Zee to launch German channel by mid-year

Zee Entertainment Enterprises is to launch a new free-to-air TV channel in Germany – Zee One – and has contracted SES Platform Services to provide satellite capacity and ground services.

Zee One is to launch by the middle of this year and will have a technical reach of 18 million homes in Germany and an additional 2.5 million German-speaking homes in Austria and Switzerland via the Astra satellite position at 19.2 degrees East.

Zee One will air a mix of Bollywood movies and popular Indian TV series.

Christoph Muehleib, vice-president sales Europe at SES Platform Services, said, “We are very pleased to be part of this exciting endeavour. Germany is the largest FTA market in Europe. With a reach of 18 million in Germany, we serve the majority of TV homes, plus millions of German-speaking viewers throughout Europe.”

Neeraj Dhingra, CEO Europe at Asia TV Ltd (Zee TV), said, “We are looking forward to the launch of Zee One into one of the world’s most important television markets. As yet, the Bollywood genre is still barely represented, so enhancing Germany’s entertainment offerings by introducing an entirely new genre will transform the viewers’ TV experience.”