Announcing ZEE’s entry into the
Philippines, Amit Goenka, CEO – International Broadcast Business, ZEEL
said, “ZEE has been the cultural ambassador for Bollywood and Indian
content in overseas markets. In line with our Vision 2020 goals, we have
chalked out an aggressive international expansion plan, with APAC being
one of the key regions. We already have 5 dedicated localized channels
in APAC, comprising of GEC and movie genres, and our entry into
Philippines will only further strengthen our presence. With the Pay-TV
industry projected to grow at an average of 13% Y-o-Y in the next 5
years, we see huge potential in this market.”
Zee Sine – Bollywood Na Tayo (‘Sine’
means ‘Cinema’ and ‘Bollywood Na Tayo’ means ‘Let’s Go Bollywood’ in
Tagalog) is a 24/7 Bollywood movie channel customized and packaged for
the local audience.
Speaking on the launch of Zee Sine,
Sushruta Samanta, Business Head – Asia Pacific, ZEEL said, “Both India
and Philippines display strong affinity for music and dance. Our
research shows that Indian Bollywood Films are relatable as the stories
hit close to home, reflecting similar emotions and values shown in
Filipino movies. While other content from around the world has entered
Philippines already, we plan to bring a fresh and unique perspective by
launching Zee Sine in Philippines. We felt it is the right time for us
to enter this market and showcase our heart-warming and larger-than-life
Bollywood movies to the Filipino audience.”
Sushruta informed that Maria Liza
Ginting, who currently heads Indonesia market, will also be heading the
Philippines operations along with the local team in Manila.
Sharing more details on the channel,
Maria Liza Young – Ginting, Country Head, Indonesia & Philippines
said, “Zee Sine will take you to a new world of entertainment with
high-voltage Bollywood dramas, love triangles, comedies and song and
dance. To reach out to the local audience, we have hand-picked movies
from the library, dubbed in Tagalog, re-christened movie titles and
character names in English while promos and special movie properties are
being locally created. The channel is being distributed through one of
the leading cable distributors in the country, Cable Boss, and will soon
be available on more platforms in the market.”
The channel will be showcased at PCTA
(Philippine Cable TV Association Inc.) Convention 2016, which is one of
the biggest Pay-TV operators conventions in Philippines, to be held
between 12th -15th April.
