A set of rigid pi-conjugated bis(terpyridine) macroligands with poly(epsilon-caprolactone) (pCL) on their side chains was synthesized and investigated. The introduced pCL chains gave rise to enhanced processability and film-forming properties of the materials. Blue photoluminescence with high quantum yields was observed in dilute solution and in the solid state, indicating that intermolecular aggregation of the pi-conjugated systems was effectively suppressed. The macroligands were further used for coordination with zinc(II) ions leading to new metallo-polymers with high solubility, improved film-forming behavior and promising photophysical properties with respect to potential OLED applications.