(4 November 2005 8:00 pm)

MUMBAI: Zee Network will be launching three of its channels on the Direct to Home (DTH) platform in Nigeria. Zee TV, Zee Cinema and Zee Music will be available on Frontage Satellite Television (FSTV), Africa's premiere Direct to Home (DTH) services provider.

Raghav Behl's infortainment channel South Asian World (SAW) has also been roped in to join FSTV. SAW is part of Zee's distribution bundle in the UK.

A Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) was signed between the FSTV and Zee. The FSTV Chairman, Otunba Reuben Boye Famuyibo has been quoted by Allafrica.com as saying that the pact between the two organisations was in line with the growing relationship between Nigeria and India, on the diplomatic, cultural, economic and technological dimension, adding that the channels have a lot to offer in terms of information, entertainment and education.

Also speaking at the brief ceremony, the representatives of Zee TV senior vice-president, head of Operations Africa and Mauritius Deepak Jain and Zee TV AVP Pushpinder Singah noted that Indian films are very popular in Nigeria, that for this reason his organisation sought for a dynamic platform which the Nigerian market offers - to expand its scope - while at the same time offer an input towards the developing the channels, which have now become a global channel which cuts across one hundred and fifty countries.