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Zee to launch news channel for Arab viewers
India's Zee film entertainment and media conglomerate plans to launch a news and current affairs channel for Arab viewers from its Dubai base this year, the company's chairman said.
- By Shakir Husain, Staff Reporter
- Published: 00:00 March 6, 2007
- Subhash Chandra says Zee is committed to spending $100 million on growing its business in the UAE.
- Image Credit: Regi Varghese/Gulf News
Dubai: India's Zee film entertainment and media conglomerate plans to launch a news and current affairs channel for Arab viewers from its Dubai base this year, the company's chairman said.
The group is also looking into Arabic film production opportunities in Dubai and Cairo, Zee Telefilms Chairman Subhash Chandra told Gulf News yesterday.
"We are exploring possibilities of launching a news-cum-business affairs channel for the region. It would be more of an international channel but targeted at Arab populations, by and large," Chandra said.
Its programmes will be available in Arabic as well as English, he said, adding that Zee plans to launch the news channel in the third-quarter of 2007.
The channel forms part of Zee's strategy to expand in Arab countries and target more South Asian viewers across the world.
Chandra said Zee will also start an Indian film channel in Arabic. At present the network has a dedicated Arabic music channel called Zee Arabia.
"We are expanding and bringing in a few new products," Chandra said.
In November last year, Zee announced acquisition of a 50 per cent stake in UAE-based Ten Sports channel. It said the investment was based on an enterprise value of Dh420 million.
Zee has committed to spend $100 million on growing its business in the UAE and Chandra said about $70 million of that money has already been invested.
The company is building a tower in Dubai Media City that will house its regional corporate office, studios and production facilities.
UNI to get boost from Rs1b investment
Zee Telefilms Chairman Subhash Chandra said he was injecting Rs1 billion (Dh80 million) into New Delhi-based United News of India (UNI) to make it a viable news agency.
He said Zee recently acquired a 54 per cent stake in troubled UNI, which has been starved for cash for many years, in a Rs320 million deal.
“We will pump Rs1,000 million into UNI to make it a respectable news agency,'' he said, adding that he wants to expand the news agency to compete with the “Reuters of this world''.
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