he much-awaited second general entertainment channel (GEC) from the Essel Group is ready for launch. Zee Network was among the first channels to announce a second foray in the general entertainment space. That was a time when names such as NDTV Imagine, UTV Bindass and 9X weren�t as familiar. �It took us 18 months to launch Zee Next. When we started work on it, the new players were not around,� says Punit Goenka, business head, Zee Next.

Who is the target audience? Says Goenka, �We will be targetting the masses.� It is learnt that the initiators of the channel would be the younger audiences in the age group of 15-35 years, but largely, it will be a family channel. Despite its mass appeal, it hopes to bridge the generation gap and provide refreshing entertainment. ... more