MUMBAI: While every other movie channel in the Hindi space is offering dubbed South Indian movies, Zee Entertainment Enterprises Ltd (ZEEL) is launching a pure offering – its ‘101% Shuddh Bollywood’ channel Zee Bollywood. The channel is launching on 31 August.
Earlier reports had said that Zee Bollywood would be replacing Zee Classic, but ZEEL Hindi movies cluster business head Ruchir Tiwari said that it is not shutting the channel. In fact, the network still has Zee Classic’s HD licence. “We are not shutting Zee classic. As you know, ministry permission for launching a new channel is a very slow process and the demand of Bollywood from the consumer is urgent,” he said.
He added that research shows 39 per cent Indians love watching masala Bollywood movies that are truly entertaining. “Getting the permission is not easy and so we had to use the Classic license to launch this. We did not apply for the Classic license, it will be revamped as a refreshed offering that will be premium and niche and it wouldn’t be ad-supported. You will hear about Zee Classic also very soon,” he said.
With Zee Classic’s market share being 6.5 per cent, Tiwari feels that Zee Bollywood has the potential to reach up to 10 per cent.
Tiwari added that there might be an overlap with other players when it comes to certain movies. “Today all the top three channels have 50-60 per cent of south programming on a weekly level because there is larger viewership in the category especially from west India, where there is a very strong demand. For example, Lagaan movie will be aired quite a few times on the other channels or maybe on Sunday afternoon and this is because there is no room. So now, in this case, there will be some overlapping,” he said.
The network has curated a roster of over 600 exclusive ‘Masalon se koot koot ke bhari filmein.’ ZEEL CMO Prathyusha Agarwal said, “At ZEEL, our aim has always been to fuel the entertainment space with extraordinary content that satiates the needs of our viewers. Specifically, in the Hindi movie segment, we understand the viewer as someone whose mind seeks different kinds of cinema, while his heart continues to yearn for masala Bollywood! Hence, we came up with the big idea of Zee Bollywood.”
The channel has started scouting for advertising partners. Zee network president sales Vijay Sanil said, “Currently we have Nerolac, Lays, Cadbury and Nirma Salt as our channel partners. The response has been extremely positive from our clients and such partnerships further validate our belief in our offering. We are hoping to drive synergies with more brands as we embark on this new journey.”
Time bands also speak the Bollywood lingo such as Mere Sat-Sun Aayenge (Sat, Sun 9pm), Subhah Ho Gayi Mamu (Mon to Fri 10:30am), Dopehar Ka Tadka (Mon to Fri 2pm), Chalti Hai Kya 9 se 12 (Mon to Fri 9pm), Raat Baaki (Mon to Fri 12 am) and Maa Kasam Sunday Hai (Sun 10:30am, 2pm, 5pm).
Shows with romance like Chennai Express, Jab We Met, comedy films like Phir Hera Pheri, Houseful, Welcome, panga with films like Agneepath, Josh, Gadar and drama with films like Lagaan, Judaai, Raja Hindustani among others will be on air.
In the most crowded segment on TV, Zee Bollywood has tough competition to prove and capture market share.
