News Headline | Indian Television Dot Com

Television channel for information technology launched

Submitted by ITV Production on Jun 14, 2000

Banglore-based Technology Media Group (TMG) has launched a 24-hour information technology oriented television channel. The channel targeted at the burgeoning IT community aims to provide real-time information on the dynamic IT market in the country.
Presently the channel is on air in the analog, free-to-air mode and is uplinked from India. According to company officials, the channel will go digital at the appropriate time. The channel has been on air since its trial run started in April this year and already has a viewership base of three million homes. It expects to increase its reach to six million home by the end of next year.

As far as the programming of the channel is concerned, the Chairman of the TMG Group, Mr Subhanjan Sarkar, says that they already have 1500 hours of archival back up, and a daily production of five hours should enable it to provide the impetus.

The programming will consist of educational programmes, updates on venture funding process, news bulletins related to e-comm and dotcom happenings. For technology and content, the group has tied up with Mindtree Consulting, Santa Cruz Operation and Ma Foi Consultants.

TMG Group has also tied up with RCTC (an IFCI subsidiary), Canbank Venture Capital Funds Ltd and Gujarat Venture Finance for financial support.

National Geographic's thirst for expansion continues

Jun 13, 2000

After taking a block on the Star Plus channel for airing its programme and after starting a seven hour daily Hindi fe

National Geographic's thirst for expansion continues

Submitted by ITV Production on Jun 13, 2000

News Headline

After taking a block on the Star Plus channel for airing its programme and after starting a seven hour daily Hindi feed on its own channel, the National Geographic Channel will now be looking other ways to increase its reach in the country.

To begin with, the channel is in talks with several regional channels to carry a one hour regional language block on the regional channels. It can be noted that the channel has already started a few India specific programmes on its. But these programmes won‘t exceed 20% of the total content on the channel.

Also the channel is in talks with its parent company, National Geographic Society to get in its merchandising in India. The merchandising includes the hugely popular National Geographic Society magazines, which the group is considering to re-print in India. But all this will take at least two years.

The channel is also embarking on a aggressive promotional campaign, both on air and and off air.

It can be noted that the channel has always been proactive in increasing its reach and penetration in the country. Even when the channel was launched, it had sold the digital receivers costing Rs 31,000 at Rs 12,000 to the cable operators. An estimated 1,000 receivers were given away at the subsidised rates. But once the channel reached a sizable penetration, the subsidies were done away with.