(18 August 2005 1:00 pm)

MUMBAI: Sahara India Mass Communication Ltd will unveil its Hindi movie channel Filmy on 25 October. With the entry that coincides with Diwali, Sahara One expects to cash-in on the festival spirit.

Says Sahara One CEO Shantonu Aditya, "Our new channel Filmy is getting ready and will be launched end-October, just before Diwali. Filmy will present a whole new world of Bollywood entertainment with the best movies and innovative programming, all presented in a unique and engrossing style."

Filmy expects to capitalise on the strong position Sahara One Motion Pictures enjoys in the Hindi movie market as a producer and distributor. According to an official release, the company has over 40 movie projects in hand, of which more than 20 are on the floor. The network also claims to have developed a strong movie library by being in the business.

"We plan to put our leadership position in the Motion Pictures business and our strengths in the GEC Television arena to good use. The core team of Filmy is crafting out the channel personality, programming, look and feel, and we are extremely excited about the way things are shaping up for the new channel," Aditya says.

"We have an excellent team in place for Filmy. It is led by business head Ashutosh, head of marketing and content Shailesh Kapoor, head of On-Air Promotions Mukul Misra, and head of PR & Publicity for all businesses of Sahara One - Pavan R Chawla," Aditya adds.

Greeting Filmy in television's Hindi movie space would be an unusually charged up atmosphere. While Zee Cinema maintains its strong position in the market, Star India has re-launched its Hindi movie channel Star Gold. As reported by indiantelevision, Set Max would be relying on the upcoming ICC Super Series and the festival season that follows to strengthen its position.

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