SABGroup, Pantel Technologies to create over 20 FTA channels

Sri Adhikari Brothers (SABGroup) today said it has partnered Pantel Technologies that recently acquired Reliance BIG TV to jointly create a bouquet of over 20 free-to-air channels (FTA) across entertainment, kids, infotainment, mythological, movies and music genres.
The free-to-air channels will be available on cable and broadcast television service providers, including the other direct to home operators.
"With technological capabilities of Pantel Technologies, our dream to provide the right mix of content to the entire nation will be fulfilled," SABGroup Managing Director Markand Adhikari said in a statement.
The FTA channels have been registering a strong growth in TV viewership, since the rating agency Broadcast Audience Research Council started reporting rural data in late 2015, leading to increased interest from advertisers.

The FTA ad market was pegged at Rs 400-Rs 500 crore in 2016 and is expected to grow to Rs 800-Rs 1,000 crore by 2017, according ton an ICICI Securities report.
"Our main aim is to develop the entertainment appetite of the rural market and create an alternative India," Pantel Technologies Chairman and Managing Director Vijendra Singh said.
"With our coalition with SABGroup, we will bring in together our technological proficiency and their content expertise thereby enabling us to provide good content for the rural India," he said.