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MUMBAI: In a bid to connect further with viewers in the Middle
East Zee Cinema - from the Real Media-Zee Network bouquet
of channels in the region has announced that it will have
Arabic sub titles, promos, menu cards and tune-ins.
Real Media-Zee Network MD and CEO Yogesh Radhakrishnan said,
"What we have done in the Middle East is add value for
our viewers in the Middle East. The entire Zee Cinema Middle
East Beam is completely packaged in Arabic so as to facilitate
easy viewing for our Arabic-speaking audiences.
" Over the past year, we did extensive research on the
Arabisation of the channel. We observed that Hindi movies
are very popular with Arab nationals, not only in GCC but
in the entire Middle East. Hindi movie stars are very popular,
for example there is a huge fan following for Amitabh Bachchan,
Shah Rukh Khan, Salman Khan, Aishwarya Rai etc. The increasingly
Arabic look of the channel caters to this niche market. We
already have a very strong following amongst South Asian expatriates
in the region. Now our position is even stronger'.
The Arabic version of Zee Cinema launched on 10 October after
a technical dry run with all its variants. It is a pay channel
and is currently available on E-Vision and Pehla Silver package.
It will soon be available on other platforms as well.
The Hindi movie channel will continue to show blockbusters,
classics, and specialised segments about Bollywood stars.
The development the broadcaster says adds value to advertisers
as the entire programming and packaging will now be locally
managed with exclusive segments customised for the viewer
landscape in the Middle East.
Zee Cinema business head for the Middle East Shekhar Iyer
said, "Zee Cinema has been a very successful channel
for us the world over. We have an extensive library of more
than 3000 titles. Unlike other movie channels that thrive
on primetime shows we offer premium movies in the morning,
afternoon and evening which provides us with very strong viewership.
A more Arabic Zee Cinema is yet another value addition for
the channel. I am sure our Arabic audience will love it and
relate to it even more".
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