New Delhi: Two Urdu TV channels - Al Hind and Falak - will be launched in March 2001. These will be the first Urdu channels of India. Promoted by big names in politics and business, the industry is looking at it with interest. One of the main promoters of the channel, Mr C M Ibrahim, who's a Rajya Sabha MP and former I&B and Civil Aviation Minister, told The Financial Express that the initial investment for the channels will be to the tune of Rs 100 crore.While Al Hind will be a 24-hour news and current affairs channel, Falak will be a 24-hour entertainment channel. Soon after the launch of the first two channels, Falak TV Ltd and Al Hind Ltd, the two companies launching the channels, will come up with a business channel in Urdu. Plus, there are plans to expand to other areas such as music and sports, and of course portal. All these channels will be launched by April 2002, said Mr Santosh Bhartia, CEO of the project.
Falak TV and Al Hind TV have a 20 per cent equity from a foreign partner and 80 per cent from the Indian promoters, Mr Ibrahim said. He added: ``We're in talks with three venture capitalists to raise more money.'' And, the foreign equity is coming from a media baron, says Mr Bhartia.
The promoters of the proposed channels are Mr C M Ibrahim, Rajya Sabha MP; Mr Khan Latif Khan, owner of Hyderabad-based Munsif; Mr F Khuraqi Wala, owner of Mumbai-based retail chain Akbar Ali; Mr Siraj Quereshi, owner of Rs 500-crore Hind Exports; Mr Syed Khalil, Director, Khaleej Times; and Dr Manzoor Alam, Director and Chairman, Indian Institute of Objective Studies.The US-based TBWA-Anthem has signed an MoU with Al Hind and Falak to work on the advertising for the channels. Arthur Andersen has already done a marketing survey for the channels.
According to the survey, the channels will be economically viable and the companies running the channels will be able to break even within three years of the launch.
Copyright © 2000 Indian Express Newspapers (Bombay) Ltd.