Zee names English news channel WION


Details

Rebecca Hawkes

| 16 March 2016




Zee Media’s new global English news channel, set for launch this summer, will be called WION, or World is One News.



The channel will launch as an over-the-top (OTT) digital platform and later be available as an international television channel. Its online content will be available to audiences on-demand, on their preferred screens.

“With WION, we will meet the aspirations of two billion South Asians by delivering a global news network reflecting a South Asian world perspective. It’s high time for South Asian reporting from front lines, war zones and prominent global capitals,” said Rohit Gandhi, editor-in chief, English news broadcast, Zee Media.

“While a TV channel is the face of this mobile-first start-up, our news-gathering, reporting, production and publishing processes are an ambitious leap into a multiscreen future. We aim to disrupt conventional ways of thinking about news and set a new template for storytelling across platforms,” he added.

WION will have bureaus around the world, with news-gathering teams equipped with mobile technology for an ‘anytime anywhere’ approach to live broadcasting.

“WION will look to offer a seamless experience to empower, educate and energise our discerning viewers. Inspired by the group’s motto ‘Vasudhaiva Kutumbakam – The World is My Family’, WION aptly stands for World is One News and will give a global view of the world with a South Asian lens,” said Subhash Chandra, chairman, Essel Group and Zee Entertainment Enterprises Ltd.