The Early Days

Chris Wronski, the founding shareholder and Chairman, came to London in 1981. Chris' background and broadcasting experience allowed him to capitalize on emerging opportunities in the former communist bloc. He began providing satellite links to supply coverage of major western music, award and sport events to Central and Eastern European state terrestrial TV.

In 1991, Wronski formed Zonevision (currently Chello Zone; formerly Zonemedia) and began acquiring and packaging programme licenses from Western Europe for broadcasting organizations in Eastern and Central Europe. In 1992, Wronski was joined by Chris Sharp. Sharp brought extensive experience in the sale of programming and, today, oversees and manages all programming, scheduling and on air for Zonevision’s own branded channels.

Incorporation & Diversification

In October 1994, the business was incorporated as "Zonevision Limited" and, with the events market stagnating, the company concentrated its focus on programme sales to existing customers.

Recognizing another market niche, the Company began 'channel representation' for international satellite and cable channels wishing to break into Central and Eastern Europe. Following a landmark deal with MTV, Discovery, Eurosport, Hallmark and the BBC all took up representation by Zonevision in specified countries.

As both programme sales and channel distribution grew, offices were opened in capital cities around the world - London, Warsaw, Budapest, Moscow, Prague, Sofia, Kiev, Zagreb, Jerusalem, Luxembourg, Amsterdam, Istanbul and most recently Buenos Aires and Singapore.

Throughout 1995, Zonemedia continued introducing cable channels into local markets. The need for localized versions of these channels was identified and Zonemedia began to offer translation, dubbing and voice-over facilities locally at studios across Europe.

During a period of rapid expansion, Dermot Shortt joined Zonevision as CEO in January 2002, bringing with him unrivalled expertise in channel operations.

Since its beginnings, Zonevision has enjoyed spectacular growth of its popular Zone Reality (formerly Reality TV) channel across the globe. Zone Reality crosses national and cultural boundaries, providing entertainment, amazement, thrills and spills 24/7. The channel broadcasts across all continents and can now be seen on all three cable and satellite platforms in the UK.

In 2006, the company and its brands were rebranded under Zonemedia. The Company is 90% owned by chellomedia, a division of Liberty Global, Inc. (NASDAQ: LBTYA, LBTYB, LBTYK). Liberty Global is the leading international cable operator offering advanced video, voice, and Internet-access services to connect our customers to the world of information, communications and entertainment. As of June 30, 2006, Liberty Global operated state-of-the-art broadband communications networks that served approximately 13 million customers in 17 countries (excluding France) principally located in Europe, Japan, Chile, and Australia. Liberty Global's operations also include significant media and programming businesses such as Jupiter TV in Japan and chellomedia in Europe.

In October 2007 the company rebranded as Chello Zone.