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MUMBAI:
Zee Network is transferring its Marathi movie channel Zee
Talkies to Zee News Ltd, the company which houses news and
regional channels. Currently, Zee Talkies resides in Zee Entertainment
Enterprises Ltd (Zeel).
Zee
has already applied to the information and broadcasting ministry
for the transfer. "We have applied to the government
for transferring the channel to Zee News Ltd. We are awaiting
approval," a source in the company tells Indiantelevision.com.
The
broad plan is to bring regional movie channels under Zee News
Ltd, the source adds. Zee has plans to launch a Bengali movie
channel. "Zee News Ltd will have the news channels, the
regional general entertainment channels and the regional movie
channels," the source says.
Analysts
who track the company say the move will add to the topline
and give it a unique mix with high growth potential. For this
fiscal, Zee News Ltd. is targeting a 30 per cent growth in
advertising revenues and a 40 per cent surge in subscription
income.
Zee
News Ltd. ended FY'08 with a revenue of Rs 3.58 billion, with
existing channels contributing Rs 3.28 billion out of this.
The new channels - Zee Telugu, Zee 24 Taas (Marathi news channel)
and Zee Kannada - had a revenue of Rs 297.8 million.
"We
expect the Telugu channel to break even by the second quarter
of this fiscal while Zee Kannada should take longer and happen
by the last quarter. Zee 24 Taas should break even in the
next fiscal," says the source.
Zee
expects the new business losses to be Rs 600 million for FY'09,
up from Rs 498 million. Zee's Tamil general entertainment
channel, which is expected to launch by July-end, has an investment
plan of Rs 900 million. Zee estimates the losses from the
existing new businesses including the Telugu and Kannada channel
to come down to Rs 150 million in the fiscal, but the Tamil
channel will contribute to a fresh loss of Rs 450 million
in the year.
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