Zee acquires UAE based Hum 106.2

Zee Entertainment Enterprises Ltd (ZEEL) which operates entertainment channels like Zee TV and Zee Cinema has announced its foray into radio broadcasting space with the acquisition of UAE based radio station “Hum 106.2”. ZEEL already operates satellite television channels like Zee Aflam and Zee Alwan in the UAE Market.

Hum 106.2, previously owned and operated by Shamal Media Services, is a UAE based Hindi FM Radio channel with a current market share of 26%. The frequency was one of the first Hindi and Urdu language frequencies in the UAE to hit airwaves in the 1990s. This move comes immediately after ZEEL forayed into film production and distribution in the UAE and Middle East markets.

Radio has been an area of interest for ZEE for quite some time and after extensive planning and studying of the brand values, ratings and revenue generated by various stations, HUM FM was the best option. Now, Zee can offer media across television, radio and digital platforms leading to a great synergy between content and mediums. More announcements are expected in the coming weeks on the future channel programming and its positioning.

Earlier this month, ZEEL entered the Hispanic market with the launch of its Spanish language Bollywood movie channel Zee Mundo on 13 September. ZEEL also sold its sports network TEN Sports to Sony Pictures Network (SPN) in all cash deal worth $385 Million on 1 September. For the quarter ended June 2016, ZEEL had reported a net profit of Rs 218.1 crore, a 21.4% increase from Rs 179.6 crore, in the year ago period.

Sony acquires Zee’s TEN Sports

Zee Entertainment Enterprises Ltd. (ZEEL) announced the sale of its sports network TEN Sports to Sony Pictures Network (SPN) in all cash deal for $385 Million. TEN Sports portfolio includes TEN 1, TEN 1 HD, TEN 2, TEN 3, TEN Golf HD, TEN Cricket and TEN Sports. The network operates these channels across India, Maldives, Singapore, Hong Kong, Middle East, and Caribbean.

TEN Sports network is currently held by company’s two wholly owned subsidiaries – Taj Television Limited, Mauritius and Taj Television (India) Pvt. Limited. The acquisition of TEN Sports network will strengthen SPN offering for viewers of Cricket, football and fight sports, complementing portfolio of international and domestic sporting properties.

Sony current sports properties include Cricket (IPL, CPL, Ram Slam), Football (FIFA 2018 World Cup Russia, UEFA Euro 2016, FIFA World Events including FIFA U-17 World Cup 2017 in India, European and South American Qualifiers for FIFA WC 2018, FIFA Confederations Cup, LaLiga, Serie A, FA Cup, Copa America Centenario, International Champions Cup), Tennis (Australian Open, ATP 1000 and 500 World Tour Events, Champions Tennis League), fight sports (TNA, UFC, Pro Wrestling League), Basketball (NBA) as well as NFL and Premier Futsal.

As for TEN Sports, the network holds broadcast rights to major cricket boards (South Africa, Pakistan, Sri Lanka, West Indies and Zimbabwe). TEN Sports has rights to wrestling (WWE), football (UEFA Champions League, UEFA Europa League, French League, English Football League Cup), Tennis (WTA Events, ATP Events), Golf (European Tour, Asian Tour, Ryder Cup, US PGA Championship, LGPA Tour, Professional Golf Tour of India and Golf Channel Block), Athletics (Asian Games, Commonwealth Games), Motor Sports (MotoGP) and Cycling (Tour de France) events.

Zee Entertainment acquire Sarthak TV

Zee Entertainment Enterprises Ltd, a leading media and entertainment company, has acquired Odisha based Sarthak Entertainment Pvt. Ltd., the owners of ‘Sarthak TV’, a general entertainment channel at a consideration of Rs 115 crore. With this acquisition, Zee strengthens its regional offering with the objective of growing rapidly in Odisha. 

Sarthak TV airs highly a mix of reality and non-fiction shows besides fiction programming. The other regional channels from the ZEEL bouquet are Zee Marathi, Zee Talkies, Zee Bangla, Zee Bangla Cinema, Zee Telugu, Zee Kannada, and Zee Tamizh. Being the oldest and market leading network in India, ZEEL would provide the perfect platform for Sarthak to grow in future.

Mumbai based ZEE is one of the largest producers and aggregators of Hindi programme, with extensive library housing more than 120,000 hours of original television content. Moreover, with rights to more than 3,500 more titles, ZEE houses the world largest Hindi movie library. Through its strong presence worldwide, ZEE reaches over more than 959 Million viewers across 169 countries.

The firm had consolidated revenues of Rs 1,339.9 crore for the quarter ended June 30, 2015, recording a growth of 23 percent compared with the same quarter last year. Its net profit jumped to Rs 242.3 crore, up 15 percent from Rs 210 crore at the same time in the corresponding year.