MUMBAI: NGC Network (India) has got the FIPB (Foreign Investment Promotion Board) nod for uplinking and downlinking television channels through internal accruals without any foreign inflows.

One of the channels that NGC is planning to launch is Fox Traveller in high definition. The launch date is not firmed up. The other channels from the NGC stable that are available in high definition include National Geographic Channel, Nat Geo Wild and Nat Geo Adventure.

"The industry is moving towards new technologies. If you look at the sale of LEDs and LCD TV sets, you will realise that the consumer is upgrading. We have to follow them. We have not finalised a date for launching the HD feed of Fox Traveller but it will be soon," said Fox International Channel VP marketing Debarpita Banerjee.

Fox Traveller will always have one local show dedicated to travel news. "The tentative name of the show is ?Travel This Week?. The show will offer advertisers the chance to show their products. It will also have the latest news and trends in travel," Banerjee said.

?For instance if makemytrip.com wants to create awareness about their vacation packages, they can use the show as a platform. One of the aims is to provide an alternative and go beyond the 30 second spot. This will be a weekly half an hour show. The aim is to be informative and provide information and news that is relevant to viewers. Viewers will be able to find out about the latest deals.?

Fox Traveller is also looking at doing a food show. The aim is to be youthful and showcase what the key food is in Indian cities. The channel?s focus will also lie on catching travel in different ways. "We are mulling a tie up with Bollywood," said Banerjee.

MUMBAI: Fox International Channels (Fic), which distributes TV channels and digital services worldwide and is the sister company of 20th Century Fox Studios, has launched Fox as a free-to-air channel in Finland.

The move brings the Fox brand to Finnish television viewers for the first time along with some of the best entertainment, non-fiction and lifestyle content.

Fic says that the rebranding of the recently acquired Suomi TV shows its commitment to the Finnish and Nordic markets, and to establishing Fox as one of the leading entertainment brands in the region. Fox Finland will introduce a raft of new programming as it expands to 12 broadcast hours per day from the existing seven. Entertainment series will include the popular US Fox Network animated series Family Guy and ‘American Dad‘, as well as ‘The Walking Dead‘.

The channel will also feature films from Twentieth Century Fox, National Geographic Channel‘s factual series, and 24Kitchen‘s food and lifestyle programming. Fox Finland follows on the heels of the successful launch of Fox Crime in Norway last year and the ongoing consolidation of the Nordic distribution of Fic‘s factual channels the National Geographic Channel, National Geographic Channel HD, Nat Geo Wild and Nat Geo Wild HD.

FIC distributes a diverse bouquet of 28 entertainment and factual channels worldwide anchored by the Fox and National Geographic brands.

Fox International Channels Europe president Jes?s Perezagua said, "We are very pleased to bring FOX to the Finnish market. Fox has been tremendously successful globally as our flagship general entertainment channel and we‘re confident that it will similarly establish FIC in Finland. This is a key step for us in Finland and in the Nordic market. With the combination of global experience and local talent on the ground, we are excited by the possibilities for Fox Finland".

Fox International Channels MD for Nordic, Baltic regions Ase Ytreland said, "Fox is synonymous with great entertainment worldwide and we‘re thrilled to bring the brand and all it represents to Finnish viewers. It‘s an incredible legacy of quality and we‘re looking forward to continuing that in Finland. When we assumed control of the channel two months ago, we made a commitment to increase broadcasting hours and bring some of the best content available to Finnish viewers. The launch of Fox and the content we‘re featuring make good on that commitment."

Fox Finland‘s director of broadcast Mikko Silvennoinen said, "I‘m thrilled with the opportunity to programme Fox in Finland. The quality and variety of content, from fiction to factual to lifestyle, will provide Finnish viewers with fresh choices that they are certain to enjoy".

In addition to the content acquired from Twentieth Century Fox, Fox will offer National Geographic series including ‘Air Crash Investigation‘ and ‘Banged Up Abroad‘ series which have already driven dramatic increases in channel viewership. These series will be complemented by programming from FIC‘s lifestyle channel 24Kitchen - food and cooking programmes highlighting good, fresh food.

Fox will continue to broadcast news and horse racing and plans to produce local content in the near future.

MUMBAI: National Geographic Channels International (NGCI) has appointed Hamish Mykura as EVP, head of international content effective early 2012.

The announcement was made by NGCI, Fox International Channels CEO Hernan Lopez. Mykura will also serve as the London Head of Global Development for National Geographic Channel.

Mykura will oversee all editorial development and production for NGCI, working closely with local programming teams and reporting to Lopez. He will also help spearhead NGCI?s success across the globe in 165 countries and provide supervision for its portfolio of networks: NGC, NGC HD, Nat Geo Wild, Nat Geo Wild HD, and Nat Geo Adventure.

As London Head of Global Development, he will be responsible for bringing projects from UK-based production houses to NGC?s global commissioning team in Washington, DC, and in respect to this role he will report toNGC US EVP of content Michael Cascio.

Lopez said, "With more than 20 years of experience in the television industry, Hamish brings outstanding insight and vision to NGCI. Working closely with NGCI regional programmers and UK-based production houses, Hamish will build upon a solid foundation to bring new viewers to the National Geographic brand."

National Geographic Channels US and Global Programming CEO David Lyle said, "Expanding our development presence in the UK is key to our strategy of reaching out to the production community globally and forming more partnerships to produce the best programming for our channels. Hamish is the perfect person to be leading this charge for us in the UK."