MUMBAI: The "dry run" has proved a success. Now Dr Prannoy Roy's New Delhi Television Ltd is plunging the whole hog into the business news space. NDTV today made an application to the information and broadcasting ministry for uplinking permission for a business news channel.

Attempts by indiantelevision.com to contact senior executives in NDTV regarding the developments proved futile till the time of filing this report. However, industry sources aver that NDTV's business channel is expected to start beaming within the next three to six months.

While speculation has been rife in the industry for a while now that NDTV was seriously considering launching a business news channel, what might well have clinched the issue is the success NDTV 24x7's new programming initiative "9-4 Business & News" has enjoyed. With "9-4 Business & News", almost the whole day part of NDTV 24x7 is devoted to business related news and talk shows. With the rave response that this slot got, NDTV 24x7 asserts it is now neck and neck with market leader CNBC -TV18.

Information available with indiantelevision.com indicates that the NDTV business channel's differentiating pitch will be that it covers a far wider canvas than the focus on stock markets that CNBC-TV18 is still perceived as having.