MUMBAI: Media Content and Communications Services India Pvt. Ltd. (MCCS), a joint venture between ABP TV and the Star Group, today announced its plans to launch a 24-hour Bengali news channel.
MCCS at present broadcasts Star News. The new Bengali channel will be headquartered in Kolkata with an extensive bureau network across the rest of West Bengal and India.
An official release informed that with the Eastern region of India witnessing resurgence and gaining importance with many large organisations from various sectors like IT, retail, manufacturing, services etc., the launch of a specialised news channel of this nature is a natural requirement for the region.
Equipped with a strong technical and editorial team, with Suman Chattopadhyay as executive producer, the channel will cover local, national and international news in Bengali.
Commenting on the occasion, Star News CEO Uday Shankar said, "The main rationale behind the news channel is to reach out to the fast growing population of news consuming Bengalis. In emerging markets that are culturally rooted like Kolkata, there is a need for a dedicated channel that can offer high quality news coverage along with views and analysis in the regional language."
"ABP is the oldest and most respected journalistic brand in the East of India. It has played a significant role in the development of West Bengal and has been at the forefront in providing relevant news and information to the people of Bengal. In keeping pace with the times, we need to strengthen our bond with the audience through the electronic mediums of communication and journalism," said ABP managing director Aniruddha Lahiri.
On the other hand, Star India CEO Peter Mukerjea commented, "Within a short span of 18 months Star News in Hindi has become a valuable news source in India and across important global NRI markets that is relevant to India today. The launch of this regional language channel expands our portfolio of news services. I am sure it will drive the growth of regional language TV further propelling the penetration of television in the country."
The program offerings for the Bengali news channel will cater to the distinctive needs of the regional audiences while incorporating formats that will find appeal with the Bengali Diaspora. The channel will connect with its viewers by providing news across genres including political, business, culture, crime, entertainment and social events, on a local, national and international level, in real-time basis.
