Zee says 3 cable operators of 'illegally blocking' channels in Tamil Nadu

Zee Entertainment has accused three cable operators of blacking out its channels in Tamil Nadu, which along with other southern India states fetch a quarter of its business.

"The Zee channel packs have been illegally blacked out in South Market (Tamil Nadu) by certain operators namely Arasu, SCV and VK Digital. As you would know, by law, unless the consumer rejects the channel or the broadcaster discontinues the channel, the operator is responsible of delivering the channel to the consumer, which is not happening in this case," said a company spokesperson in a statement.

SCV and VK Digital did not respond to Business Standard’s emails and Arasu could not be reached for a comment. Direct to home (DTH) operators broadcast Zee channels. There are roughly 35 cable platforms in the Tamil Nadu market.

Nearly 70 per cent of share gains for Zee came from its regional network. Almost 15 channels of the 59 within its overall network are regional-language channels. Data from the Broadcast Audience Research Council (BARC) shows Zee has seen share gains of nearly 0.8 per cent and 0.5 per cent for southern entertainment and movies, respectively in three years.

Zee Kannada is the market leader in Karnataka with a share of 35.4 per cent. In Tamil Nadu and Andhra/Telangana, Zee trails Sun and Star Maa respectively. Zee is readying for launching movie channels in the southern markets.