For starters, it will have a four hour block of programming repeated through the day. This will go up to eight hours of original content over time and the ultimate aim is to become a 24-hour free-to-air channel.

Says Saraf: "We will have home shopping

Award-winning sports journalist Eric Young has joined Sportsline, ESPN STAR Sports‘ (ESS) daily sports news programme.

Sportsline, which was launched in September 2000, is broadcast on the STAR Sports India network.

The New Zealand-born journalist is a veteran of sports reporting, with more than 20 years experience in radio, print and television. He has been both the New Zealand Sports Writer of the Year and the New Zealand Sports Broadcaster of the Year, according to a press release issued on Thursday.

Eric Young‘s appointment boosts the strength of the Sportsline team: he joins veteran ESS presenter John Dykes and former Indian national squash player Misha Grewel to present viewers with the latest international and regional sporting news from an Indian perspective. The programme is broadcast live three times a day.