&TV to celebrate the spirit of living

&, a sub-brand from Zee Entertainment Enterprises, has announced the launch of its new general entertainment channel, &TV in March. The channel will be the second from the sub-brand as it launched its first channel, &pictures in August 2013.

&TV, the flagship Hindi GEC from the '& bouquet' is launching with the theme 'Jashn Jeene Ka', celebrating the spirit of life. According to the company, the channel stands for binding people, ideologies and philosophies. &TV will aim to mirror the thinking and values of an evolved, 'New age' India. The content of the channel will be contemporary and contextual, depicting the progressiveness of the viewers.

Punit Goenka, CEO and MD, ZEEL sees digitisation and further fragmentation as an opportunity for a new entrant. "&TV will offer a more substantial viewing experience to an audience that is always seeking fresh and relevant content. The channel extends our Hindi entertainment portfolio under the '&' bouquet and will add to the consolidation of our leading position in the entertainment industry. We are certain that with the launch of &TV, we will capitalise on more such opportunities to build a robust entertainment bouquet and march towards achieving the global ambitions set for the company."

&TV will launch with a non-fiction property that will be hosted by actor and producer, Shah Rukh Khan. The show, titled 'India Poochega - Sabse Shaana Kaun?'. It is the Indian adaptation of 'Who's Asking?' by Israel-based Armoza.

This will be Khan's third game show on television after 'Kya Aap Panchvi Pass Se Tez Hain?' and 'Kaun Banega Crorepati' (both on Star Plus). In India Poochega..., a common man will don the role of the 'Asker', as well as that of the 'Contestant'. While the askers shall pose the questions, the contestants will be seen answering them to win the prized money. It will be produced by Siddhartha Basu's Big Synergy. The channel also unveiled four fiction properties.

The first show is 'Begusarai', which is set in the hinterland of Bihar. The show is produced by Saregama Productions and the channel has roped in filmmaker Tigmanshu Dhulia to design the first look. The second show, 'Raziya Sultan', is an 'untold story' set in the 13th century. Produced by Swastik Productions, the story has been written by Mihir Bhuta and the grandeur of that era has been brought to life by Omung Kumar. 'Bhabhi Ghar Par Hai', the third, is a story based in Kanpur and introduces two neighbouring couples. The sitcom is produced by Edit II.

The channel has also announced plans to launch a family drama, 'Badi Devrani', produced by Shashi Sumeet Productions. "By definition, we are a Hindi GEC and we'll have programming through the spectrum of a household. The channel will have variety and will see viewership from across age groups. It will cater to the entire Hindi speaking market", says Rajesh Iyer, business head, &TV.

Contemporary approach?

According to Doris Dey, fiction head programming - &TV, the channel is looking at reflecting a contemporary mindset. "We believe that emotions are the same everywhere. But if you take Begusarai as an example, we want to tell people how those people look at those emotions and how one reacts in a certain situation."

Another key highlight of the shows at &TV is that they will not have black or white characters. The shows intend to portray a grey shade of a person and recognize imperfection. "The shows will have equally strong male point of view as female's therefore making that balance and getting both genders to view the channel," Dey adds.

And are there concrete plans for marketing, advertising and distribution. To start with, the channel will soon launch three brand films of the channel created by Ramanuj Shastry and Nisha Singhania's Infectious. The date of launch of the channel will be announced on the Zee Network in a big way on the 24th.

&TV is soon expected to roll out a full-fledged marketing campaign. GroupM's media agency, MEC, is taking care of the media duties of the channel. According to Iyer, the ad rates of the channel will be in line with any other Hindi GEC. The channel will launch on all the major platforms.