ITV

Tag: UP news channel

  • UP news channel Jan Sandesh launches

    UP news channel Jan Sandesh launches

    MUMBAI: Uttar Pradesh is emerging as the hot bed for news channels ahead of elections. Jan Sandesh is the latest to launch, aiming to garner local audiences in this politically active market.

    Headquartered in a fully equipped studio in Film City, Noida, the channel will rely on its four OB-Vans, 11 bureaus and 75 stringers across Uttar Pradesh for news.

    The channel has the tag line “Apna Pradesh, Apna Desh.” The programming line-up includes Good Morning UP and shows based on health, food, film, travel, astrology, devotional, women’s special, children, youth and career, comedy and variety.

    “We have launched the channel and are available on cable networks across the state except on DEN. Soon we will expand this reach to MP, Punjab, Delhi, Rajasthan and other places where there is a sizeable UP population,” says Deepak Bajaj, the channel head of Jan Sandesh.

    The channel has roped in Girish Juneja as executive editor for news and programming. He moves in from CNEB news channel where he was creative and programming head.

    Sahara is the only player which runs a local news channel in UP. Zee is also planing to soon launch a regional channel in UP.

  • Zee News to invest $5 mn in UP news channel

    Zee News to invest $5 mn in UP news channel

    MUMBAI: Zee News Limited (ZNL) will invest $5 million in its news channel for Uttar Pradesh, a market where only Sahara operates.

    Zee 24 Ghante plans to launch by the end of the fiscal. “We are investing $5 million in the channel. We aim to break even in 18-24 months as the marketplace has just Sahara which makes around $4 million,” a senior executive in the company said.

    ZNL expects to suffer a loss of Rs 700 million from new businesses during the fiscal. For the first half of the year, the company has already incurred losses of Rs 280 million. While the newly-launched Tamil general entertainment channel, Zee Tamizh, booked a loss of Rs 50 million in the quarter, this is expected to go up in the subsequent quarters as the investments climb.

    “We are in talks with SCV, Sun Group’s cable TV company, for carriage of our channel. The distribution costs would go up as we aggressively push the channel,” the source added.

    Zee Telugu, the Telugu GEC, has broken even and plans are afoot to launch Telugu news channel Zee 24 Ghantalu in November. ZNL is also looking at innovative strategic investments to further expand the business in regional markets.

    Marathi movie channel Zee Talkies, which has been transferred from Zee Entertainment Enterprises Ltd to ZNL from 1 August, is close to break even. “We are not revising our loss guidance from new businesses despite adding a few new channels during the fiscal,” the source said.

    Zee News posted a consolidated net profit of Rs 114.7 million for the quarter ended 30 September 2008, up 104.4 per cent from Rs 56.1 million in the previous year. Revenue jumped 60 per cent to stand at Rs 1.27 billion as compared to Rs 798.1 million in the prior year.