About &TV

&TV

&TV, also known as And TV, is a Hindi-language general entertainment channel owned by Zee Entertainment Enterprises (ZEEL). Launched in India on 2 March 2015 and in the United Kingdom and Europe on 6 April 2015, it broadcasts drama series, comedy, reality shows and Bollywood films with the brand promise of binding people, ideologies and philosophies — a meaning drawn from the conjunction "&". In the UK the channel closed on 1 June 2019 following the launch of the ZEE5 streaming service, and relaunched on 11 November 2024 on Samsung TV Plus, followed by Rakuten TV on 10 March 2025. Official website: andtv.com.

Overview

&TV is positioned as a contemporary Hindi general entertainment channel (GEC) that mirrors what it calls the thinking and values of an evolved India. Its programming carries a modern touch, depicting progressiveness in the mindset of its viewers while celebrating the spirit of living with full vibrancy. The channel's slogan and identity revolve around the ampersand symbol, representing excellence and the binding together of people, ideologies and philosophies.

The channel broadcasts in Hindi in 1080i high definition (downscaled to letterboxed 576i for the standard-definition feed) and operates a timeshift service, &TV +1. Its associated movie channel, &pictures, extends the "&" brand into Hindi cinema.

History and launch

&TV was launched as a general entertainment channel from the ZEEL group, beginning broadcasts on 2 March 2015 in India and the Middle East. The UK and European launch followed on 6 April 2015, when &TV replaced the channel Lamhe on the Sky platform.

The UK launch was staged as a gala event attended by Bollywood star Shah Rukh Khan alongside Zee Entertainment Enterprises managing director and CEO Punit Goenka. Zee Network Europe chief executive Neeraj Dhingra described the network as a pioneering one that prided itself on excellent entertainment, calling &TV unique in the market with its top-quality shows and positioning the channel as the destination for full South Asian entertainment.

In July 2015, a few months after the UK launch, ZEEL launched the high-definition version of the channel in Britain as a free-to-air service — making &TV the first South Asian channel to offer an HD service for free on the Sky platform. At the time it was available on Sky EPG 795.

Ownership

&TV is owned by Zee Entertainment Enterprises Limited (ZEEL), one of the largest producers and aggregators of Hindi and other South Asian regional-language programming in the world. Zee Network UK was the first South Asian entertainment network to be launched in the United Kingdom, building a 15-year presence in the region by the time &TV arrived. Its UK portfolio has included Zee TV, the leading South Asian entertainment channel in the UK and Europe; Zee Cinema, a 24-hour Bollywood movie channel; Zee Punjabi, offering daily live discourses from the Golden Temple alongside drama, music, comedy and news; and Zing, a music and lifestyle channel.

UK launch and HD milestone

The launch of &TV HD in the UK in July 2015 was a notable industry milestone. It was the first and only South Asian entertainment channel to offer its full range of shows in full HD at no extra cost to Sky viewers. Zee Network Europe positioned the move as part of a strategy to engage and connect with South Asian viewers in Britain and provide a viewing experience that no competitor was offering. The HD launch was promoted alongside a slate of Bollywood blockbusters for the channel's weekend specials, including titles such as Chennai Express and Main Tera Hero.

Programming

At launch, &TV's fiction line-up included the drama Gangaa, the comedy Bhabhiji Ghar Par Hai, the historical drama Razia Sultan, the action drama Begusarai and the love story Badi Devraani. Its non-fiction offering was headlined by the music reality series The Voice – India, with judges Shaan, Sunidhi Chauhan, Himesh Reshammiya and Mika Singh. The channel's schedule combines daily soaps and dramas with comedy, reality and talent formats and Bollywood film premieres, aimed at family audiences across the South Asian diaspora.

Closure in the UK (2019)

On 1 June 2019, &TV was closed in the United Kingdom. The closure was linked to the launch of ZEE5, Zee's global streaming platform, as the company shifted its international distribution strategy toward on-demand services. The channel's Indian and international feeds continued to broadcast in India, the Middle East and other markets via DTH and cable platforms.

Relaunch (2024–2025)

On 11 November 2024, &TV relaunched in the United Kingdom on Samsung TV Plus, the free ad-supported streaming television (FAST) platform available on Samsung smart TVs. The relaunch was extended on 10 March 2025 with availability on Rakuten TV, marking the channel's return to British screens as a free streaming service rather than a pay satellite channel. The revival restored the &TV brand to UK audiences after a five-and-a-half-year absence.

International expansion

Beyond India, the Middle East and the UK, &TV expanded to the United States on 31 August 2016, when a landmark agreement between Sling TV and Dish brought the channel to American viewers. The channel's broadcast area is listed as worldwide, with availability on all major Indian DTH and cable platforms, terrestrial distribution via DVB-T2 in India (subject to local frequencies), and streaming through ZEE5 and Jio TV. The staggered rollout — India and the Middle East in March 2015, the UK and Europe in April 2015, and the USA in August 2016 — reflected Zee's strategy of building the "&" brand market by market across the diaspora.

Brand identity

The channel's identity is built entirely around the ampersand. Derived from the conjunction "&", the brand stands for binding people, ideologies and philosophies, and the channel's presentation — from its logo, refreshed in 2025, to its on-air packaging — uses the symbol as its central motif. The name is commonly rendered as "&TV" and spoken as "And TV". Zee positioned the brand as representing excellence and mirroring the thinking and values of an evolved India, with shows given a contemporary touch that depicted progressiveness in viewers' mindsets.

Associated channels and the Zee network in the UK

&pictures is the Hindi satellite movie channel of the "&" brand family, launched on 18 August 2013 and based in Mumbai. It was the first channel launched by Zee Entertainment Enterprises under the new "&" brand identity. A premium HD-only movie channel, &Xplor HD, was added on 18 July 2019, initially on Airtel Digital TV and later on Tata Play, focusing on critically acclaimed and arthouse Bollywood films.

Zee's presence in Britain long predates &TV. Zee Network UK was the first South Asian entertainment network launched in the country, offering a blend of localised and innovative Hindi programming and what it described as the world's largest Hindi film library, with English and French subtitle options. Its channels have historically been carried on Sky and Virgin Media — Zee TV, Zee Cinema, Zee Punjabi and the free-to-air music channel Zing — giving the network one of the broadest South Asian footprints of any broadcaster in the UK.

Digital and streaming

&TV's programming is available on demand through ZEE5 and Jio TV in SD and HD, alongside its linear feeds. In the UK, the relaunched channel is distributed via Samsung TV Plus and Rakuten TV as a free streaming service. The channel maintains an online presence through its official website and the wider Zee digital ecosystem.