Zee to launch kids channel, readies for future growth

MUMBAI: Zee will get into the kids TV segment and is planning to launch the channel by the exit quarter of this fiscal.

The channel will be named Zee Q and will have educative and entertainment content. Zee aims to draw synergy from its education business and runs the largest chain of preschools in India under the brand KidZee.

The education business falls under a listed entity, Zee Learn Ltd. The K-12 (kindergarten to 12th standard) vertical under the Mount Litera Zee School banner has plans to set up 500 schools over seven years largely through the franchisee route. The company intends to tap into the premium segment through Mount Litera World School and the preschools through Mount Litera World Preschool.

?We will be launching a kids channel. It will be called Zee Q. The content will aim at learning through fun and entertainment,? Zee Entertainment Enterprises Ltd managing director and chief executive officer Punit Goenka tells Indiantelevision.com in an interview.

Zee?s new channel will operate in a fiercely competitive segment occupied by the multinationals. Turner International operates two channels (Cartoon Network and Pogo), Disney has a bouquet of three (Disney Channel, Disney XD and Hungama) and Viacom18 two (Nick and Sonic). BBC has CBeebies and Sun TV runs a group of channels in the South Indian languages. The ad market for the genre is pegged at Rs 2.5 billion and is expected to grow 10 per cent year-on-year.

Zee News Ltd (ZN) is working on the launch of an English-language general news channel, says Goenka. In the interview, Goenka also talks about the distribution joint venture company with Star India and Zee?s other growth plans in sports broadcasting, entertainment and new media businesses.

"We expect our sports business to come out of negative Ebitda but forex fluctuations is a concern. Our sports content rights are contracted in dollars," says Goenka.