The Rs 1,700 million turnover Hyderabad-based Asanzubi industrial group is scheduled to introduce an Urdu channel, Falak TV, on 20 February 1999. The group is involved in a variety of activities ranging from steel to edible oil to steel.

The channel will be beamed off Thaicom-3 and will telecast for eight hours daily - three hours in the morning (most of it religious-oriented), five (news, current affairs and entertainment programs) in the evening. A new firm Falak Television & Broadcasting Ltd has been set up and Rs 300 million per annum is slated to be invested in procuring and producing software in Urdu at its studios. The promoters have promised that they will not "Islam-ise or politicise its programs."

The channel will reach out to an estimated 150 million speakers of Urdu worldwide.