Gentertainment channel Zoom completes 'First Year'

Sitaram Sundalia - Televisionpoint.com
It’s finally happened. The first surface-toair missile, launched by the Times Group last year, Zoom, the hip and happening entertainment channel has finally become the Gentertainment channel from Times Television.

Fiction, sob-soaps, dailies are passe today with Zoom's programming, the eyeballs are now zooming in on the glamour and gloss on the small screen with Zoom, the channel has successfully completed its first year and leads in the Niche category. The channel to increase its base and to celebrate the 1st anniversary is also introducing a reality show and one drama serial.

Zoom has kept its promise to Mumbaikars, who have been riveted by the wit of the teaser ads, using the set of two balls to maximum advantage and reveled in India's first entertainment & lifestyle Channel, featuring programs based on fashion, music, film, along with celebrity chat and game shows and astrology and the paranormal.

The Zoom's year roped in youth icons like Manish Malhotra, Pooja Bedi, and Yana Gupta to host their own shows. As the first in its bouquet of channels Bennett and Coleman brought to the table its considerable resources as one of the world’s oldest and largest content creators and aggregators.

Aparnaa Pande, the Programming Head of the channel, says, "Zoom is the first non-fictional, aspirational, Hinglish lifestyle channel. With globalisation, the Indian consumer is yet again ready for new, niche and premium genres of programming in the second innings. The viewer is interested in knowing about the glamorous lifestyles of celebrities and Zoom will further provide the same."

Apart from lifestyle and fashion, Zoom's celebrity chat shows, game shows, suspense thrillers, entertainment and music countdowns are making the audience with a different taste. The high class Viewer is hooked to the main language of the programmes, Hinglish. As Pooja Bedi, who anchors the chat show Not Just Page 3, puts it, "Hinglish strikes the perfect balance for those who speak shudh Hindi, and those who are uncomfortable with the language."

Zoom, the dream child of Vineet Jain, Managing Director, Bennett, Coleman and Co. LTD and ably assisted by a team led by Arun Arora, president, Bennett, Coleman and Co. LTD and CEO, Television Division, Zoom has actually redefined the Indian entertainment viewing and has definitely increased the scope of entertainment beyond movies, music and soaps. Lifestyle entertainment will never be the same again.

Upen Roop Rai, COO, Television Division, says, "In the second year, our goal is at introducing some new initiatives on the programming front for which we will launching an Reality show to be modeled on international format with the same lines of glamour and lifestyle."