Country | India |
---|---|
Broadcast area | |
Headquarters | Mumbai |
Programming | |
Language(s) | English |
Picture format | 1080i HDTV (downscaled to letterboxed 576i for the SDTV feed) |
Ownership | |
Owner | Zee Entertainment Enterprises |
Sister channels | See list of channels owned by ZEEL |
History | |
Launched | 15 March 2000 |
Former names | Zee English (2000-2005) |
Links | |
Website | www |
Availability - Available on all major Indian DTH & Cables. | |
Terrestrial | |
DVB-T2 (India) | Check local frequencies |
Streaming media | |
ZEE5 | SD & HD |
Jio TV | SD & HD |
Zee Café is an Indian pay television channel owned by Zee Entertainment Enterprises. The channel mainly syndicates popular American and British television shows to appeal to the English-speaking population of India.
Zee English was launched in the Indian subcontinent on 15 March 2000, as competition to Star World. Initially free-to-air, the channel was later encrypted as part of the Zee pay-television bouquet.[4] The launch came when Zee TV started opting for digital signals to provide better signal clarity. It launched alongside Zee Movies; ZEEL had signed agreements with MGM, Pearson, Fremantle, Carlton and Passport International.[5]
The channel underwent a rebranding on 28 March 2005 and was renamed as Zee Café, along with a new logo and promotion deals.[6]
The channel's high-definition feed was launched on 23 September 2015, for a bench test in limited markets and nationwide on 21 November 2015.[7]
Zee Café launched on Sky in the United Kingdom and Ireland on 15 July 2010. The channel originally served as the Zee's network hybrid channel, used to broadcast shows from a number of its existing channels in India.[8]
On 11 September 2012, it was repositioned as a classics channel, airing re-runs of old Zee TV programming, covering cookery, dramas, horror and mythology. At the same time the channel became free-to-air.[9]
On 10 June 2013, Zee Café UK was replaced by Zee Lamhe, another free-to-air classics channel from Zee.[10]