ITV

Tag: MetroNation Chennai

  • NDTV eyes investor in MetroNation Chennai

    NDTV eyes investor in MetroNation Chennai

    MUMBAI: NDTV Ltd. is planning to induct strategic investors in its loss-making joint venture company, MetroNation Chennai Television Limited, that operates a news cum infotainment channel.

    MetroNation Chennai Television also plans to increase the Tamil content on the channel.

    “We are considering getting strategic investment in MetroNation Chennai Television. We are looking at raising equity capital. We are also going to increase the Tamil content in the channel,” said NDTV Group chief executive officer KVL Narayan Rao.

    MetroNation Chennai, where NDTV holds 51 per cent and Kasturi and Sons (Hindu Group) the balance 49 per cent, has incurred accumulated losses amounting to Rs 275.1 million.  
         
    The company has investment, loans and receivable aggregating Rs. 208.7 million (corresponding previous period Rs. 112.5 million and previous year Rs 1,47 million).

    Pending finalisation of the strategic options including getting in investors, NDTV has carried the investment, loans and receivable at book values since the management expects to be able to realise these assets in full.

    Rao, however, refused to reveal what capital the JV company was looking to raise and who likely would be the potential investor.

    MetroNation Chennai was launched in 2009.
     

  • NDTV to launch MetroNation Chennai on 16 May

    NDTV to launch MetroNation Chennai on 16 May

    MUMBAI: The recession may have sucked profitability out of NDTV Ltd, but it has not stopped the Prannoy Roy-promoted company to go ahead with the launch of MetroNation Chennai with The Hindu Group as a joint venture partner.

    The channel will, after much delay, finally launch on 16 May. Says NDTV MetroNation CEO Rajiv Lulla, “MetroNation Chennai had a soft launch on 5 May. We will officially launch the channel on 16 May.”

    NDTV has signed up with several multi-system operators (MSOs) including SCV and Hathway Cable & Datacom to distribute the channel. Says Lulla, “We are in talks to make the channel available on Sun Direct and Tata Sky as well.”

    As for the content, the channel will have seven and half hours of live news during prime time. Features like I Spy With My Digital Eye, Worked Out Victim, Unclocking Life and Big Pic will take up the remaining hours.

    MetroNation Chennai has 118 employees and hopes to capitalise on the brand strengths of The Hindu and NDTV.

    Meanwhile, MetroNation Delhi, which has frozen fresh content, is readying for a revival. “We will be reviving MetroNation Delhi by end of July. It is by then that we will start hiring for the channel once again,” avers Lulla.

    The channel has stopped live broadcast of news completely and is airing old shows. Says Lulla, “While it is true that there is no fresh content on MetroNation Delhi, we are still running news tickers.”

  • NDTV plans to launch MetroNation Chennai in April

    NDTV plans to launch MetroNation Chennai in April

    NEW DELHI: NDTV is readying for the launch of MetroNation Chennai in April while cutting costs in MetroNation Delhi to keep losses in check amid an economic downturn.

    Jennifer Arul is the managing editor of the channel. “We have already hired about 100 people and will be launching MetroNation Chennai in April,” says NDTV MetroNation CEO Rajiv Lulla.

    As reported first in Indiantelevision.com, NDTV will launch the Chennai city-centric channel through a joint venture company with the Hindu Group where it will hold 51 per cent stake.

    So what led to the delay when the channel was supposed to launch last year? “There were licence issues and it took us time arranging for everything,” says Lulla.

    Meanwhile, NDTV has scaled down the operations of MetroNation Delhi by axing jobs and reducing fresh programming on the city-specific channel for Delhi and the National Capital Region (NCR). The channel has converted its mobile studio, ‘The Metronation Bus,’ into a mobile election studio to be used by the two sister news channels, NDTV 24X7 and NDTV India.

    “MetroNation is a resilient and nimble channel. We are cutting costs and will hire people when the time is right,” says Lulla.