Zee launches Arabic-language TV station

One of India's largest media companies has invested $100 million (Dh367m) on a new Arabic-language TV station, and plans to launch three additional channels serving the Middle East.

Zee Entertainment, which is listed on the Bombay Stock Exchange, went live with its Zee Alwan channel on July 1. The channel was officially launched yesterday.

The station – which features Arabic series and dubbed Indian shows – will be followed by further channel launches in the future, said Mukund Cairae, the head of the Zee Network in the Middle East, North Africa and Pakistan.

Mr Cairae said the low per-capita spending on advertising in the Arab world meant that this region was attractive for the TV industry.

“The money that an advertiser spends to get one eyeball is one of the lowest in the world,” he said. “So the potential for growth – and therefore our investment in this market – is huge.”

Zee Entertainment currently broadcasts two free-to-air stations in the region: the Zee Aflam movie channel – which shows Bollywood movies dubbed in Arabic – and Zee Alwan. It also broadcasts several pay-TV channels in the region.

Mr Cairae said that Zee would have at least five free-to-air TV stations serving the Middle East by 2017.

It is planning to launch dedicated channels in Morocco and Egypt in the next two years, which will feature different shows and Arabic dialects suited to those markets. It also plans a Turkish-language channel.

“Morocco is a healthy market that I can see coming up... and let’s not forget Egypt,” he said.

Mr Cairae also said that Zee plans an Arabic station in Iraq, but said this would be the same as an existing channel.

Most of the $100 million launch budget for Zee Alwan was spent on research, marketing and content, Mr Cairae said.

The channel, beamed via the Nilesat and Arabsat satellites, is geared towards “general family entertainment” and its main target market is women aged between 20 and 45. The station is targeting to break even in three and a half years, Mr Cairae said.

Zee Alwan features dubbed versions of Indian dramas and lifestyle shows, as well as Arabic series such as Hindustani, Banaat Al Jameaa and Banat Al Alilah. Mr Cairae said it is also considering investing in its own Arabic shows.

It will face stiff competition in the Arab world, where about 600 free-to-air stations vie for the attention of viewers and advertising revenues.

Patrick Samaha, the vice president of marketing and sales for Zee Alwan, said that there was space for a new TV station in the market.

“The Arab audience is hungry for new content,” he said.

The Arab TV market is expected to be worth a total of $2.5 billion this year, according to the Arab Media Outlook, which was published in April in collaboration with the Dubai Press Club and Deloitte.

Around $2bn of that is made up of advertising revenues, with the rest coming from pay-TV subscriptions.

India’s Zee Entertainment, which has a total of 52 channels worldwide, is part of the Essel Group, a conglomerate with interests in technology, infrastructure, education and precious metals.

bflanagan@thenational.ae