MUMBAI: Sahara India Mass Communications, which manages a bouquet of news channels, is proposing to launch an Urdu news and information channel. The probable launch date: 15 August 2006, Indian Independence Day.

The 24-hour Urdu news and information channel is targeted at the100 million plus Urdu-speaking denizens spread out in various states all over India. The channel will be headed by Dr Aziz Burny who is also the editor of the Sahara Urdu daily - Roznama Rashtriya Sahara.

Speaking to Indiantelevision.com, Burny said: “The channel's name has not been finalised as yet. As of now, we are toying with a name like Urdu Sahara. We are in the process of finalising the team. We hope to launch the channel by 15 August, once all the logistics are in place.”

There is just one major player - the Hyderabad based Enadu TV - which runs a 24-hour Urdu channel called ETV Urdu. This product airs lot of Hindi movies, which have Muslim backdrop as storylines, apart from some news bulletins.

Last year, pubcaster Prasar Bharati also announced that it would launch an Urdu TV service.

Urdu Sahara will be entering a space that has been rough for players in the past. UTN and Falak TV are some of the Urdu news & infotainment channels, which were announced but ended up in the graveyard.