MUMBAI: Indian broadcast major Zee Entertainment Enterprises (ZEE) has entered into an agreement with US-based pay TV operator Dish Network to expand its presence in the US territory.
As a part of the deal, Dish and it’s over-the-top (OTT) player Sling TV will carry 27 new channels in addition to the existing 10 ZEE channels, available in languages like Spanish, Portuguese, Arabic, Hindi, Bengali, Marathi, Tamil, Bhojpuri, Oriya, Rajasthani, and Urdu.
With the deal in place, the total number of ZEE channels available in the US market will go up to 37 with a combined reach of 52 million homes in the English and Spanish households, claims the company.
Further, Sling TV and Dish will be the exclusive provider in the US of ZEE’s on-demand library, which includes movies and over 400 additional video titles. Over time, Sling TV will become the exclusive over-the-top (OTT) provider in the US for all but one of ZEE’s South Asian channels.
In the coming months, ZEE will transition viewers from its direct-to-consumer services to Sling TV or to authenticated access only.
Amit Goenka, CEO-International Broadcast Business at ZEE said, “America is one of the most important markets for our International business. The deal with Dish further consolidates our leadership position and is in line with our ambitious 2020 goals.”
“We are very delighted to announce that with this deal not only has our reach in the mainstream American market for our Z Living network quadrupled, but we will also now be serving the high potential Spanish language subscribers with two 24×7 networks. With this deal, we will cater to 16 different language groups in America across 5 genres.
ZEE and Dish have been natural partners for the last 18 years and we both share our vision on the future growth of pay TV in the USA.”
Sling TV and Dish will be launching a new ‘Hindi Gold Pack,’ which will contain all of the ZEE Hindi channels, plus other Hindi channels. In addition, &TV will be added to the existing lineup. ZEE’s on-demand content will be available at no additional charge to DISH and Sling TV subscribers with the Hindi Gold Pack.
“Our agreement with ZEE enables us to provide a vast amount of entertainment to fans of South Asian content, while also giving customers a more streamlined way to access and enjoy both linear and on-demand content,” said Chris Kuelling, Senior Vice President of Programming for Sling TV and DISH.
“ZEE shares our goal of growing the South Asian market, and together we are able to better serve this community, as well as the other language groups served by ZEE.”
Dish and Sling TV will also add two Spanish-language channels, Z Living Espanol, and Zee TV Espanol, and two Brazilian channels, Zee TV Portuguese, and Z Living Portuguese, to their respective line-ups.
Zee Alwan and Zee Aflam, the two Arabic channels will launch in the DISH Arabic Super Elite and the Arabic Mosaic Pack on Sling TV as well.
Source: Economic Times