ADAG to roll out 20 television channels by 2009

With an eye on growing entertainment and media industry, Anil Dhirubhai Ambani Group (ADAG) plans to roll out 20 television channels by the middle of the next year.

The new channels would further add to the bouquet of services offered by newly launched DTH platform by Reliance Big TV Ltd, a wholly-owned subsidiary of Reliance Communications Ltd.

Big Broadcasting, another company from ADAG stable, will be airing the 20 TV channels.

"The group has already received 20 licences for TV channels. The first channel is likely to be launched within next three to six months and rest are planned to be rolled out by the middle of the next year," Reliance Communications' head (brand and marketing) Sanjay Behl said today on the launch of Reliance Big TV Ltd's DTH service-Big TV DTH- in Ahmedabad.

The 20 channels will also include entertainment channels in English, Hindi and other regional languages such as Marathi and Gujarati, he added. Reliance Big TV Ltd has announced that its DTH service will beam 32 movie channels in English, Hindi and regional languages exclusively for its DTH customers.

However, Big Broadcasting Ltd's 20 television channels would be in line with existing popular entertainment and news channels and cable operators would also be able to air them.

There is a tremendous business potential in Indian entertainment and media industry as the size of the industry is estimated to increase from Rs. 50,000 crore in 2007 to Rs. 155,000 crore by the year 2012.

At present 440 channels are aired in India and 100 more are expected to be added in time to come, Behl added.