MUMBAI: Zee’s English entertainment channel Zee Café has partnered with BBC Worldwide to bring award-winning premium British drama to its audience. Starting from 26 June, the channel will host BBC First content block with 11 new shows set to air every weeknight at 10pm time slot.

The channel has an ongoing deal with BBC for two years. For the Indian audience, the channel will bring another set of 16 British shows shortly.

The new line-up of shows on Zee Café, the main sponsor of which is Nexa , includes: War & Peace, Fleming: The Man who would be Bond, Class, SS-GB, Maigret, Doctor Foster, Top of the Lake, The Kettering Incident, New Blood, From Darkness and Thirteen.

Zee Entertainment Enterprises Limited (ZEEL) Premium and FTA GEC business cluster head Aparna Bhosle said, “I will go with my gut feeling. I have lived in this country and I have seen this kind of content and I believe it's going to work. You will not know unless you try it out. So, it's a gut call." "At the launch, we are starting with 11 shows, and around October, we are planning to launch another 16 new shows.”

Speaking about the target audience, she mentioned that Zee Cafe's high viewership comes from mega metros. "The 7-9pm prime time is working for the channel," she added.

“For a brand, the starting point is: what do you want to stand for. We launched the channel with the tagline 'All Eyes On New’. Viewers of this genre are seeking more content. If we look at English GEC, it is largely American content. It's a great fit for the brand, and we think that consumer will love it," ZEEL domestic broadcast business CEO Punit Misra said.

Zee Cafe's marketing campaign will be largely run on digital platforms and the network’s channels. "The campaign will be focussed on big towns as the main viewership comes from those markets, according to measurement system. As English content viewing in India is rising day by day, 20-40 age-group in large towns, we think, will consume this kind of content," Misra added.

“We are delighted that Zee Café is bringing BBC First to India, which will bring the best of British creativity to an appreciative audience. This is a curation of critically acclaimed and award-winning original British drama, that will challenge perceptions though surprising storylines and unforgettable characters,” commented BBC Worldwide director - global brands and content marketing Julia Kenyon. "BBC First has been successful in countries where it has already launched, across Australia, the Middle East, Europe and Asia. We look forward to connecting with the Indian audience who know and enjoy premium drama," she added.

From compelling narratives to awe-inspiring characters, viewers will get to explore a rich & diverse variety of content. Not just that, they will also get to see versatile actors such as Rowan Atkinson popularly known as Mr. Bean, Dominic Cooper, Sam Riley, Kate Bosworth, Lily James and many more in the BBC First block.