MUMBAI: The direct-to-home (DTH) platform Dish TV will now be offering two more channels, both from the Bennett Coleman stable -- the lifestyle television channel Zoom and the English news and current affairs channel Times Now.

The DTH opportunity will help spur higher penetration and create even more attractive business prospects for the two channels in the television market, an official release states.

Essel Group additional vice-chairman Jawahar Goel says, "The availability of the hugely popular news channel from the Times Group, namely, Times Now and the lifestyle channel Zoom on Dish TV beefs up our already robust news content and lifestyle offering. We expect significant consumer response and growth in the subscriber base for Dish TV and for the DTH market in India due to this tie-up."

According to Times Now CEO Sunil Lulla, "The partnership with Dish TV will further augment the growing popularity of Times Now and will enhance the news viewing experience of the users."

Talking specifically about the synergies between viewers of Dish TV and Zoom, its CEO Suresh Bala adds, "Dish TV provides us the ideal platform for reaching a larger base of upscale consumers with interest in the lifestyle genre. Zoom prides itself in bringing the latest in trends and lifestyle to our consumers and we believe strongly that our availability on the latest technology Dish TV platform enhances our positioning."

At present, Dish TV, an Essel Group company with 1.3 million subscribers across the country, carries more than 160 channels, including all the popular cable channels and some exclusive channels.