Zee elevates South Asian entertainment with nationwide access on YouTube TV – ET BrandEquity

Embarking on an immersive journey into South Asian entertainment, Zee has launched its new video package, gracing screens nationwide on YouTube TV.

Unveiling the “Zee Family” package, this strategic partnership introduces an impressive selection of 18 premium channels on the YouTube TV platform, dedicated to captivating the diverse and vibrant South Asian community across the United States, the company stated in a press release.

Asia TV USA and YouTube TV has announced the launch of 18 channels from Zee Entertainment in the USA. This partnership marks a significant milestone in catering to the diverse needs of the South Asian population in the USA, particularly regional language speakers such as Telugu, Tamil, Kannada, Marathi etc., the regional languages have seen tremendous growth in the last decade as per the data released in the 2020 US Census.

This collaboration not only reaffirms the availability of the flagship Hindi general entertainment channel Zee TV, but also introduces a total of 17 additional ZEE channels, offering a rich variety spanning multiple languages. The expanded lineup includes popular channels such as Zee Cinema, and TV, Zee Bangla, Zee Tamil, Zee Telugu, Zee Kannada, Zee Keralam, Zee Marathi, Zee Punjabi, Zee World and others.

Punit Misra, president of content and international markets at Zee Entertainment Enterprises, emphasises the strategic significance of the U.S. market within ZEE’s global strategy. “The rising South Asian population in the U.S. not only underscores our commitment but also presents a unique prospect for us to fulfil the evolving content preferences of this expanding demographic in the U.S. The strategic partnership with YouTube TV will enable viewers in the USA, access to a vast repertoire of rich, multilingual content from India showcasing the country’s culture and traditions, ensuring an immersive and fulfilling viewing experience for consumers,” he added.

This collaboration with ZEE marks a significant stride in delivering a premium suite of channels tailored to the South Asian audience to YouTube TV customers nationwide. Emphasising the importance of this alliance, Ashok Namboodiri, chief business officer for international business at Zee Entertainment Enterprises, affirms, “Our partnership is pivotal in realising our growth objectives in the U.S., guaranteeing the provision of a diverse range of entertainment options specifically curated for the South Asian audiences subscribing to YouTube TV.”

Responding to a question about the likelihood of an adverse Sebi ruling against Zee CEO Punit Goenka and whether the company has a succession plan in place to deal with this situation, Gopalan said that succession planning in a large company like Zee is a natural step in the functioning of the board, notwithstanding the external factors.

Star India begins arbitration against Zee Entertainment for breaching a cricket broadcasting deal, resulting in a $1.4 billion agreement fallout. Zee demands 685.4 million rupees, while Sony cancels a $10 billion merger with Zee.

Join the community of 2M+ industry professionals

Subscribe to our newsletter to get latest insights & analysis.

Download ETBrandEquity App

• Get Realtime updates
• Save your favourite articles

Scan to download App