Chello Zone adds strings to CEE bow

Multi-channel operator Chello Zone has secured a new Eastern European platform for its Zone Romantica channel, and has renewed several carriage deals in the Central and Eastern Europe (CEE) region.

Female-skewing fiction channel Zone Romantica is set to launch in Poland on satellite platform Cyfra+, increasing the channel’s footprint by a further million subscribers.

Rival Polish satellite provider Polsat, meanwhile, has signed a three-year renewal deal for a package comprising Zone Romantica, Zone Club, Zone Reality and Zone Europa.

Elsewhere in Eastern Europe, Russian satcaster NTV-Plus has renewed its licence for Zone Reality, Zone Romantica, Extreme Sports and Zone Club. The platform added JimJam, a joint venture between Chello Zone’s parent Zone Media and producer Hit Entertainment, to its channel offerings last month.

“The CEE continues to represent a vital market for us,” said Louise Cottrell, Chello Zone’s VP for affiliate sales. “As the region grows and develops, audiences across CEE have come to expect a higher level of quality and a wider variation of content than ever before.”