The launch of this channel marks Zee's first customised bouquet for the Arab region, which will be telecast via three satellites-Nilesat, Arabsat and NSS, in a free-to-air format.
The channel will invest over AED (Arab Emirates dirham) 105 million (nearly Rs 100 crore) in the region. Zee has already received responses from advertisers in the FMCG, automobile and banking industries.
It is expected that channel will be accessible to 2 million subscribers of Dish TV, Zee's DTH platform within India, becoming the first channel to showcase Arabic music and lifestyle to the millions of Asian homes across the globe.
Yogesh Radhakrishnan, managing director and CEO, Real Media of Zee Network, said, "The launch of Zee Arabiya is in line with our plan of positioning Zee Network as a leading quality and family entertainment television network in the Middle East."
"We have served this region with quality entertainment for over eight years now and Zee Arabiya will continue this trend with more region-focused programmes. We are also proud to be the first Asian network to launch a free-to-air multi-language channel in this region," he added.
According to Radhakrishnan, Arabic music and lifestyle has always been popular with Asian and western audiences, but they did not have an opportunity to see the entertainment mix that this region has to offer.
Zee Arabiya, which will be uplinked through Samacom in Dubai, will help Zee Arabiya reach nearly 55 million households across the region with the digital footprint covering the entire Middle East, North Africa, certain parts of lower Europe and Pakistan.
While this is the first time that an Asian network has launched free-to-air channel in the region, the channel will also be creating an entertainment software, which will connect immediately to the target audience's lifestyle.
The programming will feature non-stop music blocks, interactive and SMS request shows, interviews with celebrities, entertainment news and vignettes that cover a wide spectrum of topics such as fashion, cars, holiday getaways, extreme sports, gaming, fitness, reality shows, upcoming concerts and much more.
"We expect that the biggest benefit to the viewer will be the localised content. Today, there is no television software within the region that allows westerners, Arabs and Asians to share a platform for showcasing talent," says Radhakrishnan.
Zee Arabiya's 24-hour programming content will become the foundation for sharing views and perspectives across the region and beyond. Our 60 strong Zee Arabiya team has been trained to understand the business of international entertainment, and initial feedback from advertisers has shown that the strategy is bang on," added Radhakrishnan.
