor and Jazzy B, Sonu Kakkar and Jaidev Kumar as judges.
• Blockbuster Cinema, Ground Connect Shows, Chartbusting Music will be on offer as well.

(*Source: BARC Data, All ZEE Channels Cum. Reach, 2+; India (U+R); Wk 50’18-49’19)

(**Source: BARC Data, All ZEE Regional Channels Cum. Reach, 2+; India (U+R); Wk 50’18-49’19)

Zee Thirai: A new Tamil movie channel that will represent the passion of Tamilians for their cinema and will fuel their heroic spirit through powerful movies

• Library of 400+ celebrated titles from Tamil Cinema including a wide spectrum of genres from blockbuster hits to critically acclaimed movies which include Mersal, 2.0, Kanna, Nerkonda Parvai, Irumbuthirai, Dhilluku Dhuttu 2, Kolamavu Kokila among many others
• For the first time ever for any Tamil movie channel, a premiere every week of the year with 52 premieres in 52 weeks
• Uninterrupted entertainment with Breakless movies in the afternoon slot
• A grand first look of the channel at the Zee Cine Awards Tamil in January 2020

Zee Picchar: A new Kannada movie channel that will make everyday a superhit day for the Kannadiga families

• Library of 350+ celebrated titles spanning across genres and generations from timeless classics like Mayura, Jogi, Milana, Bul Bul to new age trendsetters like Pailwan, Kurukshetra to four out of top five highest ever rated movies on television like Doddmane Hudga, Hebbuli, Nattasarvabhowma and The Villain
• Launching with 12 Picchar premieres to be aired on 12 consecutive days
• One-break movie at specific slots for entertainment with minimal disruptions

Zee Biskope: A new Bhojpuri Movie Channel to rejoice Bhojpuriyat Aathon Pehar (24/7)

• Library of 300+ superhit movies with the biggest blockbuster movies of the last 5 years and the biggest hits of the top 3 superstars of Bhojiwood – Nirahua, Pawan & Khesari
• World Television Premier movies every weekend
• Curated slots including Lablitis, Fattam Fight and Jilla Top amongst others, based on consumer & cultural insights with a Bhojpuriya Tadka
• A movie ++ content mix comprising of movie songs, events and special shows
• The channel boasts movies across eras featuring the legends and the current heartthrobs of Bhojiwood
• With the brand proposition Aathon Pahariya Luta Lahariya, we are creating a space for the viewers to rejoice their Bhojpuriyat to its unabashed best

ZEE is currently present across 8 regional languages ((Marathi, Bengali, Oriya, and Bhojpuri in HSM and all four southern languages), boasting of 12 SD and 8 HD channels, reaching almost 200  mn  people  every  day*.  With  the  upcoming  launches,  we  will  be  expanding  into  a  11th language – Punjabi, while further strengthening our presence in Kannada, Tamil, and Bhojpuri.

An extraordinary country with a diverse cultural milieu deserves extraordinary entertainment! With  a  portfolio  of  42  SD  and  HD  channels  across  various  entertainment  genres  and  10 languages catering to the consumer’s every entertainment need, and with four new offerings, Zee Entertainment offers viewers a kaleidoscope of quality content firmly positioning itself as the one stop entertainment destination for your entire family!

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