MAM
ZEE5 Global elevates Parul Goel to lead UK and European growth strategy
The 19-year Zee veteran takes charge of a market he helped build from a two-channel operation into Europe’s largest South Asian broadcasting network
LONDON: Parul Goel has been elevated to territory head for the UK and Europe at ZEE5 Global, stepping into a leadership role built largely on foundations he laid himself over nearly two decades with the organisation.
Goel joined Zee Entertainment in 2007 and has spent much of his career expanding the company’s footprint across the United Kingdom and Europe. When he started, Zee UK comprised two television channels. Today it is Europe’s largest South Asian broadcasting network, with seven channels and a growing digital ecosystem through ZEE5. That transformation is in no small part his doing.
His track record includes several notable firsts. In 2023 he oversaw the launch of four Zee channels on Freeview Connected, giving households across the UK free access to South Asian entertainment for the first time. He also drove the launch of FAST (free ad-supported streaming television) channels across Samsung TV Plus and Rakuten TV, the first time any South Asian broadcaster had entered that space in Europe. Localisation initiatives across Germany and France have further broadened Zee’s reach to audiences beyond the traditional South Asian diaspora.
Goel has also led content and brand integration strategies through Narrative Media and GR8 Media, and has driven large-scale partnerships for flagship properties including Sa Re Ga Ma Pa.
In his new role, Goel will lead strategic growth across the UK and Europe, with a focus on audience expansion, distribution partnerships, digital growth and consolidating Zee’s leadership in South Asian entertainment across the region.
Goel described Europe as one of the most dynamic and culturally diverse markets for South Asian entertainment. “From expanding free-to-access television and FAST channels to strengthening ZEE5’s digital presence and investing in culturally resonant storytelling, our vision is to create a truly integrated entertainment experience for viewers across the region,” he said.
ZEE5 Global launched across more than 190 countries in October 2018 and offers more than 200,000 hours of on-demand content across 18 languages.
Nineteen years at one organisation, a broadcasting network rebuilt from the ground up, and now the mandate to take it further. Goel has earned this one.
