MUMBAI: By virtue of its size and population, Uttar Pradesh is an important state not only for politicians but also for news channels.

So, in February this year, before the Lok Sabha elections took off, News Nation launched its first regional channel, News Nation Uttar Pradesh/Uttarakhand.

Now that the polls are over, the channel plans to boost its sales team and increase the number of advertisers on board.

“The Uttar Pradesh market is a priority due to its population. We are looking at hiring about four to five people to deal with UP clients,” says News Nation senior VP head of sales and marketing Abhay Ojha. The appointees will be based out of Kanpur, Noida, Gurgaon, DehraDun and eastern UP.

Advertisers being targeted include educational institutes, tea companies, small and medium enterprises and hosiery and footwear manufacturers, among others. Apparently, 40 per cent of national advertisers have already decided to be part of the regional channel while the rest would be roped in by the new team expected to be in place within a month’s time.

“Currently, our focus is on improving content. We adopted the same strategy for the national channel and went without ads for a while to up the ratings,” says Ojha, claiming that the national channel has 85 brands currently.

Ad rates for prime time in the state fall between Rs 500 and Rs 1200. With big players likes ETV UP/Uttarakhand, Zee Sangam, Sahara Samay Uttar Pradesh, India News UP/Uttarakhand and Samachar Plus UP/Uttarakhand in the fray, it’s going to be a challenging road ahead for News Nation UP/Uttarakhand.