NDTV Group to launch 4 channels in September

MUMBAI: NDTV Group is set to bring four channels on air in September. The package includes NDTV Lifestyle's Good Times, a news cum infotainment channel in Kuala Lumpur for joint venture partner Astro, a channel for the Middle East, and Metronation.

"We are launching a channel in Kuala Lumpur on 4 September for Astro, while NDTV Good Times will be up on 7 September," says NDTV Group CEO Narayan Rao.

NDTV has come together with the Kingfisher brand (Kingfisher has the tagline 'King of good times') in a first of its kind media alliance for the promotion of the channel. The logo bears the characteristic Kingfisher bird at the top left corner against a red backdrop.

Though NDTV chairman Dr. Prannoy Roy did not divulge the details of the deal with Kingfisher, it is understood that the advertisement commitment would be Rs 1 billion over a period of five years.

"NDTV Good Times will leverage the NDTV Group's proven programming and broadcasting skills in partnership with the lifestyle appeal of the Kingfisher brand. The strength of the Kingfisher brand combined with NDTV's depth will give our new lifestyle channel a distinct edge," said Roy while addressing the press here today.

Added UB Group chairman Vijay Mallya, "The Kingfisher brand has come to epitomise a lifestyle that encompasses some of the finest things in life and is synonymous with delivering a premium experience. The NDTV Good Times channel would leverage the editorial credibility of the NDTV group and the strong lifestyle appeal of the Kingfisher brand and icon. The shared values of both the brands are highly complementary."

The lifestyle channel will be free-to-air. Said NDTV Lifestyle CEO Smeeta Chakrabarti, "The channel will target a largely cosmopolitan, socially upbeat audience and the programming includes a wide range of aspirational lifestyle programming on health, fashion, food, pets, travel and luxury."

When asked over the necessity of a dedicated channel in this genre in India, she replied, "India is young and increasingly affluent. With money to spend on living better - on leisure, travel, eating out and dressing stylishly - on having a good time! Yet strangely enough there is no Indian lifestyle channel. This channel has all the answers to your questions from food to fitness, travel, leisure, gadgets and from marriage to parenthood."

NDTV lifestyle creative head Shibani Sharma said, "The content creation is majorly inhouse and 40 per cent of the content has been outsourced to production houses like Contiloe Films, Miditech, and Camera Art, amongst others. We'll be going on air with five to six hours of fresh content daily, which also includes a reality show The Great Indian Love Challenge."

The channel has roped in experts in various fields like tech guru Rajiv Makhni, cocktail queen Shatbhi Basu, Rajat Kapoor, Manju Malhi, spa queen Devika Anand and NDTV own 'Chhupa Rustam' anchor Arun Thapar.