NDTV Imagine, one of the newest Indian entertainment channels, launched its free-to-air hindi family programmes targeted at Asian diaspora in the Middle East and North Africa, from midnight on Thursday, June 19. The channel was launched in January this year in India and the UK.
It will reach about 100 million homes in the region through Nile Sat and Pehla's Channel Number 61. “We are also in talks with e-vision and satellite service provider du for beaming our programmes,'' Sameer Nair, CEO of NDTV Imagine, said at a press conference at the Raffles Hotel here. NDTV Imagine is the second product offering in the Middle East of the New Delhi based NDTV Group after the launch of NDTV Arabia in October 2007.
Replying to questions, Nair said catering to Arab audience was “not an immediate concern'' and the focus was on expatriates from the Asian sub-continent, mainly Indians and Pakistanis, who comprise around 10 million in the Gulf countries. Arab interest was in Hindi films and not so much on soaps and drama serials, he explained.
He said it was planned to air a show biz programme from mid-July on the business, glamour and gossip of Bollywood. A big game show like ‘Kaun Banega Crorepati'' (KBC), a hugely successful concept of a quiz show in India, was also on the cards, he added.
Karan Johar, ace Indian film director and host of celebrity ‘Koffee with Karan' talkshow, is the creative consultant and brand ambassador of NDTV Imagine. He spoke of plans to host another show which would have a totally new style format, possibly with a live audience. The show with Bollywood elements, would be aired sometime next year.
