Subhash Chandra to invest $250 mn for content in US

Fund for development, production & acquisition of high quality, multimedia Health and Wellness programming as network prepares for January 2012 Re-Branding

BestMediaInfo Bureau | Delhi | November 18, 2011

Subhash Chandra, Chairman of ZEE Group, today announced the creation of a $250 million (U.S.) content development, production, co-production and acquisition fund that will benefit Veria Living (www.veria.com), a network devoted to showcasing wellness programming and related content across multiple media platforms.

The New York-headquartered Veria Living television network is available throughout the U.S. to DISH Network, Verizon FiOS and Frontier Communications subscribers.  Veria Living offers the world's largest line-up of first-run, original programming – connecting viewers in a contemporary and accessible manner to the benefits and joys of living a healthy lifestyle.

Veria.com complements the network by extending the Veria Living philosophy through online recipes and nutrition, holistic health tips, body-mind conditioning and all-natural products.  Embracing its mission, Veria Living passionately advocates for quality and vitality of life.

Noted Chandra, the establishment of the $250 million fund is yet another step in ZEE Groups' strategic five-year plan to further expand Veria Living's presence in the U.S. and beyond as the go-to-source for all things health and wellness.  Said Chandra, “We are firmly committed to growing the Veria brand across television, Internet, mobile and OTT platforms.  By focusing on original content development and production we're not only looking to build a broad U.S. audience for Veria Living, but also setting the table for the expansion of the brand globally over the next couple of years.”

The news comes on the heels of Veria's recent announcement regarding its new primetime programming line-up, launch of its new comprehensive website (www.Veria.com) and rebranding as Veria Living scheduled for a January 2012 premiere.  The new primetime line-up will include programming featuring such well-known celebrity talent as international recording artist Jewel (hosting the new season of The Incurables) and NFL Hall of Fame inductee Deion Sanders (hosting new series Sports Dads), a new reality series to be hosted by yogic master, international author and former high-fashion supermodel, Yogi Cameron who applies Ayurvedic practices and yogic principles to individuals with a variety of health issues, to name a few. The network also recently unveiled a new lifecycle logo combining Eastern influence with Western design (sunshine yellow and tangerine orange) and its new tagline — “Go Well”.

Veria Living, as well as its Zee TV suite of Indian language channels, are managed in the U.S. by Asia TV USA Ltd. and overseen by its CEO Suresh Bala Iyer.  Remarked Iyer, “We not only want to appeal to our core 35-44 Adult and 25-54 Women demos, but to all Americans who are looking to lead healthier lives.  Veria Living helps them to achieve this by passionately advocating for quality and vitality of life by following proven wellness and nutritional activities. This fund will go a long way towards helping us to achieve our goals while creating the most entertaining content possible that fits our mission.”

Chandra, who founded Veria as way to promote wellness to the West, was in New York to receive the 2011 International Emmy® Directorate Award.  Wellness is a topic of personal interest to the health conscious Chandra is a regular Vipassana practitioner who also works out for 50-minutes each morning. While in New York, Chandra also addressed the burgeoning opportunity in the U.S. for South Asian media content.  He noted, “We have experienced strong consumer support for Zee TV in the States.  In the New York metro area alone, viewers watch the channel for nearly one hour daily, Monday-Friday in the primetime period (per Nielsen).”

Info@BestMediaInfo.com

Info@BestMediaInfo.com