Zee Aflam to showcase special film programmer for Holy Month of Ramadan

Press release

Published July 24th, 2011 - 08:33 GMT

Zee Aflam will broadcast themed films in the GCC and Arab world in spirit of the Holy Month of Ramadan

Zee Aflam, the first 24-hour, Pan Arab Bollywood film channel dedicated to Arabic audiences, will broadcast themed films in the GCC and Arab world, in spirit of the Holy Month of Ramadan. Special segments will be aired during Suhour, Iftar, and prayer timings as per the United Arab Emirates and Kingdom of Saudi Arabia. In addition, Zee Aflam has rolled out movie selections in solidarity with the Holy Month.

Tamer El Sherbini, Head of Marketing, Zee Aflam, said: “Our purpose for the dedicated programme for the month of Ramadan is to focus on Indian films that depict moral values that should be reflected upon during this auspicious time. These films will either be dubbed or have Arabic subtitles. The Holy Month is the most important religious period for Arabs and Muslims around the world, and taking this into account, we aim to promote the values of generosity and selflessness through our dedicated programme.”

El Sherbini also explained that Zee Aflam continuously works on developing and activating content by showcasing popular films. This initiative will be supported by the acquisition of movie libraries from a number of studio leaders such as Yash Raj Films, Eros Entertainment, UTV Media, TV18, and Big Picture, in due course. Numerous blockbusters from Bollywood will mark their premiers on Zee Aflam through the acquisitions.

Background Information

Zee Aflam

Zee Aflam is the first Pan-Arab free-to-air movie channel dedicated to Bollywood movies, packaged in Arabic. Predominantly catering for the Arabic audience, the channel is available on Nilesat.

Zee Aflam has a unique 24-hour film programming showcasing different genres of Bollywood including romance, comedy, action and drama – from the latest blockbusters to timeless classics.

Apart from Arabic sub-titles, selected movies in Zee Aflam are dubbed in Arabic to perfection further enhancing the appeal of the channel to the region’s audience.

The channel’s bouquet of movies including several fresh titles, with the movies selected and customized in line with the cultural sensitivities of the region and packaged in a two-hour format.

Zee Aflam has a woman band featuring movies by Bollywood’s leading actresses; a dedicated segment on Amitabh Bachchan, the Indian legend and a favourite of Arab audiences; and several other specials.

The channel is part of Zee Network, the largest producer and aggregator of Hindi programming in the world, with more than 100,000 hours of original material in its library. Zee has 500 million viewers in over 185 countries globally.