MUMBAI: After Star News, Zee News and NDTV, it is the turn of TV Today to make its American entry.
Aaj Tak and Headlines Today, two of the three channels managed by TV Today, have tied up with EchoStar's Dish Network, a leading satellite service provider for South Asian programming in the US.
With this tie-up, Aaj Tak and Headlines Today are expected to reach out to over 100,000 households in the USA from today (6 October).
Speaking on the initiative, TV Today CEO G. Krishnan says: “There is a large Indian diaspora in the US. While the geographical boundaries are shrinking, the distance between them and India seems to be widening. Launching Aaj Tak and Headlines Today on the Dish Network will offer the viewers with live news and analysis straight from home right into their living room.”
He added: “We are delighted to join hands with Dish Network who have established themselves as a market leader with their vision and pioneering efforts and are committed to constantly enhancing their South Asian programming mix.”
TV Today CMD Aroon Purie says: “Aaj Tak and Headlines Today have been able to successfully widen the viewership base for news in India. This step will further widen the base for Indian news internationally.”
Aaj Tak and Headlines Today will be available to Dish subscribers as part of a package and also on an a la carte basis. The price, however, was not disclosed.
“We are excited to serve as the exclusive pay TV provider of Aaj Tak and Headlines Today channels in the United States,” Tracy Thompson, vice president of international programming for Dish Network said.
Aaj Tak has been the undisputed market leader in the Hindi News genre in India since its launch, though several other channels are now snapping at its heels.
Headlines Today, after an erratic start, has made significant inroads in the English news market segment. The third sibling is the recently launched Tez, which is by and large a Hindi version of Headlines Today where news is told crisply and minus lengthy studio discussions, etc.
