ZEE India launches Urdu channel, ZEE Salaam

ZEE Network India has launched its first all-Urdu channel, called ZEE Salaam.

The channel will be available as a part of ZEE Network’s India DTH service, Dish TV. However, it is yet to commence marketing to support the channel’s uptake. So far, only cross promotions of ZEE Salaam have been witnessed on the other Dish TV channels.

ZEE Salaam’s mix consists of entertainment and information with family dramas, daily soaps, devotional and musical programmes. It also offers talk shows, mushaira’s and weekly serials.

Commenting on the occasion, Anil Anand, Business Head, ZEE Salaam said, “We take pride in tapping into the unexplored genre of Urdu infotainment channel in the country. ZEE Salaam is focused on providing the viewers a quality line up of programmes, which will provide education, lifestyle, family entertainment, travel shows, historical documentaries, sufi wisdom, kids programmes, maghrib and isha prayers, community updates, legal talk, legacies of Islam and more. ZEE Salaam�۪s main goal is to promote Urdu language and its rich culture in a very positive and constructive manner. Partnering with Dish TV will certainly give us a large reach through its nationwide 6.5 million subscriber base.”

Exchange4Media spoke to media planners about ZEE Network’s latest move. Nikhil Rangnekar, Executive Director, India West, Starcom Worldwide, commented, “I think like a lot of its earlier initiatives, this is a first from ZEE. There are a couple of Urdu channels, but from a large national network, this is a first and it�۪s a commendable move from ZEE.”

Sanjoy Chakrabarty, CEO, Last Minute Inventory, noted that an Urdu channel would appeal to a subset of the Indian audience and would do in markets such as Uttar Pradesh, Bihar and Andhra Pradesh, among others. “A linguistic GEC channel like ZEE Salaam will work across all markets, be it metros or smaller cities,” he added.

There are currently no plans to launch ZEE Salaam in the UK.