India’s English language news channel Times Now is launching on Sky this week, joining its competitors NDTV, Aaj Tak, ABP News and News18 India who are already active in the UK.
The channel, anchored by Arnab Goswami, will target the 1.4 million Indian diaspora in the UK, ahead of further launches across Europe, starting with France and Germany, according to the Financial Times.
Times Television Network managing director and CEO MK Anand told the newspaper the UK “can be our biggest diaspora market and a bridge into Europe ... over the longer run there is no reason for us not to envisage Times Now as a global brand. Al Jazeera is an English-language channel which is talking about the world with an Arabic lens, and in time we can do the same for an Indian world view.”
Initially, Indian news would be covered by the UK pay-TV channel, however, the company plans to expand this geographic remit to cover international current affairs in the future.
Times Television Network has set up a UK office to help it attract some of the estimated GBP20-25 million advertising spend by Indian-targeted brands in the UK.
In India, the network broadcasts Times Now, ET Now, Zoom TV, Movies Now and Romedy Now. It was also granted three more news channel licences in December 2014 for Times Now 2, Times Now 3 and ET Now 3.
The channel, anchored by Arnab Goswami, will target the 1.4 million Indian diaspora in the UK, ahead of further launches across Europe, starting with France and Germany, according to the Financial Times.
Times Television Network managing director and CEO MK Anand told the newspaper the UK “can be our biggest diaspora market and a bridge into Europe ... over the longer run there is no reason for us not to envisage Times Now as a global brand. Al Jazeera is an English-language channel which is talking about the world with an Arabic lens, and in time we can do the same for an Indian world view.”
Initially, Indian news would be covered by the UK pay-TV channel, however, the company plans to expand this geographic remit to cover international current affairs in the future.
Times Television Network has set up a UK office to help it attract some of the estimated GBP20-25 million advertising spend by Indian-targeted brands in the UK.
In India, the network broadcasts Times Now, ET Now, Zoom TV, Movies Now and Romedy Now. It was also granted three more news channel licences in December 2014 for Times Now 2, Times Now 3 and ET Now 3.