Zee Entertainment Enterprises is to launch two new channels by the end of the year, adding to its portfolio of Arabic content.
The first channel, Film Hindi, went live last week and is dedicated to Indian cinema, whilst the second as-yet-unnamed channel is to be officially announced before the end of the year. It will include HD lifestyle and healthy living content.
Discussing the launch of Film Hindi, Mukund Cairae, CEO for the Middle East, North Africa and Pakistan at Zee, said: “Since its inception, Zee has worked towards widening the reach of Indian cinema to audiences across the world. We started Zee Aflam five years ago to re-introduce Bollywood to the Arab world. The acceptance from viewers has led to a huge growth of the genre itself. The launch of Film Hindi is a testament to our efforts to continue to bridge and unify audiences in the Middle East by building on the similarities with the Indian subcontinent.”
The channel, which went live on 1 October, is transmitted from Dubai with an operational office in Saudi Arabia.
Zee is one of India’s leading TV, media and entertainment companies and houses the world’s largest Hindi film library. Zee launched its regional operation in 2009.