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MUMBAI
: CineMaya Media Group, Inc. has announced the launch of its
television channel, India Plus, powered by programming from
India's national broadcaster, Doordarshan India, on DirecTV.
India
Plus will take over the current Doordarshan India broadcast
on DirecTV as a new channel and seek additional distribution
on cable platforms.
Doordarshan India channel is currently available free to all
international programming subscribers on DirecTV (Channel
2025).
The
Doordarshan network has more than 25 television channels that
include entertainment, news, education, and regional channels
all over the country.
India
Plus will be the first Indian TV Network in the US to broadcast
news in Urdu, and the only channel to have news in English,
along with many Indian sub-ethnic languages including Punjabi,
Telugu, Tamil, Gujarati, and Malayalam.
A
mix of top programming selected for International audiences
from Doordarshan's 25 plus channels, including regional language
channels, will air on India Plus, with content ranging from
soap-operas, sitcoms, Bollywood films, music, current affairs,
spiritual, and cultural.
India
Plus will also air content produced in the US such as interactive
interviews involving live audiences with leading personalities
from various fields, success stories of prominent Indians,
and community related current affairs.
The
channel will also serve other South Asian groups such as the
Pakistani, Bangladeshi, and Nepali communities which are all
tied through the common bond of entertainment from the region.
The channel will also serve millions of viewers on DirecTV
who have subscribed to any WorldDirect package, making it
available to more homes than any other South Asian television
network in North America.
The
National Association of Television Program Executives held
their annual conference in January. Addressing the conference
attendees, Starcom MediaVest Group (SMG) CEO Renetta McCann
said, "SMG Multicultural research showed that spending
by multicultural groups in the US was poised to grow beyond
spending by Caucasians, and that African-Americans, Asian-Americans
and Latin Americans were likely to spend more time with programs
that struck an emotional chord with them."
CineMaya
Media Group chairman Sunil Hali stated, "The launch of
India Plus is a key element of our comprehensive and integrated
media strategy of building delivery platforms for content
about India and Indians across the world. Inspired by Rupert
Murdoch, we aim to build a media conglomerate that serves
Indians around the world through multi-platform properties
in Print, Radio, Television, and Online."
"
Our media platforms will be the voice of the Indian community,
especially outside of India. We have produced hundreds of
hours of international television content in the past decade,
and now with INDIA PLUS, we expect to build on our production
expertise through our television channel, and promote the
channel through our array of media and marketing properties
in the North American market,"added Hali.
CineMaya
Media Group recently announced the launch of DHOOM FM, the
first and only South Asian 24/7 FM station in the US, broadcasting
on 89.3FM and 100.7FM and online at www.dhoomfm.com.
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