Zee One is bringing its slate of Indian and Bollywood films and TV shows to streamers in Germany, Austria and Switzerland (DACH) by way of Rakuten TV, the companies announced this week.
The launch of Zee One on Rakuten TV comes several months after the channel relaunched as a free, ad-supported streaming offering on numerous platforms, including Samsung TV Plus.
It is the second time Zee Entertainment, the owner of Zee One, has targeted streamers in the DACH region: Three years ago, Zee Entertainment shut down a similarly-branded cable channel after suffering serious financial losses in Germany.
This time around, Zee Entertainment is hoping the free version of Zee One will convince German streamers to take up hit shows like “Jodha Akbar” and romantic drama “Kundali Bhagya,” among others.
“I am thrilled and excited for the commencement of this new partnership, one that I have been eagerly anticipating,” Ashok Namboodiri, the chief business officer for international output at Zee Entertainment Enterprises, said in a statement. “The launch of Zee One on Rakuten TV signifies our strategic targeting of the German audience that will not only elevate our channel but also contribute to Rakuten TV’s expanding viewer base.”
“I am glad that Zee One will now expand its reach to audiences on Rakuten TV,” said Punit Misra, the president of content and international markets at Zee Entertainment. “Beyond bridging nations, this endeavour will facilitate cross-cultural understanding, as we bring to people the rich cultural heritage of India through content which will be in the language of the people on this platform.”
Rakuten TV is available as a free streaming app across a wide variety of platforms. It is pre-installed on some TV sets sold in the DACH region, and is also available on Roku, Amazon Fire TV and Android TV devices. Streamers without a smart TV can access Rakuten TV through dedicated mobile apps and via the Rakuten TV website.
