ZEEL forays into Thailand with Bollywood channel 'Zee Nung'

The channel will air super-hit Bollywood blockbuster movies targeting the pay-TV subscriber base in Thailand. The content of the channel will be dubbed in Thai, customised and packaged for the local audience.

Zee Entertainment Enterprises Ltd (ZEEL) has announced its entry into the Thailand market with the launch of a new channel, 'Zee Nung'.

Zee Nung is a 24X7 Bollywood channel dubbed in Thai, customised and packaged for the local audience. The channel will air super-hit Bollywood blockbuster movies targeting the pay-TV subscriber base in Thailand.

According to Subhash Chandra, chairman, ZEEL, the network's entry into the market reflects its commitment to build a strong bond with Thailand, thereby embracing the corporate philosophy of ZEEL - 'Vasudhaiva Kutumbakam'. "Thailand and India share deep-rooted cultural and social traditions, which are reflected in many aspects of Thai culture including architecture, art, drama, dance and literature. Thailand is a growing market with close to 30 per cent penetration of pay channels and hence falls in our priority for expansion," he adds.

The Asia Pacific region is one of the focused and fastest growing regions for ZEEL. It currently has Zee TV APAC (Hindi channel), Zee Variasi (Malay channel), Zee Bioskop (Bahasa Indonesia channel) and Veria Living (English channel) as dedicated feeds, with offices in Singapore, Kuala Lumpur, Jakarta, Sydney, Guangzhou, Mumbai and Bangkok.

Sushruta Samanta, business head, APAC, ZEEL says that as per the research, Thais have a high positive perception towards Bollywood with growing awareness of this industry due to the large number of Bollywood films being shot in the country.

"Thais also show affinity for Bollywood dance numbers, with language not proving a barrier to enjoyment. ZEEL boasts of a huge Bollywood library which will boost our efforts to entertain Thai viewers in a consistent and compelling way. We thank CTH for partnering with us and believing in our product. I am sure Zee Nung will reach new heights and capture the hearts of all Thai movie lovers," Samanta adds.

The channel will be launched in Thailand in partnership with CTH and will be available on Channel 77 on its movie pack. Zee Nung will have a programming line-up with properties such as 'Kings of Bollywood', 'Queens of Bollywood', 'Love Stories', 'Friday Blockbusters' and 'Weekend Family' movies.

It will showcase the best of Bollywood movies across all eras and genres including romance, comedy, action and drama, thus providing Thai viewers the opportunity to watch stars like Shahrukh Khan, Amitabh Bachchan, Salman Khan, Priyanka Chopra, Deepika Padukone, Ranbir Kapoor, Kareena Kapoor and Katrina Kaif.

Commenting on the partnership, Khun Chirdsak Kukiattinun, chairman of Executive Committee of CTH Public, says, "Currently, CTH has a variety of content for everyone in the family. Our sports content includes Barclays Premier League, golf, major tennis tournaments, car racing and Thai boxing while our entertainment content encompasses famous series, documentaries, cartoons and Hollywood movies. And now CTH is proud to partner with ZEEL, the leading media company from India, for bringing Bollywood movies 24X7 through the channel Zee Nung for the first time in Thailand."

Vaishali Kasturia, country head, Thailand adds that the network wants to reach out to people who want to experience contemporary, imaginative and high-quality entertaining films. Zee Nung (Nung means movies in Thai) is specially created, designed and packaged to suit the Thai palate. "I am confident that Zee Nung will truly live up to its tagline of Bollywood Nai Thai (Bollywood in Thai) by offering Bollywood blockbusters localised in the Thai language. With the setting up of our local team in Bangkok, we stand committed to making Zee Nung a big success in this market."