Zee Uttar Pradesh Uttarakhand

About Zee Uttar Pradesh Uttarakhand

Zee Uttar Pradesh Uttarakhand is a Hindi-language regional news channel owned by Zee Media Corporation Limited, serving the states of Uttar Pradesh and Uttarakhand. The channel in its present form was launched on 20 December 2017 at a ceremony in Lucknow attended by the chief ministers of both states, but its lineage stretches back to 2007, when it began as Zee News Uttar Pradesh/Uttarakhand. After passing through several identities — including Zee Sangam, India 24x7 and Zee Hindustan — it was relaunched as a dedicated Uttar Pradesh and Uttarakhand news service, and it has since become one of the leading regional news channels of the Hindi heartland. Its official website is zeeupuk.com.

History

The channel's history began in 2007, when Zee Media launched it as Zee News Uttar Pradesh/Uttarakhand, a regional news service for India's most populous state and its Himalayan neighbour. In 2013 it was renamed Zee Uttar Pradesh Uttarakhand, and in 2014 it was rebranded as Zee Sangam, still focused on the two states. In 2014 the channel moved from the TEN sub-brand of Zee Entertainment to Zee Media Corporation and adopted a complete news content format.

A significant turn came in October 2015, when Zee Media relaunched Zee Sangam as India 24x7, converting the regional service into a national Hindi free-to-air channel modelled on the concept of "terrestrial entertainment", with hybrid content ranging from news to entertainment. The national channel, helmed by channel editor Vasindra Mishra, commenced operations on 24 October 2015 with an inventory of 12 minutes of advertising per hour and a stated philosophy of choosing "jankari" (information) over sensationalism. In May 2017, India 24x7 was rebranded again as Zee Hindustan, positioned as a nationalist news channel under the leadership of Jagdish Chandra, then executive director and CEO of Zee Media's regional channels, with a focus on the news of the states rather than the national capital.

The 2017 Relaunch

On 20 December 2017, the Zee Media group launched the Zee Uttar Pradesh Uttarakhand television news channel in its present dedicated regional form at a grand ceremony at the Taj Vivanta hotel in Lucknow. The chief guest was Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath, and the dais included Uttarakhand Chief Minister Trivendra Singh Rawat, yoga guru Baba Ramdev — who joined the programme from Haridwar — Rajya Sabha MP Subhash Chandra, Uttar Pradesh Deputy Chief Ministers Keshav Prasad Maurya and Dinesh Sharma, former Uttar Pradesh chief minister and Samajwadi Party chief Akhilesh Yadav, and Rajya Sabha MPs Amar Singh and Vivek Tankha.

Speaking on the occasion, Yogi Adityanath said the Zee Media group had highlighted key national issues from time to time and expressed the hope that the new channel would provide correct and unbiased news to the 25 crore people of Uttar Pradesh and Uttarakhand. Trivendra Singh Rawat congratulated the Zee Media group and presented the development roadmap his government had prepared for Uttarakhand. The presence of leaders across party lines at the launch underlined the channel's ambition to be the definitive news voice of the two states.

Ownership and Network

Zee Uttar Pradesh Uttarakhand is owned and operated by Zee Media Corporation Limited (ZMCL), the news broadcasting arm of the Essel Group. ZMCL's portfolio includes the national Hindi news channel Zee News, Zee Business, the English news channel WION, and a network of regional news channels spanning Zee Delhi NCR Haryana, Zee Punjab Haryana Himachal, Zee Bihar Jharkhand, Zee Rajasthan, Zee Madhya Pradesh Chhattisgarh and Zee J&K Ladakh, alongside the Urdu service Salaam TV.

Within this portfolio, the Uttar Pradesh-Uttarakhand channel is one of the network's most important regional properties, serving a combined population of around 25 crore people across India's largest state and one of its most politically significant hill states. The channel benefits from the group's national news-gathering infrastructure while maintaining dedicated editorial teams for the two states.

Programming and Shows

The channel broadcasts round-the-clock Hindi news focused on Uttar Pradesh and Uttarakhand, with rolling coverage through the day and branded programming in the morning and prime-time bands. Its schedule covers state politics, governance, crime, agriculture, education, culture and civic issues, reflecting the concerns of the Hindi heartland audience it serves.

Election coverage has been a particular strength, given that Uttar Pradesh — with 80 Lok Sabha seats, the largest of any state — is the centre of gravity of Indian electoral politics. The channel mounts extensive on-ground coverage of assembly and general elections, municipal polls and panchayat elections in both states, alongside sustained reporting on governance and development issues in the hill districts of Uttarakhand.

Visual Identity

The channel has refreshed its on-air look several times since the 2017 relaunch. In November 2023, Zee Uttar Pradesh Uttarakhand elevated its viewer experience with what the network described as a fresh, clutter-free visual makeover, presenting the channel — known in network shorthand as Zee UPUK — as one that resonates with the heartbeats of the culturally rich states of Uttar Pradesh and Uttarakhand.

The makeover was part of Zee Media's broader programme of visual updates across its regional channels, aimed at modernising the on-air presentation while retaining the Zee news brand identity. The channel's graphics, studio design and packaging were updated to deliver a cleaner viewing experience in line with contemporary news presentation standards.

Reach and Distribution

Zee Uttar Pradesh Uttarakhand is distributed as a linear television channel across direct-to-home and cable platforms throughout its coverage region and nationally. Its carriage on the major DTH platforms gives it reach into urban and rural households across Uttar Pradesh and Uttarakhand, the two states that form its core market.

The channel's distribution benefits from Zee Media's long-standing relationships with platform operators, built over the network's decades in the news business. As a free-to-air or widely carried basic-tier service, it reaches the mass Hindi-speaking audience of the heartland, including the small towns and rural areas that are central to its editorial focus.

Digital Presence

The channel's digital home is zeeupuk.com, where it publishes regional news from Uttar Pradesh and Uttarakhand and streams its broadcast. The website is part of the wider Zee News digital network, which ranks among India's most-visited news destinations, and it carries text, video and live coverage tailored to the two states.

The channel is also available on Zee5, Zee's streaming platform, which carries its live feed alongside the network's other channels. On social media, the channel distributes clips, breaking news and programme highlights, extending its reach to mobile-first audiences in the region.

Editorial Identity

Since its relaunch, Zee Uttar Pradesh Uttarakhand has positioned itself as the voice of the Hindi heartland, with an editorial focus on the governance, politics and everyday concerns of the two states. The launch promise articulated by Yogi Adityanath — correct and unbiased news for 25 crore people — has remained the channel's public benchmark, and its coverage has consistently emphasised on-ground reporting from the districts of Uttar Pradesh and the hill regions of Uttarakhand.

The channel's identity draws on the cultural richness of its coverage area, from the pilgrimage centres of Uttarakhand and the religious heritage of Ayodhya, Varanasi and Mathura to the political battlegrounds of western and eastern Uttar Pradesh. This rootedness in the region's culture and politics distinguishes it from the national Hindi channels that cover the states episodically.

Headquarters and Operations

The channel's broadcast operations are run from Noida, Uttar Pradesh, where Zee Media's news infrastructure is concentrated, with the launch ceremony held in Lucknow, the capital of Uttar Pradesh. The network maintains bureaus and correspondents across both states, enabling the district-level coverage on which the channel's regional identity depends.

As part of Zee Media Corporation, the channel shares the group's technology, distribution and support functions while operating a dedicated newsroom for Uttar Pradesh and Uttarakhand. The combination of centralised broadcast infrastructure and a dispersed reporting network underpins its position as one of the leading regional news channels of northern India.