MUMBAI: Zoom has been primarily associated with Page 3 content on and around celebrities. But now the non-fiction lifestyle and entertainment channel wants to become broadbased and create an urban mass appeal to attract maximum viewership.

For starters, it has gone completely Hindi from being partially English in its initial stages as it plans to look at a wider audience.

Zoom has also initiated several activities to create properties around events. Currently focusing more on the entertainment news, they have just relaunched their show Popkorn News in a new form.

Says Zoom business head M K Anand, "The channel has become more centrist now. Initially, the shows were a little edgy. Today we are the only service filing 200 Bollywood stories per week. With our initiatives like Popkorn News we compete straight with news channels."

To extend the entertainment news section, Zoom would be launching a half hour entertainment news-based show in the first quarter of next year. Unlike Popkorn News, this one won't be pre-recorded but would go live.

Says Anand, "Currently we don't have an infrastructure to go live but we certainly plan it for the next year. This will be a big step to further our target to compete with the news channels."

The other show Page 3 has also roped in new anchors Supreet Bedi and Pooja Sharma who take the viewers into the world of the most talked about socialites, stars, fashion gurus and corporate big wigs. And Weekend Page 3 is a compilation of week's parties, events and exhibition.

"Today there is an inate requirement to look and learn. Peoplr pick up fashion trends and style from a channel like Zoom and with such initiatives we are just staying true to the urban appeal," says Anand.

Zoom is looking at gaining distribution. As a strategy to improve sampling, it has introduced 2 se 5, an afternoon slot dedicated completely to movies.

Talking about this initiative Anand says, " Movies is just a short time initiative. We don't plan to do a decibel marketing of movies by acquiring big titles. Its just to improve our viewership. We plan to flash the promos of our shows during the slot so viwers can know more about the shows."

For this month, Zoom has lined up movies like Shabd, Hazaaron Khwaishein Aisi, Kabhi Haan Kabhi Naa and 7 1/2 Phere.

The coming year would see Zoom engaging in various events. There would be Banoongi Main Miss India in February-March, followed by Zoom Holi party in March and the Zoom Glam awards in March-April.