To complete the Zee Bouquet, the Zee network introduced its latest entertainer - the 24-hour Zee Sports; adding ENTERTAINMENT to Sports; somewhat in the line of Neo Sports Plus! Keeping in mind that sports viewership has seen a tremendous increase the need for a private Indian sports channel has also gone up. It is distributed as part of the Zee Turner bouquet.
Zee Sports is a channel with a difference - right down to the details. From their programming to presentation one will see the difference. They are presenting sports in a never-before manner. The way it deserves to be-zestful, feisty and young! Regular run-of-the-mill sports capsules and shows are passé; Zee Sports is here to change the face of sports entertainment now as according to Zee network this is the first format which truly brings together cricket and television in an entertaining manner. They aimed to find the hidden wonders in India`s villages and towns, and showcase them to the country along with their struggles and travails. At Zee Sports, it has always been about showcasing sports and sportspersons from India, being India`s first private sports channel. It also acquired the telecast rights of the Afro-Asian Cup for the Indian subcontinent in the year 2005.
Zee Sports has also signed a 10-year deal with the AIFF to cover all Indian games and it plans to entice more viewers by offering a much slicker product. The channel wants to cover football with up to 13 cameras, whereas previously the rights holder in India had gone down to four or five cameras, which simply was not good enough. Zee Sports is committed to popularizing Indian league and national football throughout the country. Zee Sports continues to make efforts to show domestic football in a manner, which is exciting, interactive and television friendly.The coverage will involve more cameras, more replays, new commentators and a new graphic look. Zee Sports would also be conducting its studio programming from the stadium.
Zee sports was launched in the year 2004 but since then this channel has struggled to obtain cricket content. The Zee Telefilms acquisition of a 50 per cent stake in Dubai based Taj TV, the owners of Ten Sports, immediately catapults Zee Sports into a much stronger position as it ventures into new markets in West Asia. Zee Sports has access to certain BCCI matches. It also has the rights to Indian football, Davis Cup, WTA, Italian Serie A. Considering the channel does not have landing rights in certain countries in West Asia such as Pakistan, it gains access to new markets and territories through its association with Ten Sports. Zee has a history of being unsuccessful when it comes to obtaining cricketing rights. In 2000, before there was Zee Sports, Zee bid for the ICC Cricket World Cup rights. Despite having the highest bid of $600 million, the ICC awarded the rights to Rupert Murdoch`s Global Cricket Corporation for $550 million. Zee also failed to obtain the BCCI rights to international cricket in India in 2004, despite having the highest bid once again.
The channel also launched a two and half hour show called Football Café, which is meant to educate viewers about Indian football. At the same time it also tries to build player profiles, talk about the various football clubs of India, their heritage and so on. The channel airs news and shows on sports targeted at the youth and shows live cricket, football, tennis, motor sports, boxing, beach volleyball and snooker. Zee Sports airs various sports entertainments like 22 Yards, Sports Sundae, Sports Cafe, English Premier League Classics, Cricket Replay, Cricket Firsts and Football Cafe.
