MUMBAI: With India as one of its priority markets in Asia, FremantleMedia, a leading creator and producer of television content, has opened a new regional office in Chennai to focus on creating content for India?s large non-Hindi speaking markets.

This is FremantleMedia Asia?s second office in the country, and will join the existing Mumbai operations to further the company?s on-ground production business and provide entertainment content to a wider audience in India.

FremantleMedia Asia MD Paul O?Hanlon said, ?The Asian market place is thriving and this new office represents a great opportunity for FremantleMedia to improve its already strong foothold in the region. FremantleMedia Asia has produced a number of prime time formats in India in recent years, including Indian Idol, India?s Got Talent and X Factor India. The new Chennai office will target and forge proactive partnerships with top broadcasters, enabling us to effectively roll out popular television shows for the non-Hindi speaking population, and deliver outstanding entertainment content across the country.?

The Mumbai office will continue to focus on the Hindi speaking market while the new production hub in Chennai will focus on non-Hindi speakers, which account for over half of India?s population.

FremantleMedia Asia Pacific CEO Ian Hogg said, ?This is a fantastic opportunity for FremantleMedia Asia. India is the second most populous country in the world and this expansion will allow us to access new markets, work with new broadcasters and reach a greater audience with the world-class entertainment for which we are known."

MUMBAI: Television viewers in Australia will not be able to watch the IPL which kicks off today in Chennai due to a stalemate involving Australian television networks and Indian cricket administrators.

A report in ?The Age? states that ?Network Ten? held the rights for the first four seasons of the IPL but declined to air last year?s event, mainly because of the poor ratings and also because it coincided with a diversification of its One HD channel away from consisting solely of sport.

The newspaper also reported that it is believed the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) has sought a hefty price whenever a new IPL TV rights contract has been discussed with Australian networks.

Australians can watch the action online at ipl.indiatimes.com and youtube.com/indiatimes.

The successor to Ten for the now-lapsed IPL rights, Fox Sports, is about to begin its broadcast of the West Indies Tests, while on weekends it has significant AFL, rugby league, rugby union and soccer commitments.